Here is a run down on the two for key points that I have found so far and reason why I switched.
I found myself buying all Apex and was planning on buying the new Apex at first until I saw the price drop on GHL. When comparing the 2 I realized all the dependency that i was putting into Apex. As an example, right now if my GHL Power bar 5.1 needs replacing, I simply plug my Radions, WP40's and other equipment into a power bar and good to go while it is fixed/replaced. With Apex, if their EB832 or brain needs to be replaced then suddenly your WAV pumps, COR return pumps, Triton testing, and all the other Apex specific equipment does not work at all. The only Apex module that is self sufficient is the auto top kit. I if I had upgraded to the new Apex and something went wrong with my EB832, then I would have been in trouble.
GHL negatives are its cloud based software is still new. Apex has Fusion, which is great and typically seamless depending on your network connection. GHL has myGHL which is sluggish and mostly still Beta testing. GHL also has a new app that is basically beta as well. But honestly, once set up, there is no real need to always access your system remotely. Fusion is just glorified when in all honesty, once my Apex was up and running I never really accessed it. Now that I have learned some of the GHL programming, it is really easy. There is not a lot of north American online community support when it comes to GHL which could deter some.
There is a lot more to both. Apex is more user friendly, like always using an app. But Apex also has a higher fail rate. I followed the Apex forums and Facebook pages since I first purchased and there are always constant issues. I myself was fairly lucky, but did run into my fair share of issues over the years. Come to think of it, the unit itself was faulty when I first installed it.
The price points are the same when comparing new. GHL has a display built it, but only 6 outlets on the power bar. They both come with all the probes you need/want. They both do the same thing and have internet access as well as SMS and email alerts. Over all build quality is better for GHL imho.
It really boils down to what you want as a consumer. Neither is perfect and both have advantages over each other where the other lacks.
Over all I recommend GHL over Apex. The cloud service and lack of community support does not matter to me, what matters is dependability and build quality which so far I feel GHL has won hands down.
GHL support base is no where near that of Apex so help and answers can be hard to find. I also would never say no to Apex, it is a great controller in itself and you would not go wrong with it. But using both, I already would pick GHL over Apex.
