Top 5 Residential Smart Sprinkler Controllers

‍How We Chose the Best Smart Irrigation Controllers

HOMR's research team compared the 8 most popular smart home irrigation controller brands in 5 core categories:

1. Price
2. Ease of installation
3. Ease of use
4. Optionality (4 zone and 8 zone controller options)
5. Water savings

Overall sales and brand popularity did not factor heavily in our research. We're more interested in a great product at a fair price than “copy and pasting” the most popular smart irrigation review articles online.

On the topic of price — the most expensive smart timers generally aren't the best products. This is especially true for homeowners purchasing their first smart controllers. Midrange controllers with a thoughtful selection of functions tended to rate best in our review process. 

Pro Tip: You don't need too many features! A commercial grade smart sprinkler controller has too many bells and whistles, and it's not practical for home use. 

HOMR's review staff tended to like brands with a select number of smart irrigation controller products. Brands who are too diversified often aren't as thoughtful about what features homeowners truly need in a smart controller. 

If all else was equal, we went straight to the source. We spoke to homeowners who already own smart irrigation controllers, as well as installation pros who install smart sprinkler systems on a regular basis. Their opinions helped us finalize our top 3 smart sprinkler timer brands.

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Talk to a live HOMR rep 24/7 and get a free sprinkler installation quote.

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Top 5 Smart Sprinkler Controllers [2024]

These are the 5 smart irrigation controllers for homeowners according to our rankings:

1. Best Overall: Rachio 3 8-Zone Smart Sprinkler Controller
2. Best for Small Lawns: Rachio 3 4-Zone Smart Sprinkler Controller
3. Best for First Time Buyers: Hunter Hydrawise X2 6-Station Controller
4. Best for Complex Irrigation: Hunter Hydrawise X2 14-Station Controller
5. Best Indoor Mounted Smart Controller: Orbit B-hyve Smart Indoor Sprinkler Controller

Best Overall: Rachio 3 8-Zone Controller

Buy on Amazon:  8-Zone Rachio 3 ($199.00 at the time of writing)

Why We Like It: No surprises here. The Rachio 3 tops every notable list of current smart controllers, from Wirecutter to the Chicago Tribune. The user-friendly installation guide makes it possible for handy homeowners to set up their Rachio 3 in under a half hour.

The Rachio 3 has the most intuitive features of any current smart irrigation controller, notably its hyperlocal weather forecasting. We were in awe of the Rachio 3’s AI capabilities. We chose the 8 zone version as our best overall because it’s the best size for most lawns. 

We spoke to Chris Klein, CPO and co-founder of Rachio, about their ongoing interviews with real Rachio 3 users to make smart updates to the Rachio app.

"We spend time with the customer, either in the field or on Zoom calls weekly," Chris explained. "Our interview with customers are more... everyday users. It's helping inform updates to our user experience."

• EPA WaterSense certified products? Yes
• 4 zone and 8 zone controllers available? Yes
• Dedicated phone app? Rachio app, Apple Store and Google Play

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Too much “tech jargon”? Our friendly reps help make sense of it all - just ask us!

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Best for Small Lawns: Rachio 3 4-Zone Controller

Buy on Amazon: 4-Zone Rachio 3 ($97.99 at the time of writing)

Why We Like It: Get all the features of the best smart sprinkler controller on the market, sized for smaller lawns and landscaping areas. Rachio is a 6-time Best Smart Sprinkler Controller winner from Wirecutter and holds over 10,000 5-star Amazon reviews. For Rachio, those reviews are wonderful — but so is the direct feedback from homeowners with Rachio 3 powered smart lawn irrigation systems.

"I'm thankful that we've been able to create a product that people love," Chris Klein told HOMR. "We put a lot of effort into our user experience. We can't just say we have a better user experience in the box, it has to come through reviews. It has to come through word of mouth."

