Comparison

Sense Home vs MRCOOL Universal

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Sense Home

Gain real-time insights into your home's energy consumption to reduce electricity bills and minimize environmental impact. Identify energy-wasting devices and receive custom notifications for enhanced home safety and efficiency.

Highlights
  • Real-time energy consumption monitoring
  • Identify energy-wasting devices
  • Personalized energy-saving tips
  • Customizable real-time notifications
  • Remote home monitoring
  • Carbon footprint reduction
Features
Read full description

→ Take control of your home energy use, in real time. Sense turns your home's electrical activity into real-time insight, so you can use energy more efficiently, spend less, and stay ahead of your electric bill. → Save energy. Save money. Most people only find out what they used once the bill arrives, when it’s too late to change anything. Sense shows you how much energy your home is using right now and how this month compares with the last, straight from your phone. You’ll see what’s driving your bill, get tips that fit your home, and start reacting less and planning more. → Find your home’s energy hogs. Minimize what you waste. A lot of devices in your home draw power even when they're off: some by design, some because they've grown less efficient over time. Sense helps you find what's quietly running in the background, so you can decide what's worth unplugging, fixing, or replacing. → Get real-time notifications. Keep your home running the way it should. Peace of mind starts with knowing. Worried about heavy rain? Get notified if your sump pump stops running. Forgot the oven was on? Sense will tell you. Customize your alerts so the people and things you care about stay looked after. → Check in from anywhere. Know what's happening at home. Whether you're at the office, running errands, or spending time with family, the Sense app keeps you connected: what's on, what it's costing, and whether anything needs your attention. → Small changes. Real impact. Understanding your home's energy use is one of the clearest ways to cut waste and lower your footprint. Sense gives you the visibility to make smarter choices, so saving energy and doing right by the planet can be the same thing. → Customer support Website: https://help.sense.com Submit a Ticket: sense.com/contact

About

MRCOOL Universal

Control your smart thermostat remotely to adjust the temperature from anywhere. Optimize your home's climate with this easy-to-use controller. Some features require an internet connection.

Highlights
  • Remote temperature adjustment
  • Control from anywhere
  • Easy-to-use interface
  • Requires internet for some features
Read full description

Easy to use app controller to control your WitHome thermostat. You can Adjust the temperature on your way home. Or from the couch. Some features require a working internet connection. You can read more information in the user manual when you buy the MR COOL Universal thermostat.

Screenshots

Sense Home4 screens
MRCOOL Universal3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sense Home at 4.5 against MRCOOL Universal's 1.4. Sense Home also leads on ratings volume (2.3K vs 14) and review sentiment (39% vs 17%). MRCOOL Universal's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sense Home holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 1.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sense Home has 2.3K ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of Sense Home's written reviews are positive against 17% of MRCOOL Universal's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sense Home ships an update fortnightly, MRCOOL Universal every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Sense Home versus MRCOOL Universal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSense HomeMRCOOL Universal
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2.3K ratings) — better1.4 (14 ratings)
Positive reviews39.3% of reviews — better16.7% of reviews
Number of ratings2.3K — better14
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.010.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size155 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSense Labs, Inc.HaiLin Energy Technology Inc.

Customer experience

Sense Home

All ratings2,305 ratings
Positive90.7%
Neutral3.0%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews183 reviews
Positive39.3%
Neutral12.0%
Negative48.6%

MRCOOL Universal

All ratings14 ratings
Positive7.1%
Neutral7.1%
Negative85.7%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive16.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative83.3%

Bugs and requests

Sense Home

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes and freezes
  • Notifications not working as expected
  • Inaccurate device identification
  • Sync issues between app and hardware
  • Frequent disconnections from network

Requested features

6 requests
  • Allow manual device labeling
  • Improve billing cycle tracking
  • Add voltage and current monitoring
  • Provide more detailed energy usage data
  • Integrate with more smart home platforms
Show 1 more
  • Offer Ethernet connectivity option

MRCOOL Universal

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Sense Home

No in-app purchases

None

MRCOOL Universal

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sense Home free?
Sense Home is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MRCOOL Universal free?
MRCOOL Universal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Sense Home or MRCOOL Universal?
Sense Home is rated higher. Sense Home averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2.3K ratings, while MRCOOL Universal averages 1.4 from 14 ratings.
Do Sense Home or MRCOOL Universal have ads?
Neither Sense Home nor MRCOOL Universal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sense Home or MRCOOL Universal?
Sense Home ships an update fortnightly, and MRCOOL Universal every 2 days. Most recently, Sense Home was updated on October 24, 2026 and MRCOOL Universal on October 21, 2026.

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