Comparison

HCA vs yACK FAST

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

HCA

Control your home's lighting, thermostat, and automation devices remotely. Monitor sensors, trigger programs, and manage keypads. Uses geofencing for automated actions when entering or leaving areas.

Highlights
  • Remote device control
  • Sensor status monitoring
  • Program execution
  • Keypad control
  • Geofencing automation
  • Log viewing and filtering
  • Custom icon synchronization
Features
Read full description

HCA is a companion app for the Home Control Assistant Server desktop application. It is a client that connects to your HCA Server home automation system over WiFi or Cell network. I have no affiliation with the makers of HCA Server - I'm just a user providing this app for free to people who already own HCA Server. With this app, you can: - Control your home lighting, thermostat and other automation devices remotely. - Check on the status of motion and door/window sensors and your alarm system. - Trigger the execution of HCA programs to expand your remote automation capability. - Control the keypads throughout your home. - Use GeoFences to cause an HCA program to execute when entering/leaving an area. - View the HCA log and filters - Synchronize your custom icons from the HCA server to the app. - View your custom HTML pages generated by the HCA Server - Much, Much more! NOTE: For geofences, the users location is NEVER transmitted to the server or anywhere else outside of the app. It is used only by iOS to track the geofence. The app only sends the user-supplied name of the geofence to the server. For a video showing how to setup and use the app, see here: Part 1: https://youtu.be/IRWOgmouC_c Part 2: https://youtu.be/-On3jNJHW6M Please provide feedback on what features you would like to see implemented next! *** Please give us a rating in the app store ***

About

yACK FAST

Features
Read full description

Tool for using BlueSnap M6A wireless module, Scanfob® Brand RFID-NFC reader/writers, Scanfob® Brand BLE barcode scanners -View, and setup module parameters -Chat in STEAM mode with UART connected devices. -Show data like sensor readings, barcode/NFC/UHF scans. -Send scanner commands -Get RSSI readings from nearby BLE devices -Bluetooth Smart terminal function -Easy command history Serialio.com provides BLE app development libraries used in this app

Screenshots

HCA3 screens
yACK FAST4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: yACK FAST at every 2 months against HCA's every 4 months. HCA's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HCA ships an update every 4 months, yACK FAST every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
HCA versus yACK FAST: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHCAyACK FAST
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdvanced Quonset Technology, IncSerialio Ltd.

In-app purchases

None

HCA

No in-app purchases

None

yACK FAST

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HCA free?
HCA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is yACK FAST free?
yACK FAST is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do HCA or yACK FAST have ads?
Neither HCA nor yACK FAST shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HCA or yACK FAST?
HCA ships an update every 4 months, and yACK FAST every 2 months. Most recently, HCA was updated on October 5, 2026 and yACK FAST on October 10, 2026.

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