Comparison

NorthStar Connect vs Brinks Home

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

Head to head
About

NorthStar Connect

Control your Honeywell security system, thermostats, lighting, and locks remotely. Receive alerts, view live video, and track assets in real-time, anytime, anywhere. Requires a compatible system and subscription.

Highlights
  • Arm/disarm security system
  • Control lights and thermostats
  • Lock/unlock doors
  • View live video and doorbell events
  • Receive event alerts
  • Locate vehicles or assets
  • Create smart scenes
Features
Read full description

The NorthStar Connect® Remote Services app gives you complete control of your Honeywell security system, thermostats, lighting, locks and more, plus the ability to receive text messages and email alerts, view live video and see your video doorbell events, locate vehicles or assets*— in real-time where ever you are 24 hours a day. Requirement: Compatible Honeywell security systems with a subscription to NorthStar Connect Remote Services. Please contact your security professional for additional information. Feature Highlights: · Arm or disarm your security system · Turn lights on or off · Adjust thermostat temperature · Unlock or lock doors · Control an August Smart Lock · Create Smart Scenes with a Wizard guide for convenience · View your live video and video events · See your SkyBell video doorbell events · Receive email and text alerts about events in your home or business including alarms, extreme temperature changes, motion detected in restricted areas, movement of valuable items, and more · Language support for: English, Latin American Spanish, French Canadian, Brazilian Portuguese · Secure Login with your fingerprint · Locate vehicles or assets · Create users and manage their security system codes · Test Drive Demo

About

Brinks Home

Control your home security system and smart devices remotely. Arm or disarm alarms, manage lights, thermostats, locks, and view live camera feeds from anywhere. Receive real-time notifications for security events and daily activities.

Highlights
  • Remote alarm control (arm/disarm)
  • Smart device management (lights, locks, thermostat)
  • Live and recorded video monitoring
  • Real-time event notifications
  • Geo-fencing automation
  • Energy management features
Features
Read full description

Complete Smart Home Control in One App Manage your Brinks Home security system and smart home devices with just a few taps. Convenient and easy to use, our app allows you to monitor automate, and customize your home’s security, temperature, lighting, and more—all from the palm of your hand. Total Control at Your Fingertips Tap into the app whether you’re upstairs or uptown. Powered by Alarm.com, the Brinks Home Mobile App goes beyond basic security, allowing you to: • Arm and disarm your system. • Receive notifications for system events. • Quickly verify or cancel an alarm. • Lock and unlock your doors. • View video from your cameras. • Adjust your thermostat. • Manage home automation rules. Stay Connected From Just About Anywhere Receive alerts to see who’s at the door and check your cameras for a live look at what’s happening at home. If you forgot to arm your system you can do it on the go—and set up automatic reminders to let you know. Focus On What’s Important Enjoy peace of mind knowing your smart home system is working for you 24/7, backed by our always-on professional monitoring. Manage Your Account & Update Settings You can also manage your Brinks Home account, make a payment, view your bill, and more through the app.

Screenshots

NorthStar Connect4 screens
Brinks Home4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Brinks Home at free against NorthStar Connect's subscription. Brinks Home also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.3). NorthStar Connect's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, review sentiment, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Brinks Home holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10K and 21K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 15% of NorthStar Connect's written reviews are positive against 16% of Brinks Home's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NorthStar Connect ships an update every 5 weeks, Brinks Home every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
NorthStar Connect versus Brinks Home: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNorthStar ConnectBrinks Home
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (10K ratings)4.6 (21K ratings) — better
Positive reviews14.8% of reviews16.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings10K21K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size225 MB380 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNorthstar Alarm Services, LLCMonitronics

Customer experience

NorthStar Connect

All ratings10,202 ratings
Positive80.8%
Neutral5.0%
Negative14.2%
Written reviews108 reviews
Positive14.8%
Neutral5.6%
Negative79.6%

Brinks Home

All ratings20,380 ratings
Positive91.6%
Neutral2.4%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews276 reviews
Positive16.3%
Neutral9.4%
Negative74.3%

User reviews

NorthStar Connect

From 10K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Helpful app features
  • 🚀 Good app performance

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent technical issues
  • 📞 Poor customer service
  • 🔒 Security concerns
  • 🔋 Battery drain problems

Brinks Home

From 21K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 🔒 Provides peace of mind
  • 👍 Great app and system

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
  • 🔍 Poor customer service
  • 💰 Expensive and not worth the cost
  • 🕰️ Long wait times for support
  • 📱 App is not user-friendly

Bugs and requests

NorthStar Connect

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Cameras going offline frequently
  • Unreliable motion detection
  • Alarm system malfunctions

Requested features

3 requests
  • Improved camera functionality
  • Better app stability and reliability
  • More responsive customer support

Brinks Home

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Cameras not recording properly
  • Frequent false alarms
  • App connection issues
  • Inability to manage account details in app

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to customize recording settings
  • Longer video clip duration
  • Automatic arming/disarming schedules
  • Two-way communication for cameras
  • Improved mobile app navigation

In-app purchases

None

NorthStar Connect

No in-app purchases

None

Brinks Home

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NorthStar Connect free?
NorthStar Connect is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Brinks Home free?
Brinks Home is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NorthStar Connect or Brinks Home?
Brinks Home is rated higher. NorthStar Connect averages 4.3 out of 5 from 10K ratings, while Brinks Home averages 4.6 from 21K ratings.
Do NorthStar Connect or Brinks Home have ads?
Neither NorthStar Connect nor Brinks Home shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NorthStar Connect or Brinks Home?
NorthStar Connect ships an update every 5 weeks, and Brinks Home every 3 months. Most recently, NorthStar Connect was updated on October 29, 2026 and Brinks Home on October 31, 2026.

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