YoLink

Review by eFreeware

YoLink is the companion app for the smart home hardware sold by Yosmart Inc., and it sits in the House & Home category on Google Play. It is free, it carries no ads and it offers no in-app purchases, which keeps the cost question simple: the money goes into the hardware, not the software. The main reason to consider it is that it ties every piece of YoLink equipment in a home into one place, provided you own that equipment and the hub it talks to.

The app has been on the store since June 2019 and was updated in September 2026 with bug fixes aimed at a smoother experience. Those are modest numbers for a smart home app: more than 100,000 installs and a 3.2 average across 516 ratings. I read that as a product with a settled, committed user base rather than a mass-market hit, and the score is the kind of figure I would expect from an app whose audience is limited by the hardware it supports.

What the app controls, and what sits in the middle

The core of the app is device control. It manages all YoLink equipment through a YoLink hub, so one app covers the lights, plugs and sensors in a YoLink setup instead of a separate tool for each piece.

The hub is the part worth pausing on. The app reaches devices through it, so the hub makes the whole arrangement work, and the app only becomes useful once the hub and at least one device are in place.

The developer frames the category in broad terms, describing smart home as home automation and as an application of the Internet of Things. That is context rather than a feature list. What matters for a buyer is narrower: this is a control layer for one brand's hardware, and it does that job without charging for the app itself.

A single hub-based system, not a mixed-brand toolbox

The most useful way to think about YoLink is as the software half of a matched set. Every device it handles is YoLink equipment, reached through a YoLink hub, which gives the app a clear scope and a clear boundary. I would not expect it to manage hardware from other manufacturers.

That focus has an upside. One brand controlling both hardware and app can keep the experience consistent, and with no ads or purchases nothing interrupts the moment you switch something on.

It also means the app's value is tied to the gear you own. Someone with a handful of YoLink devices gets a central control point; someone with none gets an app with nothing to talk to.

Setup, upkeep and the practical trade-offs

Working through a hub is the main practical consideration. It shapes everything else: the hub and compatible YoLink devices are part of the picture, and the app is the interface that sits on top. Anyone evaluating this should count the hub and the devices as part of the decision, not just the download.

The update history is reassuring in a low-key way: a September 2026 bug-fix release suggests the app is still tended to years after its 2019 debut. The 3.2 average across 516 ratings is more mixed, so go in with realistic expectations.

There is no subscription, ad-supported tier or paid upgrade, so the app itself stays free. What you spend goes toward hardware, which keeps the ongoing cost predictable.

A good fit for homes already on YoLink hardware

I would point this app at households that have already bought into the YoLink ecosystem, or that are planning to. If you own the hub and a few of the switches, outlets or sensors it supports, a free control app is an easy thing to add. The manipulator and door sensor in particular suggest setups where you want to check or operate something without walking over to it.

It is a less obvious choice for anyone assembling a smart home across several brands, or for someone who wants to start with a single app and add hardware later. The hub requirement and the single-brand scope mean the app follows the hardware, not the other way around. Judged on its own terms, it does one job for one family of devices, and it does it without asking for money or attention.

The verdict is straightforward: install it if YoLink gear is already part of your home or about to be, and treat the hub and devices as the real purchase. The app is the free layer that makes them usable from your phone, and for that audience it is the sensible starting point.

What's new in version 1.54.1

We fixed some bugs for a better experience with the app.