Best for 1st Time Buyers: Hunter Hydrawise X2 6-Zone

Buy on Amazon: 6 Zone Hunter Hydrawise X2 ($97.83 at the time of writing)

Why We Like It: Hunter Industries makes controllers that are ideal for homeowners upgrading to their first smart sprinkler system. Their contractor log-in feature allows your landscaping or irrigation pro to assist in managing your system — a feature the pros we surveyed love.

The Hydrawise X2 is also the most physically durable controller we reviewed. 

• EPA WaterSense certified products? Yes
• 4 zone and 8 zone controllers available? Yes
• Dedicated phone app? Hydrawise, Apple Store and Google Play

Best for Complex Irrigation: Hunter Hydrawise X2 14-Zone

Buy on Amazon: 14 Zone Hunter Hydrawise X2 ($197.84 at the time of writing)

Why We Like It: Hunter’s contractor log-in feature takes all the intimidation out of irrigating a large lawn or landscaping area. Its EPA WaterSense certification is an added bonus for a 14 zone controller.

Best Indoor Smart Controller: Orbit B-hyve 8-Zone

Buy on Amazon: 8 Zone Orbit b-hyve ($78.00 at the time of writing)

Why We Like It: This is the best of the indoor smart irrigation controllers. Orbit B-hyve offers an excellent balance of features and affordability, and we like that its manual override feature doesn’t erase your preset watering settings.

Although the B-hyve XR indoor/outdoor smart sprinkler controller is more current, there’s no beating this purely indoor controller on price.

• EPA WaterSense certified products? Yes
• 4 zone and 8 zone controllers available? Yes
• Dedicated phone app? B-hyve, Apple Store and Google Play

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Honorable Mentions

HydroPoint WeatherTRAK irrigation controllers are widely used by commercial and light commercial properties for water management. They're often a bit too complex for home use.

• EPA WaterSense certified products? Yes
• 4 zone and 8 zone controllers available? Yes
• Dedicated phone app? WeatherTRAK Mobile 3, Apple Store and Google Play

Interested in more smart home tech? Check out our top 3 smart thermostats from Amazon, Google Nest and ecobee — you’ll save $180 per year on home energy bills.

Netro Sprite and Netro Spark smart sprinkler timers automate your lawn sprinkler schedule based on weather reports and soil moisture. 

• EPA WaterSense certified products? Yes
• 4 zone and 8 zone controllers available? Yes
• Dedicated phone app? Netro App, Apple Store and Google Play

Rain Bird is well regarded for its smart sprinkler timer products. But we noticed some consumer frustration in recent controller reviews regarding WiFi and app functionality.

• EPA WaterSense certified products? Yes
• 4 zone and 8 zone controllers available? Yes
• Dedicated phone app? Rain Bird app, Apple Store and Google Play

Weathermatic, Like HydroPoint, their SmartLink products are great for large and light commercial irrigation systems. Their SL4800 model ranges up to 48 zones per controller — usually too many for the average homeowner.

• EPA WaterSense certified products? Yes
• 4 zone and 8 zone controllers available? Yes
• Dedicated phone app? Weathermatic SmartLink, Apple Store and Google Play

Wyze sprinkler controller products are generally more affordable than most relevant competitors. They're less focused on irrigation and serve a large smart home market, including cameras and mesh routers.

• EPA WaterSense certified products? Yes
• 4 zone and 8 zone controllers available? Yes
• Dedicated phone app? Wyze app, Apple Store and Google Play

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3 Reasons a Smart Sprinkler Controller Is Worth It.

Upgrading to a smart irrigation controller benefits most homeowners in 3 ways:

1. Save Water: On average, smart controllers reduce water usage by over 7,500 gallons per household per year.
2. Save Money: The average smart irrigation system saves $430 per year in water bills.
3. Save Money Again!: Your town may offer a smart irrigation controller program that provides discounts on smart irrigation controllers. 

