ECO Plugs vs HBN Smart
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ECO Plugs
Control smart plugs and connected devices remotely via Wi-Fi. Schedule on/off times, set custom security programs, and monitor energy consumption from your smartphone or tablet.
- Remote device control
- Customizable scheduling
- Home security programs
- Energy consumption tracking
- Wi-Fi network integration
- Sunrise/sunset programming
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The App controls the ECO Plugs serial products - such as, switches, yard stakes, power strip, and smart box. Simple plug your device into power supply, and download ¨ECO Plugs〃 to your smart phone easy to control your ECO Plugs devices with your Wi-Fi network, allow you turn On or Off, or pre-set customized security programs from anywhere. The ECO Plugs App runs on your smart phone or tablet to control any electronic devices that plug into a ECO Plugs switch, power strip, yard stake, or smart box. Other than regular on/off setting, the ECO Plugs App allows to set astronomic sunrise or sunset program, optional DST time adjustment, holiday security program or random timer. To make your home security when you are away from home, create a pure city for our next generation. Moreover, the App also concerned about your electric budget. All you have to do is connect between household appliances and ECO Plugs devices with watts check feature, then can easily check your electric consumption and electric bill. ECO Plugs devices including indoor-use and outdoor-use switches, still outdoor-use yard stakes and smart box, which are available at major retails.
HBN Smart
Control your home appliances remotely from anywhere. Manage multiple devices simultaneously, set timers for automated functions, and easily share access with family members. The app offers quick and simple device connection.
- Remote appliance control
- Simultaneous device management
- Automated timers
- Family device sharing
- Quick device connection
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1. Remote control: control home appliances from anywhere 2. Simultaneously control: control multiple devices within one App 3. Timer: set timer to perform multiple functions 4. Device sharing: one tap to share devices among family members 5. Easy connections: easily and quickly connect App to devices
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: HBN Smart at 4.8 against ECO Plugs's 2.3. HBN Smart also leads on review sentiment (51% vs 22%) and ratings volume (3.2K vs 249). ECO Plugs's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 8 months) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
HBN Smart holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HBN Smart has 3.2K ratings behind it against 249, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of ECO Plugs's written reviews are positive against 51% of HBN Smart's.
ECO Plugs ships an update every 2 months, HBN Smart every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ECO Plugs | HBN Smart |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.3 (249 ratings) | 4.8 (3.2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 22.5% of reviews | 51.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 249 | 3.2K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 8 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 12.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 160 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Eco Plugs Enterprise Co., Ltd. | CENTURY PRODUCTS INC |
Customer experience
ECO Plugs
HBN Smart
User reviews
ECO Plugs
From 249 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Works great
- 👍 Easy to program
- 🔒 UL & cUL Certified, WiFi Certified, FCC Certified
- 💡 One app supports multiple devices (plugs, dimmers, switches, sensors)
Room to improve
- 🐛 Connectivity issues with iOS 16+
- 🐛 App crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Unreliable hardware
- 🐛 Difficult setup and unintuitive app
- 🐛 No cloud/cellular connectivity
HBN Smart
From 3.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy setup and use
- 🚀 Reliable connection and performance
- 💡 Useful automation features
- 🔒 Secure remote control
Room to improve
- 🐛 Connectivity issues with certain networks
- 🤔 Limited functionality without WiFi
- 😕 Confusing app interface
- 🤷♀️ Lack of customer support
Bugs and requests
ECO Plugs
Reported bugs
4 issues- App not finding devices after iOS 16 update
- Devices disconnecting from WiFi
- App crashing and not responsive
- Inability to configure WiFi settings on device
Requested features
3 requests- Homekit/Siri integration
- IFTTT support
- More timer options (e.g. sunset to 11PM)
HBN Smart
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes or freezes on certain devices
- Scheduled timers not working as expected
- Devices disappearing from the app
- Firmware updates causing compatibility issues
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for more device types
- Improve scheduling and automation options
- Provide better in-app guidance and tutorials
- Integrate with smart home platforms
In-app purchases
ECO Plugs
No in-app purchases
HBN Smart
No in-app purchases
