Comparison

HCA vs Shortcut app

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

Shortcut app

Instantly add powerful, ready-made shortcuts to your iPhone with a single tap. Organize tasks with smart categories and discover daily essentials designed to save you time and make your device smarter.

Highlights
  • One-tap shortcut installation
  • Smart categories for organization
  • Daily essential shortcuts
  • Regularly added new shortcuts
  • Time-saving automation tools
Features
Read full description

SRTCT - One Tap Shortcuts Supercharge your iPhone with ready-made shortcuts you can install in a single tap. No coding, no setup, just quick tools that make your everyday tasks effortless. What you’ll get: One-Tap Install: Add powerful shortcuts instantly. Smart Categories: Media, Tools, Productivity, Web & Search, Info Extraction & more. Daily Essentials: Water eject, phone finder, quick directions, nutrition tracker, and dozens more. Always Growing: New shortcuts added regularly. Why SRTCT? Because time is precious. SRTCT gives you simple, powerful, and practical shortcuts designed to save time and make your iPhone smarter. Start tapping. Start automating. Start with SRTCT. SRTCT Pro Subscriptions Weekly Plan – auto-renewable, billed weekly at the local App Store price Annual Plan – auto-renewable, billed annually at the local App Store price Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage your subscription and cancel anytime in your Apple ID Account Settings. Policy and Terms / EULA: https://sites.google.com/view/srtct/home

Screenshots

HCA3 screens
Shortcut app3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: HCA at 4.7 against Shortcut app's 3.2. HCA also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and device support (3 vs 1). Shortcut app's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, ratings volume 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. Shortcut app sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. HCA asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HCA holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 5 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HCA ships an update every 4 months, Shortcut app every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
HCA versus Shortcut app: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHCAShortcut app
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (6 ratings) — better3.2 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdvanced Quonset Technology, IncAshray Santoki

Customer experience

HCA

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

Shortcut app

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

None

HCA

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Shortcut app

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly$4.997 Days
  • Yearly$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$9.99

Questions

Is HCA free?
HCA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shortcut app free?
Shortcut app is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, HCA or Shortcut app?
HCA is rated higher. HCA averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Shortcut app averages 3.2 from 5 ratings.
Do HCA or Shortcut app have ads?
Neither HCA nor Shortcut app shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HCA or Shortcut app?
HCA ships an update every 4 months, and Shortcut app every 3 weeks. Most recently, HCA was updated on November 1, 2026 and Shortcut app on October 30, 2026.

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