1 Smart Controller Saves 7,500 Gallons of Water Waste Per Year

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that homeowners using smart irrigation systems reduce water waste by over 7,500 gallons per household per year. That’s the equivalent of taking a shower for 47 hours.

If every home in America switched to a weather-based smart sprinkler system, we’d save over 220 billion gallons of water per year. That’s roughly 450,000 Olympic swimming pools.

Save $430 (Or More) on Water Bills With a Smart Controller

Saving over 7,500 gallons of water per year has a big impact on your wallet. U.S. homeowners who switch to smart sprinkler controllers save over 50% on their annual water bills.

That’s an average savings of over $430 per year for most people.

Upgrading to a smart sprinkler system? Check out our updated home sprinkler system cost guide and make sure you’re paying a fair price for lawn irrigation in your area.

Does Your Town Have a Smart Controller Incentive Program?

Many towns and municipal areas have discounts and incentive programs for homeowners who purchase EPA WaterSense certified controllers. These incentives are especially prevalent in states like California, Arizona, Florida and Texas.

Use this helpful EPA list to find smart irrigation rebates in your area. Check the following 3 boxes in the left menu to get a curated list of towns that offer rebates:

1. Irrigation Professional Services
2. Soil Moisture-Based Irrigation Controllers
3. Weather-Based Irrigation Controllers

Let’s check for smart sprinkler rebates together — talk to a real person!

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2 Ways Your WiFi Irrigation Controller Works

Most smart sprinkler timer products use 2 types of information to schedule watering:

1. Real-time weather data via WiFi
2. Soil moisture sensors

Weather-based irrigation controllers are regarded as stronger options by the EPA. Soil moisture sensors are a great addition for sandy soil. These areas tend to dry out faster than clay soil landscapes.

Weather Based Irrigation Controller

Most smart irrigation controllers are weather-based. These controllers use WiFi to monitor local weather conditions and climate data, then tailor their watering schedules to your upcoming forecast. 

The EPA loves these weather-based irrigation controllers (WBICs), because they only deliver as much water as your plants need. 

Soil Moisture Sensor

Many smart controller brands (like Rachio) use soil moisture sensors as an added feature to augment their weather-based sensors. You can also buy an independent soil moisture meter to attach to your smart sprinkler system.

What kind of soil do you have, and how much moisture does it need? Read our updated Landscaping Cost Guide for a handy national soil type map.

How Much Does It Cost to Upgrade to a Smart Sprinkler System?

Smart irrigation controller installation costs between $175-$300 per controller, plus the cost of each controller. The cost of your smart controller is directly driven by how many irrigation zones it can control.

The more irrigation zones your smart sprinkler controller can manage, the more it costs. The 

The number of irrigation zones you need depends on 3 factors:

1. The size of your yard;
2. The unique areas of your overall landscape design, like flower beds and gardens; and
3. Your sprinkler system’s water pressure. 

Your new smart irrigation system must have the capacity for at least as many irrigation zones as the old system. Make sure to purchase a smart controller or smart sprinkler timer that can manage your entire yard.

Most lawn sprinkler systems have between 5 and 10 irrigation zones — so a 6 zone or 8 zone smart irrigation controller is an appropriate size for most homeowners.

How many irrigation zones do you need to cover your entire yard? Our lawn sprinkler cost guide has the info you need — this link brings you right to the answer!

How Do I Convert to a Smart Sprinkler System?

Upgrading to a smart sprinkler system is simple! Remove your existing sprinkler controller, then replace it with a WiFi controller. Follow these 5 steps:

1. Unplug your existing controller.
2. Detach the low voltage zone wires.
3. Remove the old controller from the wall.
4. Attach the new WiFi smart controller to the wall, and reattach the zone wires.
5. Connect the new controller to your WiFi.

If you feel uncomfortable following any of these DIY steps, call a local landscaping or lawn irrigation pro. If you’re in Dallas, we recommend LSI.

Curious how HOMR picks its featured partners (like LSI)? Read our 6-step guide to vetting home contractors and learn our process.