Comparison

Flume Water vs Ridwell

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

Head to head
About

Flume Water

Monitor and manage your home's water usage with real-time data and leak detection. This app helps you understand your consumption, set budgets, and receive alerts to prevent costly water damage.

Highlights
  • Real-time water usage data
  • Leak detection and alerts
  • Water consumption budgeting
  • Household water use analysis
  • Easy self-installation
Features
Read full description

The Flume app connects with a Flume Water Sensor installed on your home’s water meter. Flume enables customers to manage, monitor, and conserve water in their home. Catch Water Leaks and Protect Your Home Surprises are fun, but not when it comes to leaks. Flume alerts you of abnormal (or accidental) water usage to give you peace of mind whether you’re at home or away. Down-to-the-Minute Water Use Data Flume helps you paint a picture of your household’s water use. Dig into the data—down to the one-hundredth of a gallon—and find new ways to reduce your water use. Overflowing with Savings A device that pays for itself. Flume automatically suggests a budget so you can cap your consumption and creates leak notifications to catch costly drips. Simple Self-Installation. No Plumbing Necessary. Set up and install Flume in minutes. Just strap it to your water meter. No pipe cutting. No wiring. No appointments. No plumbers. To purchase a Flume Water Sensor, visit https://flumewater.com

About

Ridwell

Easily dispose of hard-to-recycle items with convenient doorstep pickups. Schedule collections, track your impact, and feel good knowing your items are being reused or recycled by trusted partners.

Highlights
  • Schedule doorstep pickups
  • Collect hard-to-recycle items
  • Receive real-time notifications
  • Track community impact
  • Transparent item destinations
Read full description

Get rid of your stuff the right way with Ridwell. Seamlessly schedule your upcoming pickups, receive real-time notifications, and see the impact you’re making with the Ridwell community! Collect hard-to-recycle items in your Ridwell bags. We give you bags to store your plastic film, threads, and other hard-to-recycle things that might otherwise go to waste. Easy pickups from your front door. We come to your front door to pick up your stuff every two weeks. Just let us know when you have stuff to pick up! Feel great about where your stuff goes. You’ll always know where your stuff is going to be reused or recycled with one of our partners. Together, Ridwell members save tons from the landfill every year to support our community, keep our oceans clean, and build a brighter future. If you're in need of any support, please contact us at app@ridwell.com.

Screenshots

Flume Water4 screens
Ridwell3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ridwell at none against Flume Water's 2. Ridwell also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.7) and review sentiment (73% vs 59%). Flume Water's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, monetization model 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. Flume Water sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $49.99 per year. Ridwell asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Ridwell holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ridwell has 9K ratings behind it against 1.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of Flume Water's written reviews are positive against 73% of Ridwell's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flume Water ships an update every 6 weeks, Ridwell every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Flume Water versus Ridwell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlume WaterRidwell
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.7K ratings)4.9 (9K ratings) — better
Positive reviews58.6% of reviews73.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.7K9K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB17 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperFlume, Inc.Ridwell, Inc.

Customer experience

Flume Water

All ratings1,608 ratings
Positive92.0%
Neutral2.8%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews128 reviews
Positive58.6%
Neutral11.7%
Negative29.7%

Ridwell

All ratings7,684 ratings
Positive97.8%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews252 reviews
Positive73.0%
Neutral6.7%
Negative20.2%

User reviews

Flume Water

From 1.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy installation and setup
  • 🔒 Accurate water usage monitoring
  • 👍 Helpful for detecting leaks
  • 👍 Detailed water usage data and insights
  • 👍 Responsive customer support

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connectivity issues and unreliable notifications
  • 🔋 Short battery life and expensive replacement
  • 👎 Clunky and unintuitive app interface
  • 🔒 Privacy concerns with data collection
  • 👎 Recurring issues after firmware updates

Ridwell

From 9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💚 Excellent for the environment
  • 🙌 Convenient pickup service
  • 🤗 Helpful customer service
  • 👍 Easy to use app
  • 🎉 Reduces waste

Room to improve

  • 🚫 Missed pickups
  • 🤔 Inconsistent service
  • 💰 Overcharging for extras
  • 🏢 Inaccessible for apartment buildings
  • 🤷‍♀️ Unclear communication

Bugs and requests

Flume Water

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App freezes and crashes
  • Inaccurate water usage reporting
  • Calibration issues after battery replacement
  • Delayed or missed leak notifications

Requested features

5 requests
  • Landscape mode support for tablets
  • Integration with smart home platforms
  • Customizable notification settings
  • Ability to manually train the system
  • Enhanced data export and analysis tools

Ridwell

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Incorrect pickup status notifications
  • Drivers unable to access buildings

Requested features

3 requests
  • Advance scheduling for pickups
  • More recycling categories
  • Proactive notifications for missed pickups

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Flume Water

Subscriptions1
  • Flume Insight1 Month trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Flume Insight$49.99
None

Ridwell

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Flume Water free?
Flume Water is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ridwell free?
Ridwell is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Flume Water or Ridwell?
Ridwell is rated higher. Flume Water averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while Ridwell averages 4.9 from 9K ratings.
Do Flume Water or Ridwell have ads?
Ridwell shows ads; Flume Water does not.
Which is updated more often, Flume Water or Ridwell?
Flume Water ships an update every 6 weeks, and Ridwell every 2 months. Most recently, Flume Water was updated on November 6, 2026 and Ridwell on November 8, 2026.

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