Amazon Alexa vs SmartHome (MSmartHome)
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Amazon Alexa
Manage your smart home devices, control music, and organize your day with voice commands. This app allows you to set up and interact with compatible devices, discover new skills, and stay connected with others. It learns your preferences for a personalized experience.
- Manage Alexa-enabled devices
- Control music playback
- View and edit lists
- Set reminders and timers
- Discover and enable skills
- Connect with other devices
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Use the Amazon Alexa app to manage Alexa-enabled devices, control music playback, view shopping lists on the go, keep track of upcoming reminders, check on active timers and much more. When you enable hands-free with Alexa, you can talk to Alexa by simply saying “Alexa” when the app is on your screen. The more you use Alexa, the more she adapts to your voice, vocabulary and personal preferences. DISCOVER MORE • Get more out of your Echo device through personalized feature recommendations from Alexa • Discover and enable recommended Alexa skills • Pick up where you left off directly from the home feed with lists, shopping, or recently played Music and Books MANAGE YOUR DEVICES • Set up your Alexa-enabled devices, control or check status of your compatible smart lights, locks and thermostats at home or on the go • Create routines to automate your smart home devices MUSIC & BOOKS • Connect to music services like Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn, and iHeartRadio. Choose a song or playlist and listen on your Alexa-enabled devices • Create speaker groups to play music across your compatible Echo devices for multi-room music ORGANIZE YOUR DAY • View and edit shopping and to-do lists on the go, get weather and news updates, manage timers and alarms, and more STAY CONNECTED • Use Drop In from your app to connect instantly with your compatible Echo devices, like a two-way intercom • Call or message supported Alexa-enabled devices, at no additional cost. By using this app, you agree to Amazon’s Conditions of Use (www.amazon.com/conditionsofuse), Privacy Notice (www.amazon.com/privacy), and all of the terms found here (www.amazon.com/alexaterms).
SmartHome (MSmartHome)
Control and monitor smart home appliances from various brands remotely and with voice commands. Receive important notifications and set up helpful automations to simplify daily tasks. Customize your device controls for quick access.
- Remote app control
- Voice control integration
- Appliance status monitoring
- Helpful automations
- Customizable device cards
- Timely notifications
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==The Red Dot Award 2023 Winner== SmartHome allows you to connect, monitor, and control smart appliances from Midea, Pelonis, Comfee, Master Kitchen, Artic King, and MDV. SmartHome replaces the MSmartHome and Midea Air apps, providing a brand-new look and improved experience. KEY FEATURES: REMOTE APP CONTROL: Easily control your smart appliance anytime, from anywhere using your smart phone. For example, cool down your room before you arrive home. VOICE CONTROL: Enjoy hands-free control of select appliances with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. NOTIFICATIONS: Never miss an important update or alert from your smart appliances. Receive timely notifications to alert you that the fridge door is open, or your oven has finished cooking dinner. APPLIANCE STATUS: Monitor your smart appliances anytime, from anywhere. Check how much time is left on your laundry cycle or when your dishwasher will have the silverware ready for dinner. HELPFUL AUTOMATIONS: Make everyday life a little easier. Enable your air conditioner to automatically turn on when it is hot outside. Set a schedule for your dehumidifier to turn off at bedtime. CUSTOMIZABLE DEVICE CARDS: Quick access to your most used devices and controls from the app home page. SmartHome supports home appliances including air conditioners, vacuum cleaners, dehumidifiers, fans, ovens, washers & dryers, dishwashers, and more. Access Permissions: The following access permissions are required for the SmartHome (formerly MSmartHome) app to provide necessary services. If you do not allow them, you can still use the app except for the related services. - Bluetooth: Find and connect to nearby devices via Bluetooth or BLE. - Location: Detect home WLAN network information to add device. Check your location to automate actions when location changes. Search for local weather information in "Scene" function. - Camera: Scan QR codes to add device. Upload photo to report a repair or feedback. - Album: Scan saved QR codes. Edit your profile photo. Upload a photo to report a repair or feedback. ※The availability of products and services may vary depending on the models you own or the region/country you reside in.
