# HCA vs alt Codes

The clearest difference is update cadence: alt Codes at fortnightly against HCA's every 4 months. HCA's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

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

HCA holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 9 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of HCA's written reviews are positive against 82% of alt Codes's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

HCA ships an update every 4 months, alt Codes fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HCA | alt Codes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hca/id869907178/reviews)** | [4.4 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alt-codes/id907724786/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 6 | **9** |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | **81.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 15 MB | 0 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Advanced Quonset Technology, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1200893792) | [Jared Lipton](https://appshunter.io/developer/778105187) |

## What reviewers say

### HCA

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hca/id869907178)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### alt Codes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alt-codes/id907724786)

Discover Windows keyboard shortcuts for typing special characters and symbols not on your keyboard. Quickly copy symbols to your iOS device's clipboard for easy pasting on your Mac via Universal Clipboard.

**Highlights:** Find Windows keyboard shortcuts, Type special characters and symbols, Copy symbols to iOS clipboard, Paste on Mac with Universal Clipboard, Quick symbol lookup

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HCA free?

HCA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is alt Codes free?

alt Codes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, HCA or alt Codes?

HCA is rated higher. HCA averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while alt Codes averages 4.4 from 9 ratings.

### Do HCA or alt Codes have ads?

Neither HCA nor alt Codes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HCA or alt Codes?

HCA ships an update every 4 months, and alt Codes fortnightly. Most recently, HCA was updated on October 5, 2026 and alt Codes on October 7, 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.*