# Rachio vs GardenDial

Rachio and GardenDial both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of GardenDial's written reviews are positive against 57% of Rachio's. GardenDial also leads on ads (none vs shown). Rachio's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (159K vs 2). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Rachio sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and GardenDial sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Rachio against 5.0 for GardenDial. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rachio has 159K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of Rachio's written reviews are positive against 100% of GardenDial's.

Rachio ships an update every 3 weeks, GardenDial every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Rachio | GardenDial |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (159K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rachio/id864325098/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gardendial/id6744371401/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **159K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 57.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 163 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [RACHIO, INC.](https://appshunter.io/developer/864325101) | [Mingyue Zhang](https://appshunter.io/developer/1807372781) |

## What reviewers say

### Rachio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rachio/id864325098)

This app allows you to control your sprinkler system remotely, creating custom watering schedules. It helps save water and money by optimizing irrigation based on weather and yard needs. Access your system from anywhere for convenient lawn care.

**Highlights:** Automated watering schedules, Remote sprinkler control, Water and money saving, Weather-based adjustments, Smart home integration, Mobile app access

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tempest Integration | $29.99 | one-time |
| AirLink Integration | $29.99 | one-time |
| Heat Wave Boost | $29.99 | one-time |
| Wire Status | $29.99 | one-time |
| Valve & Heat Monitoring Bundle | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Convenient remote control
- 🌱 Saves water and money
- 🌳 Helps maintain healthy lawn and plants

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Connectivity issues
- 💸 Aggressive upselling
- 🤔 Confusing user interface
- 🌧️ Inaccurate weather-based scheduling

**Reported bugs**

- Zones running at unexpected times
- Schedules not working as programmed
- App crashing during setup and use
- Syncing issues between app and controller

**Requested features**

- Ability to skip multiple upcoming watering cycles
- Customizable notifications for low battery and offline status
- Better integration with smart home platforms like HomeKit
- More granular control over watering schedules and durations


### GardenDial

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gardendial/id6744371401)

This app simplifies mixing ratios for hose-end sprayers, supporting popular models like Ortho Dial N Spray. It accurately calculates concentrations for fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides, eliminating manual math for home gardeners.

**Highlights:** Mix ratio calculation for sprayers, Supports multiple sprayer models, Input product label concentration, Adjustable strength slider, Supports various measurement units, No ads or login required

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tip Developer | $1.99 | one-time |
| Tip Developer | $4.99 | one-time |
| Tip Developer | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Rachio free?

Rachio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is GardenDial free?

GardenDial is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Rachio or GardenDial?

GardenDial is rated higher. Rachio averages 4.9 out of 5 from 159K ratings, while GardenDial averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Rachio or GardenDial have ads?

Rachio shows ads; GardenDial does not.

### Which is updated more often, Rachio or GardenDial?

Rachio ships an update every 3 weeks, and GardenDial every 5 months. Most recently, Rachio was updated on October 27, 2026 and GardenDial on October 12, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*