Itsyhome vs Apple Home
Apple Home is the baseline: it ships on every Apple device, it is free, and it handles the essentials well - rooms, scenes, automations, cameras, and multiple homes. Itsyhome is built on the same HomeKit framework and does not replace any of that. What it adds is a different way in - the Mac menu bar, a full app on Apple TV - plus tools Apple Home does not offer, like sensor history, virtual sensors, Home Assistant support, and a scripting API.
Everything below is in the shipping apps today, scoped by platform. On Mac, Free means no purchase is required and Pro refers to the one-time Pro unlock. On iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV the whole app runs as a 3-day free trial, then requires the same Pro unlock.
Control and access
| Capability | Apple Home | Itsyhome | Platforms | Free or Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Menu bar control on the Mac | Separate window app; nothing in the menu bar | Lives in the menu bar - every device, scene, and room one click away | Mac | Free |
| Pinned menu bar items | Not available | Pin any device, scene, room, or group as its own menu bar icon | Mac | Free |
| Global keyboard shortcuts | Not available | System-wide hotkeys toggle devices and run scenes from any app | Mac | Free |
| Full app on Apple TV | A Control Center panel; there is no Home app on tvOS | A full-screen app with rooms, scenes, favourites, groups, and per-device controls | Apple TV | Pro |
| Custom icons and colours | Icons follow the accessory type | Thousands of icons and a colour palette for every device, scene, and group | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV | Pro |
Cameras
| Capability | Apple Home | Itsyhome | Platforms | Free or Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doorbell pop-up on the Mac | System notification | A live camera panel opens automatically when the doorbell rings, with an optional chime | Mac | Pro |
| Camera wall on Apple TV | Cameras open one at a time from Control Center | A live grid of all cameras at once, full-screen detail with audio, and a screen-timeout override for a dedicated monitor | Apple TV | Pro |
| Home Assistant cameras | Not supported | Streams Home Assistant cameras over WebRTC, HLS, or snapshots | Mac | Pro |
Sensors and automation
| Capability | Apple Home | Itsyhome | Platforms | Free or Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual HomeKit sensors | Not available | Publishes its own HomeKit bridge with virtual contact, motion, occupancy, leak, smoke, CO, and CO2 sensors that appear in Apple Home | Mac | Pro, HomeKit mode |
| Duration-based automations | Automations fire when a state changes, not when it persists | Fires when a state holds for a set time - for example, a door open for 15 minutes - and flips a virtual sensor that Apple Home can automate on | Mac | Pro, HomeKit mode |
| Sensor history | No charts of past sensor readings | 30 days of history with 24-hour, 7-day, and 30-day charts; opt-in and stored on your Mac | Mac | Pro |
Power users and integrations
| Capability | Apple Home | Itsyhome | Platforms | Free or Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Assistant | Not supported | Connects natively to your Home Assistant server over WebSocket and REST, locally or remotely | Mac | Free |
| HTTP API and webhooks | Not available | A local HTTP server with control and status endpoints, plus a server-sent events stream | Mac | Pro |
| Command-line control | Not available | The itsyhome CLI, installed via Homebrew, controls devices and scenes from scripts | Mac | Pro |
| Stream Deck | Not available | An official Elgato plugin with 13 action types and live device state on each key | Mac | Pro |
| URL scheme control | No URL scheme | itsyhome:// links trigger devices and scenes from Alfred, Raycast, and other launchers | Mac | Pro |
| Wi-Fi based switching | Not available | Switches between homes or servers automatically based on the Wi-Fi network | Mac | Pro |
Platform and pricing
| Capability | Apple Home | Itsyhome | Platforms | Free or Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Included with every Apple device | Free on Mac; a one-time Pro unlock ($12.99) adds cameras and advanced features | All | - |
| Purchase model | Not applicable | One purchase covers iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV, with Family Sharing and no subscription; the Watch app ships with the iOS app | All | - |
One price, forever
Itsyhome is free to download and use on Mac. Cameras and advanced features are part of Itsyhome Pro, a one-time $12.99 purchase. On iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV you get a 3-day free trial, then the same unlock applies. One purchase covers all platforms, with Family Sharing and no subscription.
