Reolink vs Rain Bird
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Reolink
Easily access and monitor your security cameras and NVRs from anywhere. Watch live streams, playback recordings, and receive real-time motion detection alerts. Enjoy peace of mind with a user-friendly interface for home and business surveillance.
- Remote camera and NVR access
- Live streaming
- Video recording playback
- Motion detection alerts
- Multi-channel viewing
- PTZ camera control
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Reolink App is an easy-to-use security camera system surveillance app. It enables you to locally or remotely access your IP cameras and NVRs on mobile devices. You can monitor and watch live streaming of your home and business anywhere and anytime. It helps you easily get peace of mind. Key Features: 1. Only 3 steps to access cameras and NVRs (at the same local network) --- the easiest solution ever. 2. Easy and friendly interface for all users to use. 3. Remotely monitor and watch live streaming via 3G/4G or WiFi anywhere and anytime. 4. Multi-channel viewing (up to 16 channels) on screen at the same time. 5. Remotely playback video recording from your camera SD card and NVR HDD. 6. Capture video from live view channels on your mobile device to playback. 7. Capture single and multiple images to save on your mobile device. 8. Get emails or push notifications in real time when motion detection is triggered. 9. Schedule video recording (including motion-triggered recording) at anytime. 10. Control PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) cameras remotely (left, right, up and down). Note: Reolink App is compatible with NVRs and IP Cams from Reolink. More Supports: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReolinkTech/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReolinkTech Contact: https://reolink.com/contact-us/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEHKZX6fFVtWd4tnnRkzrMA
Rain Bird
Control your sprinklers remotely from your mobile device. Automate watering schedules and adjust for weather conditions to conserve water and reduce costs. Compatible with various Rain Bird controller models.
- Remote sprinkler control
- Customizable watering schedules
- Automated weather adjustments
- Water and money saving
- Controller model compatibility
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Smart Watering Made Simple. Connect your Rain Bird controller to your mobile device to turn on sprinklers, set up customized watering schedules, and automate weather adjustments, saving you water and money. Compatible with the following Rain Bird controller models: ST8-WIFI ESP-TM2 ESP-RZXe ESP-Me ESP-ME3 RC2 ARC8 For more information: http://wifi.rainbird.com 1-800-RAINBIRD
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Rain Bird at 4.7 against Reolink's 4.0. Rain Bird also leads on ratings volume (79K vs 9.7K) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). Reolink's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and chart position (#201 vs unranked). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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.
Rain Bird holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rain Bird has 79K ratings behind it against 9.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of Reolink's written reviews are positive against 31% of Rain Bird's.
Reolink ships an update fortnightly, Rain Bird every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.
| Parameter | Reolink | Rain Bird |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (9.7K ratings) | 4.7 (79K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 25.3% of reviews | 31.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 9.7K | 79K — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #201 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 473 MB | 48 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Reolink Digital Technology Co., Ltd | Rain Bird Corporation |
Customer experience
Reolink
Rain Bird
User reviews
Reolink
From 9.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Works well when connected
- 📸 Good camera quality
- 💰 Affordable price
- 🔒 Secure system
- 🔌 Wired and wireless options
Room to improve
- 🐛 Connectivity issues, especially remotely
- 🔋 Battery drain and charging problems
- 🕰️ Slow motion detection and playback
- 🔍 Unreliable motion detection
- 📱 Subpar app experience
Rain Bird
From 79K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to program
- 🚀 Convenient remote control
- 👍 Versatile
- 👍 Must have
- 👍 Ease of mind
Room to improve
- 🐛 Connectivity issues
- 🐛 Slow and clunky app
- 🐛 Date/time not updating
- 🐛 Unreliable system
- 🐛 Limited functionality
Bugs and requests
Reolink
Reported bugs
5 issues- App crashes after updates
- Inability to change passwords
- Cameras disconnecting randomly
- Playback issues and failures
- Inconsistent performance across devices
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to pause/snooze notifications
- Customizable notification sounds
- Landscape mode support on tablets
- Consolidated event history across cameras
- Faster/smoother video playback controls
Rain Bird
Reported bugs
5 issues- Constant connection errors
- App crashes frequently
- Date/time not syncing correctly
- Seasonal adjustment not working as expected
- Manual controls not functioning properly
Requested features
6 requests- Add water usage history and analytics
- Allow pausing of individual zones
- Improve manual control options
- Add weather integration and smart scheduling
- Improve notification system
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- Add ability to turn off entire system remotely
In-app purchases
Reolink
No in-app purchases
Rain Bird
No in-app purchases
