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Smart Home · head to head

Homey vs Rachio Pro

Homey logo

Homey

Smart Home

Connect all your smart home devices in one app

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rachio Pro logo

Rachio Pro

Smart Home

Contractor platform and Pro Series controllers for managing client irrigation across many properties

From
$10/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Homey homey Cloud without a subscription connects at most 5 devices; Rachio Pro it is Wi-Fi first, so client properties without reliable wireless need Cellular Connect at around $389 plus $10 to $15 a month, which turns a one-time sale into a recurring cost the contractor has to bill on.
  • They diverge on capability: Homey covers Multi-protocol support, Rachio Pro covers Pro Series controllers.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Homey and Rachio Pro actually diverge.

Attributes where Homey and Rachio Pro differ
AttributeHomeyRachio Pro
Starting priceOn request$10/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionOne-time controller purchase with optional cellular subscription
PlatformsIOS, Android, WebWeb, iOS, Android
Founded2014Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Smart Home).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Homey

  • Multi-protocol support
  • Advanced flows
  • Voice control
  • Energy insights
  • Timeline
  • Zones
  • Google Assistant
  • Amazon Alexa

Only in Rachio Pro

  • Pro Series controllers
  • Business accounts
  • Pro Properties dashboard
  • Wire fault diagnostics
  • Weather-based skipping
  • Flow monitoring
  • Cellular Connect

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Homey

  • Bringing Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices from different brands into one appnot Rachio Pro
  • Building home automations visually with Flownot Rachio Pro
  • Charting device and sensor history through Insightsnot Rachio Pro

Rachio Pro

  • An irrigation contractor servicing a hundred residential clients who needs alerts rather than scheduled site visitsnot Homey
  • A landscape company that keeps client controller access when a technician resignsnot Homey
  • A property manager with several light commercial sites wanting leak detection before the water bill arrivesnot Homey
  • A contractor installing at a site with no reliable Wi-Fi who needs a cellular fallbacknot Homey

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Homey

  • Homey Cloud without a subscription connects at most 5 devices
  • Unlimited devices require the Homey Premium subscription at $2.99 per month
  • Advanced Flow, Insights, and Logic and Variables are locked behind Homey Premium
  • The free month of Premium is only offered to new subscribers signing up through iOS or Android

Rachio Pro

  • It is Wi-Fi first, so client properties without reliable wireless need Cellular Connect at around $389 plus $10 to $15 a month, which turns a one-time sale into a recurring cost the contractor has to bill on.
  • The Pro Series waters identically to the consumer Gen 3; the premium buys enclosure, warranty and diagnostics rather than better irrigation, which is a hard sell to a price-driven client.
  • It is residential and light commercial in scale, with no realistic capability for municipal parks, sports fields or agricultural blocks where flow-based mainline shutdown and two-wire decoders are expected.
  • Everything depends on Rachio's cloud; if the service is down or the account lapses, the controller falls back to a basic local schedule and the contractor loses the remote visibility they sold.
  • North America is the real market, so weather data quality, distributor availability and support outside the United States and Canada are materially worse than the product itself.

Pricing, plan by plan

Homey

On request
  • Homey Pro$399/month
    • Local processing
    • 1000+ apps
    • Advanced flows
  • Homey Bridge$69/month
    • Cloud processing
    • 500+ apps
    • Basic flows

Rachio Pro

$10/month
  • Pro Series controller$undefined/one-time
    • Sold through irrigation distributors, not retail
    • Four year warranty
    • Wire fault diagnostics included
  • Pro business account$undefined/month
    • No separate charge for the contractor dashboard and role management
    • Business-level ownership of client properties
    • Alerts, weather skips and flow anomalies across all sites
  • Cellular Connect$10/month
    • Around $389 for the hardware
    • First year of service included
    • $10 per month for one carrier, $15 for all three

Which should you pick?

Choose Homey if

  • You need multi-protocol support.
  • You work on IOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want advanced flows.
Homey review

Choose Rachio Pro if

  • You need pro series controllers.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want business accounts.
Rachio Pro review

Questions people ask

Is Homey or Rachio Pro better?
Neither clearly leads. Homey starts at On request and Rachio Pro at $10/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Homey or Rachio Pro?
Homey starts at On request and Rachio Pro at $10/month.
Does Homey or Rachio Pro run on more platforms?
Homey runs on IOS, Android, Web. Rachio Pro runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Homey best used for?
Homey is most often used for bringing zigbee, z-wave, wi-fi and bluetooth devices from different brands into one app, building home automations visually with flow, charting device and sensor history through insights. Of those, bringing zigbee, z-wave, wi-fi and bluetooth devices from different brands into one app and building home automations visually with flow are not what Rachio Pro is typically brought in for.
What can Homey do that Rachio Pro cannot?
Homey covers Multi-protocol support, Advanced flows, Voice control, Energy insights. Rachio Pro covers Pro Series controllers, Business accounts, Pro Properties dashboard, Wire fault diagnostics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Homey: Is there a monthly subscription for Homey Pro or just a one-time payment?

Homey Pro costs 449 euros as a one-time purchase with no recurring monthly fees. The only optional recurring cost is 10 euros per year for cloud backups.

Source
Rachio Pro: Is Rachio Pro a different product from Rachio?

It is the trade channel: Pro Series controllers sold through irrigation distributors plus a business account with company-level ownership of client properties. The irrigation logic is the same.

Homey: What are the limits for Homey Cloud's free tier?

The free tier of Homey Cloud supports up to 5 connected devices. To add more devices, you need to upgrade to the paid subscription at 2.99 euros per month.

Source
Rachio Pro: Does the Pro business account cost anything?

The contractor dashboard and role management are not separately charged. The costs are hardware and, where needed, cellular service.

Homey: What's the cost difference between Homey Cloud and Homey Pro over a year?

Homey Cloud costs 35.88 euros per year (2.99 euros per month). Homey Pro costs 449 euros upfront with no monthly fees, but includes all features and is a one-time purchase.

Source
Rachio Pro: What if a client site has no Wi-Fi?

Cellular Connect is around $389 of hardware with the first year included, then about $10 a month for a single carrier or $15 for access to all three.

Homey: How long will Homey Pro receive software updates?

Homey Pro will receive software updates until at least June 2031, ensuring continued improvements and security patches.

Source
Rachio Pro: Can I use it on a municipal park or sports field?

Not realistically. It lacks the two-wire decoder support and flow-based mainline shutdown that public landscape specifications generally require.

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