Screenshots
Verdict
Amazon Alexa and SmartHome (MSmartHome) both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 69% of SmartHome (MSmartHome)'s written reviews are positive against 20% of Amazon Alexa's. SmartHome (MSmartHome) also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2). Amazon Alexa's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (5.9M vs 20K). On price, rating, ads and device support 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. Amazon Alexa sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. SmartHome (MSmartHome) asks for nothing beyond the download.
SmartHome (MSmartHome) holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Amazon Alexa has 5.9M ratings behind it against 20K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 20% of Amazon Alexa's written reviews are positive against 69% of SmartHome (MSmartHome)'s.
Amazon Alexa ships an update weekly, SmartHome (MSmartHome) every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Amazon Alexa | SmartHome (MSmartHome) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (5.9M ratings) | 4.7 (20K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 20.3% of reviews | 69.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 5.9M — better | 20K |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #16 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 508 MB | 233 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | AMZN Mobile LLC | ShenZhen Shuzhi Scene Positioning Technology Co., Ltd. |
Customer experience
Amazon Alexa
SmartHome (MSmartHome)
User reviews
Amazon Alexa
From 5.9M App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Convenient for controlling smart devices
- 🚀 Helpful for managing reminders and playing music
- 👍 Alexa is a great companion
- 👍 Alexa is funny, nice, and kind
- 👍 Alexa is a lifesaver for the elderly
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Inconsistent voice recognition
- 🐛 Cluttered and unintuitive interface
- 🐛 Slow and unresponsive app
- 🐛 Alexa sometimes ignores commands or gives irrelevant responses
SmartHome (MSmartHome)
From 20K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Convenient remote control
- 👍 Helpful scheduling features
- 🚀 Straightforward setup
- 👍 User-friendly interface
Room to improve
- 🐛 Connectivity issues
- 🐛 Frequent disconnections
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance
- 🐛 Buggy app
- 🐛 Unreliable app
Bugs and requests
Amazon Alexa
Reported bugs
6 issues- Alexa unable to link to Apple Music account
- Alexa unable to properly control smart plugs and lights
- Alexa unable to maintain connection with Bluetooth speakers
- Alexa unable to consistently set alarms and timers
- Alexa app crashing or becoming unresponsive
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- Alexa unable to recognize routines and commands
Requested features
7 requests- More customization options for routines
- Better integration with third-party apps
- Ability to control Alexa devices without voice commands
- Option to set custom sounds/music for alarms and timers
- Improved music playback controls in the app
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- Ability to easily manage and organize smart home devices
- More advanced features for the elderly and disabled users
SmartHome (MSmartHome)
Reported bugs
7 issues- App crashes on startup
- Frequent disconnections from devices
- Inability to control devices remotely
- Scheduled tasks not working as expected
- Inaccurate device status reporting
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- Mapping features not functioning properly
- Alexa integration not working reliably
Requested features
9 requests- Add energy usage/consumption tracking
- Improve Alexa integration
- Add option to disable beeping sounds
- Allow multiple users to access the same account
- Provide more detailed usage data and analytics
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Improve scheduling and timer functionality
- Add support for 5GHz WiFi networks
- Improve map editing and virtual barrier features
- Provide more customization options
In-app purchases
Amazon Alexa
- Amazon Kids+1 Month trial$6.991 Month
- Alexa+ Standard Monthly1 Month trial$19.991 Month
SmartHome (MSmartHome)
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Amazon Alexa free?
Is SmartHome (MSmartHome) free?
Which has better reviews, Amazon Alexa or SmartHome (MSmartHome)?
Do Amazon Alexa or SmartHome (MSmartHome) have ads?
Which is updated more often, Amazon Alexa or SmartHome (MSmartHome)?
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