Comparison

GarageDoorBuddy vs GarageMax

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

Head to head
About

GarageDoorBuddy

Control your garage doors remotely from anywhere using your smartphone. Share access with family and friends by simply sharing your password. No need for multiple physical remotes.

Highlights
  • Remote garage door control
  • Access sharing
  • Smartphone integration
  • Works with most openers
  • Companion app for hardware
Features
Read full description

Remotely control your garage doors from anywhere in the world! NOTE: THIS APP IS A COMPANION APP TO THE GARAGEDOORBUDDY REMOTE HARDWARE DEVICE. You can purchase one from www.garagedoorbuddy.com Forgot your house keys? Just launch the app on your smartphone. No need to buy a garage door remote control for everyone in the house. Just download the Free app! Family or friends need to drop things off while you are away? Just share your password for the app! GDB v2.0 Supports almost all of the garage door openers on the market except the following models. Please contact us at http://garagedoorbuddy.com/#contact or garagedoorbuddy@gmail.com if you are not certain. 1. Liftmaster/Chamberlain/Craftsman security+2.0 openers are not supported. To support these openers, a customized adapter is required. You can purchase the customized adapter from us. 2. Genie Series III openers are not supported. To support these openers, Genie 38013R Dry Contact Adapter or a customized adapter is required. You can purchase the customized adapter from us.

About

GarageMax

Control your garage door remotely using your iPhone or Apple Watch. Pair up to 8 devices for convenient access. Requires a separate Bluetooth receiver for secure operation.

Highlights
  • Open garage door with iPhone/Apple Watch
  • Pair up to 8 devices
  • Secure access control
  • Wide opener compatibility
  • Fail-safe testing
  • Password protection
Read full description

With the GarageMax App, you can open your garage door using your iPhones and or Apple Watch. You can pair up to 8 phones/watches. The GarageMax App requires purchase of our Bluetooth4.0 GarageMax Receiver available from our website and on Amazon. GarageMax is trusted by thousands of users worldwide and is the most secure garage door opener. The simple installation takes 2 minutes. Even if someone else has the GarageMax App they will not be able to open your garage without your permission. Compatible with Genie, Liftmaster, Chamberlain, Sears Craftsman, Raynor, Wayne-Dalton, Axis Cam, AccessMaster, Somfy, and nearly all garage door openers built in the last 50 years that use a simple wall switch. Note that newer Liftmaster/Chamberlains/Craftsman that have a YELLOW learn button will only work with Chamberlain accessories and are not compatible with GarageMax. Please visit our compatibility page for more details. Only devices that have been previously paired to the GarageMax Receiver can open your garage door. The pairing process requires physical access to the receiver so it it not possible for someone else to pair their phone to the receiver from outside your garage. The GarageMax App is FREE and you can buy the latest low-cost GarageMax Receiver from our website https://bluemate.com or by searching for "GarageMax" on Amazon. The GarageMax Receiver includes a power adapter and never needs batteries. Your old remotes and wall switch will will continue to work just as they did before. We performed extensive fail-safe testing under extreme temperatures of -40F to above 140F. We also tested high humidity, power loss problems, and many other situations. Even under extreme conditions, the GarageMax Receiver never opens your garage door accidentally. Also, because you can password protect your phone and the App, we believe this is the most secure way to access your home. With password protection, if you lose your phone no one can enter your home. The same can't be said for keys and your other garage door remotes. Thank you for the download and support.

Screenshots

GarageDoorBuddy1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: GarageDoorBuddy at free against GarageMax's free with in-app purchases. GarageDoorBuddy also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 88%) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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

GarageDoorBuddy holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15 and 25 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of GarageDoorBuddy's written reviews are positive against 88% of GarageMax's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
GarageDoorBuddy versus GarageMax: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGarageDoorBuddyGarageMax
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (15 ratings) — better4.4 (25 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better88.2% of reviews
Number of ratings1525 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBrocelBlueMate Labs, Inc.

Customer experience

GarageDoorBuddy

All ratings14 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral14.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

GarageMax

All ratings24 ratings
Positive79.2%
Neutral8.3%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive88.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.8%

In-app purchases

None

GarageDoorBuddy

No in-app purchases

None

GarageMax

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is GarageDoorBuddy free?
GarageDoorBuddy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is GarageMax free?
GarageMax is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, GarageDoorBuddy or GarageMax?
GarageDoorBuddy is rated higher. GarageDoorBuddy averages 4.6 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while GarageMax averages 4.4 from 25 ratings.
Do GarageDoorBuddy or GarageMax have ads?
Neither GarageDoorBuddy nor GarageMax shows ads.
Which is updated more often, GarageDoorBuddy or GarageMax?
GarageDoorBuddy ships an update every 2 months, and GarageMax every 2 months. Most recently, GarageDoorBuddy was updated on October 26, 2026 and GarageMax on October 27, 2026.

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