# Rachio vs Places Time Intelligence

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Places Time Intelligence at none against Rachio's 5. Rachio's advantage is ratings volume (159K vs 1). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Rachio sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Places Time Intelligence asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Rachio against 5.0 for Places Time Intelligence. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rachio has 159K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Rachio ships an update every 3 weeks, Places Time Intelligence every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Rachio | Places Time Intelligence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (159K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rachio/id864325098/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/places-time-intelligence/id6791293852/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **159K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 58.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 163 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [RACHIO, INC.](https://appshunter.io/developer/864325101) | [Edge Case LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896354440) |

## 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


### Places Time Intelligence

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/places-time-intelligence/id6791293852)

This app uses your background location to create a detailed overview of how you spend your time. It tracks visits to various places, measures duration, and provides breakdowns by day, week, month, or year. You can also view commute times and distinguish between sleep and awake time at home.

**Highlights:** Background location tracking, Time spent at locations breakdown, Visit duration measurement, Commute time tracking, Sleep vs. awake time differentiation, Map view of detected places, Pause tracking anytime

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Rachio free?

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

### Is Places Time Intelligence free?

Places Time Intelligence is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Rachio or Places Time Intelligence?

Places Time Intelligence is rated higher. Rachio averages 4.9 out of 5 from 159K ratings, while Places Time Intelligence averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Rachio or Places Time Intelligence have ads?

Both Rachio and Places Time Intelligence show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Rachio or Places Time Intelligence?

Rachio ships an update every 3 weeks, and Places Time Intelligence every 2 weeks. Most recently, Rachio was updated on November 6, 2026 and Places Time Intelligence on October 31, 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.*