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Vulpo vs Apple Home: which fits your Home Assistant?
Apple Home is a path rather than an app. Home Assistant's HomeKit Bridge shares your devices with Apple's Home app, which controls them like any HomeKit accessory. Vulpo is an app that talks to Home Assistant directly.
How is Vulpo different from Apple Home?
Vulpo connects to Home Assistant directly, with nothing to install on the server. It draws every screen natively in SwiftUI on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, edits your Home Assistant automations, and plays your media with the whole Music Assistant and Sonos queue. With Vulpo Pro come Live Activities, Intercom to your Home Assistant speakers and Lumen, a 3D view of your home.
HomeKit Bridge is an integration in Home Assistant that makes your entities available in Apple HomeKit, so Apple's Home app and Siri can control them. You add it in Home Assistant, then scan its pairing code with an iPhone on the same network.
The bridge carries over the device types HomeKit knows, such as lights, switches, covers, locks, climate, fans, sensors, cameras and media players. Each bridge holds up to 150 accessories, and cameras, locks and TVs have to be set up in accessory mode. What HomeKit has no type for stays behind: Home Assistant's dashboards, its energy data and Assist don't reach the Home app.
Once paired, rooms, scenes, automations and sharing are Apple's own features, next to any HomeKit and Matter accessories you already have. With a HomePod or Apple TV as a home hub, you can also control your home when you're away.
| Feature |  Vulpo |  Apple Home |
|---|---|---|
| Look and setup | ||
| 3D view of your homeLinked to your devices | YesLumen, Pro | No |
| Dashboards built without YAML | Yes | Yes |
| Your existing Lovelace dashboards | No | No |
| Custom Lovelace cardsThe kind HACS installs | No | No |
| Apple devices | ||
| Point at a device to control itFrom Apple Watch | YesWhisker, Labs, Pro | No |
| Mac app | YesNative | Yes |
| Apple Watch app | Yes | Yes |
| System features | ||
| Home Screen widgets | Yes | Yes |
| Interactive widgetsAct without opening the app | Yes | Yes |
| Control Center controls | Yes | Yes |
| Siri and Shortcuts | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Apple HomeHomeKit accessories in the same app | No | Yes |
| Home Assistant | ||
| Automations drafted from a sentenceA draft you review first | YesApple Intelligence | No |
| IntercomA spoken message on your speakers | YesPro | PartlyApple's own |
| Automation editor | YesNative | PartlyApple's own |
| Push notifications | Yes | PartlyAccessory alerts |
| Live cameras | Yes | PartlyAccessory mode |
| Media players and Music Assistant | Yes | PartlyAs switches or TV |
| Energy | YesLabs, Pro | NoNot through the bridge |
| Nothing extra to install on the server | Yes | NoHomeKit Bridge |
| AssistHome Assistant's voice assistant | No | No |
| More than one Home Assistant server | NoOne server | Yes |
| Price and access | ||
| No account neededSigns in to your own server | Yes | PartlyApple Account |
| Free to use | YesCore app | Yes |
Pick Vulpo if…
- You want to build and edit Home Assistant's own automations on iPhone, iPad or Mac.
- You want Home Assistant's Energy dashboard in an app, a Labs feature with Vulpo Pro.
- You want your media players in full, with the whole Music Assistant and Sonos queue.
- You want live cameras with 24 hours of motion, and no accessory mode to set up.
- You'd rather install nothing on your server: no integration, bridge or pairing.
- You want to send a spoken message to your Home Assistant speakers, with Vulpo Pro.
Pick Apple Home if…
- You want nothing to buy: the Home app is free and comes with your Apple devices.
- You want HomeKit or Matter accessories in one Home tab with your Home Assistant devices.
- You have a HomePod or Apple TV: as a home hub it adds remote control and sharing.
Loved at home.
4.7 out of 555 ratings on the App Store
Hand-picked positive reviews and posts, quoted as written. How they're picked
The average above is the App Store's own, across every rating, not just these. Apple only lets people who downloaded the app review it on the App Store; Reddit and X posts aren't checked for whether their authors use Vulpo. Each card links to its source.
Questions
Can I use both?
Yes. HomeKit Bridge and Vulpo each connect to Home Assistant on their own, so your devices can be in Apple's Home app and in Vulpo at the same time.
Is Vulpo affiliated with Apple?
No. Vulpo is an independent app by Joshua Dessol, and it is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by Apple, the Open Home Foundation or Nabu Casa. Home Assistant is a trademark of the Open Home Foundation.
Does Vulpo work with Apple Home?
No. Vulpo talks only to your Home Assistant server and doesn't show HomeKit accessories. To have your Home Assistant devices in Apple's Home app as well, add HomeKit Bridge in Home Assistant alongside Vulpo.
What does HomeKit Bridge leave out?
Anything HomeKit has no device type for stays behind, such as Home Assistant's dashboards, its energy data and Assist. Each bridge holds up to 150 accessories, cameras, locks and TVs need accessory mode, and HomeKit Secure Video isn't supported.
What does each one cost?
The Home app is free, and HomeKit Bridge is a Home Assistant integration. Some Home features may need a home hub, an iCloud+ subscription or compatible accessories. Vulpo is free to download and its core app stays free; Vulpo Pro adds Live Activities, 3D rooms, unlimited widgets and Vulpo Labs for $4.99 a month, $29.99 a year or $59.99 once.
Sources
Sources8
- apps.apple.com/us/app/id1110145103
- home-assistant.io/integrations/homekit/
- support.apple.com/guide/iphone/intro-to-home-iph22d98bbca/26/ios/26
- support.apple.com/guide/iphone/control-accessories-iph0a717a8fd/26/ios/26
- support.apple.com/guide/iphone/add-edit-and-remove-widgets-iphb8f1bf206/26/ios/26
- support.apple.com/guide/iphone/use-automations-iph6d50ec543/26/ios/26
- support.apple.com/guide/iphone/control-your-home-remotely-iph1d10f7f2b/26/ios/26
- support.apple.com/guide/iphone/invite-others-to-control-accessories-iphcbaf7e8f3/26/ios/26
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