bloomWatch vs HOBOconnect
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
bloomWatch
This app allows users to document and track the occurrence of freshwater algae blooms. Your submissions help scientists and public health officials monitor water quality and manage resources for recreation and potable water.
- Document algae bloom occurrences
- Track bloom location and frequency
- Contribute to water quality monitoring
- Support scientific research
- Report potentially harmful blooms
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Blooms are visibly abundant proliferations of freshwater algae and have the potential to cause risks to human and animal health. Their occurrence is presently not well documented. bloomWatch is an App that has been developed to track and document the occurrence of these potentially harmful algal blooms. Your input using this App will provide documentation as to the location and frequency of potentially harmful bloom events, helping scientists, water quality managers, and public health officials effectively track and manage the water resources that the public depends on for potable water and recreation.
HOBOconnect
Wirelessly configure, start, and download data from HOBO MX data loggers via Bluetooth. View, analyze, and export recorded data in various formats for further use in other applications.
- Wireless Bluetooth communication with HOBO MX loggers
- Configure logger settings (name, password, rate, alarms)
- Monitor logger status (memory, battery)
- Download and view recorded data
- Data analysis in graphical and list formats
- Export data as CSV, TXT, XLSX, and HOBO files
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HOBOconnect is designed to communicate wirelessly via Bluetooth Low Energy to the HOBO® MX data loggers. You can configure and start the data logger, download the recorded data, store and analyze the data. The data can be viewed in both graphical and list formats and also exported and shared to other programs including Numbers, Excel and HOBOware®. Features: * Wirelessly communicate to the HOBO® MX data loggers * Internet connection not required to use HOBOconnect * Set data logger's name, password, logging rate, alarm threshold, start & stop time * Check logger’s status included memory used and battery life * Clear audible alarms (for models with this feature) * Page the data logger * Manage data files with groups * Download and view data * Zoom in and out of the graph with gestures * Export and Share data as a CSV, TXT, XLSX and HOBO files Compatible Data Loggers * HOBO® MX1100 Series Temp/RH/CO2/Light/Analog Data Loggers * HOBO® MX2001 Water Level data logger * HOBO® MX100 Temperature data logger * HOBO® MX2200 Series Water Temp Data Loggers * HOBO® MX2300 Series Temp/RH/Soil Moisture data loggers * HOBO® MX2500 Series pH data loggers
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: bloomWatch at 3.6 against HOBOconnect's 2.2. bloomWatch also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). HOBOconnect's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (8% vs 0%). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
bloomWatch holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 2.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12 and 29 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 0% of bloomWatch's written reviews are positive against 8% of HOBOconnect's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
bloomWatch ships an update every 4 months, HOBOconnect every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and August 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | bloomWatch | HOBOconnect |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (12 ratings) — better | 2.2 (29 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 8.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 12 | 29 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 216 MB | 94 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) | Onset Computer Corporation |
Customer experience
bloomWatch
HOBOconnect
In-app purchases
bloomWatch
No in-app purchases
HOBOconnect
No in-app purchases









