I bought a SkyDrop this summer and love it! I was also able to get a few of the 8 zone expanders for a great deal at Home Depot if anybody is interested. I’d sell for a great deal plus shipping.
The Rachio 2nd Generation comes with advanced watering algorithms and you can operate it from anywhere. It is best seller irrigation system controller on amazon. The RainMachine comes with 6.5” touch screen color display. For more details check http://www.smartsprinklercontroller.com/rachio-vs-rainmachine-vs-skydrop-vs-hydrawise-vs-blossom/.
I still can not decide on which system to go with. Since both have been out for while what’s everyone’s thought on the 2 systems? I probably won’t connect either one to smartthings.
I have had the Rachio for some time now and it has worked flawlessly. Also, I did the installation myself, replacing an old Rain Bird, and that went very smoothly.
I don’t have any experience with the Rain Machine; but the Rachio is a good controller.
1 Like
My vote goes for Rain Machine. I been using it for a few years now and I couldn’t be happier. Been able to use my Davis Weather Station with Rain Machine is a plus for me!
Here is a good video with pros and cons! 
Rachio vs RainMachine is a tough comparison where, I believe, Rachio takes the top spot since it’s more functional, integration friendly and easy to use.
If you like on-screen controls, then the RainMachine can be a wonderful addition. Plus, if you wifi connection is faulty, RainMachine will be a better option since it doesn’t rely on cloud services.