Way back in April of 2016, Rachio was really pushing all of it’s users to not use Flex (which is now Flex Daily), and to use As Needed (which is now Flex Monthly). There was a BIG backlash on the community, as the Flex users at the time saw it’s benefits and absolutely did NOT want to be forced into using what is now Flex Monthly. Rachio listened (one of the reasons I REALLY like Rachio), made some changes, and Flex Daily was born.
I don’t really understand why people want to use Flex Monthly for it’s “predictability”. I’m pretty sure it’s all based on historical data. Definitely not current data of what is happening this week. Just doesn’t make sense to me, as some years are droughts, and some years it rains every afternoon.
And you are right, the set up is exactly the same. But because it’s “predictable”, maybe the tweakings of the settings don’t make as much difference anyway, because your’e not really basing your watering on current conditions.
And Flex Monthly waters all zones in the schedule when it waters. So if I group all my grass zones together, it will get watered based on the needs of the most sensitive zone. So it would NOT take into account that my front yard is in full sun and dries out very quickly, that I have an area under trees that needs a little more water applied, and that my backyard is in the shade, doesn’t drain, and can easily become a swamp. It would make a mess of my yard.
OK, off my soapbox. Guess you can tell that I’m NOT a fan of Flex Monthly in the least. Set it up right, and Flex Daily works great. Gives my yard the water it needs WHEN it’s needed.