Looking for some guidance here, @bravenel : is one preferred over another? Is one less resource-intensive than the other? Should I be considering (in my voluminous spare time) redoing SAs as Basic Rules? Thanks!
Great questions. Is it a matter of personal preference.
Here is what @bravenel has previously shared:
"Basic Rules is intended to fill a need for those users with no experience with automations. It's our attempt to get to the easiest-to-understand approach. It draws on our experience, from which hopefully we have learned some things.
Simple Automation Rules (formerly Simple Lighting Rules) was a knock off of an app that SmartThings had called Smart Lighting. But, it has evolved to have more features, largely driven that way by user feature requests. At this point, I wouldn't call it a beginner's app, and it wasn't really ever intended to be quite that. It was intended to be familiar to former ST users moving to Hubitat, since at first it was virtually identical to Smart Lighting.
Choice is good!"
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I just want to say Thank you All for this ! 
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Why is the link to that discussion broken?
Looks like it's in the beta section, so lots of people probably can't access it. Hope it's OK to share here:
I can't see the documents for it either on HE site
The resource utilization difference is immaterial between these apps. You should just use whatever you are comfortable with.
"If it ain't broke don't fix it" applies as to redoing things that work now.
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These are coming soon. It's pretty self-explanatory if you just play around with it.
Looks like it can replace the notification app as well
Bobby,
I was on facebook today and I believe I saw mention of updated documentation. I don't find that here. Is there someplace with new documentation?
Thanks,
John
from looking at the BR post, it looks like:
SA - complete basic, if X then Y (with some caviats)
BR - a bit more complex, but still simple
RM - full control
i'll play around with BR and see which i prefer. it would be cool to convert some RM rules to BR rules if possible
No, choice is NOT always good. You've got two things, that are essentially the same, so the choice offers limited upside, but presents confusion (the reason this question was posted in the first place, and why I'm here searching for the answer), and also asks users to learn two different "Apps" instead of one with merged features.
Also, "It is a matter of personal preference" is non-answer answer. Of COURSE it is! You put both in the system, and we can choose either one. Duh.
What I think users would like to get as an answer is: WHY would we prefer one over the other? When would we choose one over the other? What's different or better?
How the heck am I supposed to make a choice based on personal preference when, to me, they look basically the same?
So, to get off my rant, can somebody generous out there please share their opinion on how they're different, and in which cases one might prefer one or the other?
Thanks,
Derek.
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Sorry, I'm ranting as if you work for Hubitat. Is that what "Ambassador" means?
If you're just a user sharing advice, I retract all my anger. You owe me nothing.
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That is correct, they both are essentially the same, the main difference is in the workflow. Some people find Basic Rules app easier to build an automation by starting from the event (E.G when the door opens, when the motion is triggered, etc) while others prefer Simple Automation app to build rules by starting with the action (which light turns on). Also Basic Rules app has more capabilities, you can use different devices not only lights. And finally, Simple Automation is an older app, while Basic Rules is newer.
My personal preference is Basic Rules app, as it covers more device types and follows a logic that I am more comfortable with (when this happens, I want to do this, then the other) as opposed to Simple Automation, which follows a different logical pattern (do this, when this happens).
I am actually working for Hubitat 
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Is this really worth getting angry about?
Why not just try each app out based on your automation needs, see if you like using one or the other?
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One more advantage that I personally have found for "Basic Rules".
I have found that in dealing with clients (or even with the wife), BR are easier to explain, and easier for people to understand.
Of course, "your mileage may vary".
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I would prefer not to get frustrated and angry, but as I spend/waste more and more time on things that could be simpler, the costs do bother me.
As for the "why not just try each": There's a cost to learning each one, and the only way to really do that is to try it, as you suggest. Therefore, by the time I have some insight into which I prefer, I will have, de facto, wasted some time programming automations into the ones I DON'T prefer.
That's a guarantee to waste my time. And that's exactly why the OP would have asked the question, and why I searched for it. Trial and error is NOT an efficient way to learn. It involves a lot of error.
A great UI or UX would create ONE automation app, which is flexible, and works for beginners and experts alike. You could hide the options, or offer a toggle for "advanced mode". But in such a design, all effort is focused in learning/building in one place.
Meanwhile, for the Hubitat team, same thing! All their efforts on increasing functionality, reliability, updates, etc can be focused on ONE app, not spread across many.
best,
Derek.
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As Bobby mentioned (and Bruce in the quoted text), one came out before the other did.
The platform is only a few years old and has come a remarkably long way in such a short time.
Most users appreciate that dedication to development.
If they kill off the older app, they’ll no doubt upset people that prefer that one.
And I disagree that all automations should be created in one app.
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