Comparison

Hydro vs Public Mobile

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

Head to head
About

Hydro

Monitor power outages, track your electricity usage, and manage your account. Get outage updates, view consumption data, and access billing information. Receive personalized recommendations to help you save energy.

Highlights
  • Track power outage status
  • Monitor electricity consumption
  • View billing and payment history
  • Sign up for payment plans
  • Receive outage notifications
  • Get personalized energy-saving tips
Features
Read full description

With the Hydro-Québec app, follow track the status of an outage, access information about your account and track your electricity consumption. Power outages The tool to find out more about ongoing outages and planned service interruptions. • Track the service status for any addresses you want at any time. • Manage the tracking options for any addresses you want. • Add a label for the addresses you are tracking: daycare, school, condo, parents. • Activate notifications to receive information about the service status and to find out if there are any planned service interruptions at those addresses. • Report an outage easily. Your consumption Your consumption data presented in different ways to help you track, understand and manage your electricity consumption: • An overview of your hourly electricity consumption from the previous day • An overview of the current period and a forecast of the bill amount • Detailed analysis of your electricity consumption, including a breakdown by use • Comparison with households similar to yours Your account Quick access to sign up for services and manage your account. • See your account balance and next billing date. • See your billing and payment history. • Sign up for the Equalized Payments Plan to pay the same amount every month, winter and summer alike, and receive an alert when you use more electricity than anticipated. • Sign up for Pre-Authorized Debit and avoid late payments. • Turn on notifications to receive billing notices and payment due reminders. Determine your home’s profile and get customized recommendations so you can build your action plan and save. You can easily update your profile when necessary. Click on “More” to for even more! • Options for modifying your home’s profile or for selecting, modifying or adding an account in your Customer Space • App settings to turn on the notifications, modify the language and define your connection options, including Continuous connection • Quick links to the most commonly used online services • Information about how to contact us • Information about touring facilities that are open to the public • Hydro-Québec news

About

Public Mobile

This app offers a 5G wireless subscription service with self-service account management. Activate your service, manage plans, track usage, and earn rewards. Get 24/7 online support for all your mobile needs.

Highlights
  • 5G subscription phone service
  • eSIM activation
  • Self-service account management
  • Plan usage tracking
  • Rewards program
  • Refer-a-friend savings
  • 24/7 online support
Features
Read full description

Welcome to different. Public Mobile is a wireless subscription service that does mobility differently. Sign up for Canada's first 5G subscription phone service in a few simple steps. With the Public Mobile app, you're in control. Activate in minutes with eSIM along with an eSIM compatible device and choose from 5G speed plans and unlimited data on Canada's largest network. Manage your own account with easy, self-service features in the app. Just like your other subscription services set it and forget it. Download the Public Mobile app for free to get started. Subscribe with a few quick clicks in the app: • Select and activate your subscription • Save with a 90 day subscription • Purchase and activate your eSIM or SIM card • You can keep your phone number when you subscribe to Public Mobile. Manage your plan anywhere, anytime with My Account: • Manage your subscription • Track your plan usage • Purchase add-ons Earn points that save you money with our Rewards program: • Check rewards balance • Redeem your points • Refer-a-friend to share savings Skip the wait time with 24/7 online solutions: • Access virtual support at your fingertips • Find answers and ask questions Download the Public Mobile App now. Learn more at publicmobile.ca

Screenshots

Hydro4 screens
Public Mobile4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Hydro at free against Public Mobile's free with in-app purchases. Hydro also leads on review sentiment (65% vs 45%). Public Mobile's advantage is ratings volume (216 vs 7) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Hydro against 4.5 for Public Mobile. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Public Mobile has 216 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 65% of Hydro's written reviews are positive against 45% of Public Mobile's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hydro ships an update every 6 weeks, Public Mobile every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Hydro versus Public Mobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHydroPublic Mobile
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (7 ratings) — better4.5 (216 ratings)
Positive reviews64.9% of reviews — better44.7% of reviews
Number of ratings7216 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.716.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size73 MB74 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHydro QuébecTELUS Communications Inc.

Customer experience

Hydro

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral14.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews151 reviews
Positive64.9%
Neutral11.3%
Negative23.8%

Public Mobile

All ratings216 ratings
Positive88.0%
Neutral1.9%
Negative10.2%
Written reviews340 reviews
Positive44.7%
Neutral6.8%
Negative48.5%

User reviews

Hydro

From 7 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 💡 Useful for tracking consumption
  • 💡 Provides outage information
  • 💡 Concise and clear interface
  • 💡 Good for managing account

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Slow to load
  • 🐛 Frequently under maintenance
  • 🐛 Unresponsive on mobile
  • 🐛 Login issues
  • 🐛 App not working

Public Mobile

From 216 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Surprisingly good service
  • 👍 Great app overall
  • 👍 Good value for money
  • 👍 Smooth and user-friendly
  • 👍 Awesome, nothing to complain about

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Just a fake app
  • 🔒 Never works properly
  • 🔒 Access to support is appalling
  • 🐛 Seriously garbage
  • 🔒 Deal with care

Bugs and requests

Hydro

Reported bugs

23 issues
  • System verification for outages not working
  • Application not supported message
  • Application doesn't work
  • Impossible to connect after update
  • Forgets biometric data
Show 18 more
  • Application does not work
  • Cannot login to pay bill
  • Address no longer shown in outage info
  • Consumption information not working consistently
  • App crashes or shows white screen
  • Login issues
  • Application is slow
  • Services often unavailable
  • Outdated design
  • Application not functioning
  • Inconsistent information
  • Cannot login
  • App is often down
  • No updates during outage
  • Inconsistent with website
  • Forgets credentials
  • Not working when it counts
  • Information not reliable during outages

Requested features

7 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Ability to classify multiple addresses
  • Add 2FA
  • Real-time maintenance team arrival status
  • Consumption history beyond one day
Show 2 more
  • Maintain compatibility with older iOS versions
  • Native iOS app development

Public Mobile

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Activation issues
  • Logging in problems
  • App crashes and freezes
  • Unreliable service
  • Billing and payment issues

Requested features

3 requests
  • Wifi calling
  • Support for iPad/tablets
  • Improve customer service access

In-app purchases

None

Hydro

No in-app purchases

None

Public Mobile

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hydro free?
Hydro is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Public Mobile free?
Public Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Hydro or Public Mobile?
Hydro is rated higher. Hydro averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Public Mobile averages 4.5 from 216 ratings.
Do Hydro or Public Mobile have ads?
Neither Hydro nor Public Mobile shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hydro or Public Mobile?
Hydro ships an update every 6 weeks, and Public Mobile every 3 weeks. Most recently, Hydro was updated on October 16, 2026 and Public Mobile on October 16, 2026.

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