Comparison

HCA vs savvyPanel

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

savvyPanel

This application offers a customizable operator interface for industrial automation and control systems. It visually displays machines and processes, provides instrumentation and controls, and supports multi-user and multi-screen access for seamless navigation and system interaction.

Highlights
  • Configurable operator interface
  • Graphical machine and process display
  • Instrumentation and operator controls
  • Multi-user access
  • Multiple system access
  • Easy system roaming
  • Multi-level navigation
Features
Read full description

savvyPanel provides a configurable operator interface to drive.web automation and distributed control systems used in industrial processes. It provides: • Graphical presentation of machines and processes • Instrumentation and operator controls • Multi-user access • Multiple system access with multiple screens • Easy roaming system access from machine to machine or around machines • Easy multi-level navigation between different processes, user tasks and task locations

Screenshots

HCA3 screens
savvyPanel4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: savvyPanel at 5.0 against HCA's 4.7. HCA's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

savvyPanel holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
HCA versus savvyPanel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHCAsavvyPanel
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (6 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB288 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdvanced Quonset Technology, Incdrive.web

Customer experience

HCA

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

savvyPanel

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

HCA

No in-app purchases

None

savvyPanel

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HCA free?
HCA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is savvyPanel free?
savvyPanel is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HCA or savvyPanel?
savvyPanel is rated higher. HCA averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while savvyPanel averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do HCA or savvyPanel have ads?
Neither HCA nor savvyPanel shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HCA or savvyPanel?
HCA ships an update every 4 months, and savvyPanel every 2 months. Most recently, HCA was updated on October 5, 2026 and savvyPanel on October 10, 2026.

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