After all this time, I just can't make up my mind!
Can I have some input from people with more experience?
I find the process of adding a dashboard with SharpTools to be fast, easy to use, and very functional.
I find the process of adding a dashboard with Hubitat to be cumbersome, not that easy to use, but highly functional (that is, there is great control, and a lot of flexibility).
I think that SharpTools handles video feeds (cameras)a bit easier, but probably with less security than does Hubitat.
There is also the great advantage of sticking with one tool to do everything (Hubitat).
What do you say? What are your experiences on this matter?
I had shortcuts on my phone screen to take me to the Hubitat dashboards. But they did not always update correctly. I had to close the link, little square button on Android, then open it again to get correct info. Got new phone with updated Android and so far have not had that issue YET.
Using the Hubitat app to access dashboards has so far been working fine. Although sometimes a little slow to open up.
When I started out Sharptools seemed to be much more reliable. But it would have items that didn't update correctly. And the only way to fix that was go into the Hubitat web interface and try to toggle the device. There didn't seem to be any way to get Sharptools to corrrect it's display until the device changed state again.
Sharptools seems to be faster to load the screen, but it's minor difference.
Sharptools is also cloud only which is ok when not at home. Hubitat when at home seems to be better.
As far as editing or creating I agree Sharptools is probably easier, but then how often does one create dashboards. I haven't made or changed one in some time now.
So to me it's kinda a toss up. I like the idea of keeping everything under one roof, but reliability is important also. I will continue to use both to see how they compare as more time goes on.
I like both: I find creating and modifying dashboards to be a bit easier in SharpTools, and despite improvements in the second-generation Hubitat Dashboard app, I still think they look a little better (and have a much more usable thermostat tile unless you make everything big/wide enough for Hubitat's to display as expected--which brings up another point, that I think I can fit more on SharpTools).
SharpTools also has better authentication, in my opinion: Hubitat's is carried entirely via a "key" in the URL, so anyone who gets that address will have access. Access can be restricted after this point with a PIN. SharpTools requires an account sign-in, so there's protection and it's really more convenient after you get signed in because since Hubitat can't "remember" the PIN in the same way a cookie can remember your account login. (More pain initially = less in the long run.)
The biggest downfall I see is that SharpTools is cloud-only. Hubitat Dashboard can be served entirely locally, though of course cloud access is there by default, too. If you're looking for something fast and local, Hubitat Dashboard is likely to be better, not that SharpTools is slow (but is dependent on your Internet and and at least two "clouds" to be up). Both are technically native, which is certainly nice, though I suspect we only got SharpTools that way because Hubitat Dashboard didn't exist yet back then.
I'm happy both are available. There are good (and less good) things about both, and I'm not sure if I'll ever decide...
There are a large number of things I like more on sharptools. If there were a local version of it (via rpi, docker, etc), I would probably use it exclusively as I find it more flexible (and features I like/use come faster in sharptools).
