HCA vs mwConnect TruBlu™
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Remote device control
- Sensor status monitoring
- Program execution
- Keypad control
- Geofencing automation
- Log viewing and filtering
- Custom icon synchronization
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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 ***
mwConnect TruBlu™
Easily commission Bluetooth Mesh lighting devices to create dynamic smart lighting networks. Customize control parameters, test network performance, and manage devices without specialized expertise. The intuitive interface simplifies setup and operation for on-site deployment.
- Bluetooth Mesh device commissioning
- Intuitive network setup
- Lighting control customization
- Daylight harvesting calibration
- Network testing and monitoring
- Device provisioning with proximity sensing
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The mwConnect TruBlu app will commission qualified Bluetooth Mesh lighting devices to build a dynamic smart lighting network. Using the intuitive app and its web platform companion, you can easily customize lighting control parameters in accordance with site-specific needs and building energy codes, test and monitor the network, and add or remove devices as needed. All without specialized training or lighting control expertise. Complete the commissioning process on-site and add your Bluetooth Mesh lighting devices to a wireless network in no time. The intuitive interface was designed with simplicity in mind, to require as little work on your side as possible. Device Provisioning Thanks to proximity sensing, the app provides you with a list of detected lighting devices. Provision up to 5 devices at once. Using a RSSI filter, you can narrow down the list of visible luminaries to those that are the nearest. Lighting Control Customization Select from preconfigured industry standard lighting control scenarios, and then customize them to meet your needs. Personalize run, prolong, and standby modes for occupancy and vacancy, plus other lighting control parameters. Daylight Harvesting Calibration Calibrate an ambient light sensor in accordance with measurements provided by a light meter. Adjust brightness until it reaches the desirable level and enter the value. Test Test the performance of lighting control as well as the defined lighting scenes and make adjustments if needed.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: mwConnect TruBlu™ at 5.0 against HCA's 4.7. HCA's advantage is ratings volume (6 vs 2) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
mwConnect TruBlu™ holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 2 respectively.
HCA ships an update every 4 months, mwConnect TruBlu™ every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HCA | mwConnect TruBlu™ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (6 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 50 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Advanced Quonset Technology, Inc | McWong International Inc. |
Customer experience
HCA
mwConnect TruBlu™
In-app purchases
HCA
No in-app purchases
mwConnect TruBlu™
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is HCA free?
Is mwConnect TruBlu™ free?
Which has better reviews, HCA or mwConnect TruBlu™?
Do HCA or mwConnect TruBlu™ have ads?
Which is updated more often, HCA or mwConnect TruBlu™?
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