Comparison

Pool Math by TroubleFreePool vs PKB

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

Head to head
About

Pool Math by TroubleFreePool

Easily manage your swimming pool's water chemistry by tracking key levels like chlorine and pH. This app calculates the precise amounts of chemicals needed to maintain clear, algae-free water, offering a cost-effective alternative to pool store advice.

Highlights
  • Chemical level calculators (pH, Chlorine, Alkalinity, etc.)
  • Track pool maintenance tasks
  • Log chemical additions
  • Weather condition tracking
  • Chemical addition effect calculations
  • Bleach price comparison
  • Data backup and export
Features
Read full description

PoolMath makes swimming pool care, maintenance and management easy by tracking chlorine, pH, alkalinity and other levels to help calculate how much salt, bleach and other chemicals to add. Keep swimming in your TroubleFreePool with Pool Math. Crystal clear algae free pool water is what Trouble Free Pool Math is committed to. Pool Math performs all the calculations you need to keep your chlorine, pH, calcium, alkalinity, and stabilizer levels balanced. Why choose Pool Math over the others? Other apps claim to make testing easy by using test strips and your phone's camera. Unfortunately, this is simply too good to be true. Test strips are notoriously inaccurate and end up costing you much more money in both chemicals and the tests themselves in the long run. Trouble Free Pool believes using a proper test kit is much easier, effective, and economical in the long run. By following these calculations the pool owner achieves and maintains crystal clear water without reliance on the often unproductive advice and unneeded expense from pool stores. Pool Math's great features include: • Calculators for pH, Free Chlorine, Calcium Hardness, Salt, Total Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness, Borates, CSI • Track Maintenance: Backwashing, Vacuuming, Filter Cleaning, Filter Pressure, SWG Cell %, Flow Rate • Track Chemical Additions • Track Weather conditions with your logs • Calculate the Effects of Adding chemicals to your pool • Bleach Price Calculator - Find the best deals on bleach easily • Summary page to see an overview of test results and chemical additions • Data backup / Export Premium Subscribers get access to these additional features: • Unlimited Test Log History Storage • Maintenance Reminders • Cloud Sync/Backup • Sync across multiple devices • Unlimited Pool / Spa Configurations • Test Log CSV Import / Export Pool Math Premium Subscription details: • Auto-renewable subscription • 1 year for $7.99 USD • Your subscription will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and will automatically renew (at the duration of 1 year) unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Current subscription may not be cancelled during the active subscription period; however, you can manage your subscription and/or turn off auto-renewal by visiting your iTunes Account Settings after purchase. • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use: http://poolmathapp.com/privacy/

About

PKB

Report local issues like potholes and graffiti directly to your city government. This app allows for quick and efficient submission of problems, helping to improve your community.

Highlights
  • Report potholes
  • Report graffiti
  • Submit neighborhood issues
  • Direct city reporting
  • Fast issue submission
Features
Read full description

See a pothole that needs filling? Graffiti making a mess of your neighborhood? Tap right into your city and report the issue fast with PKB-Connect!

Screenshots

Pool Math by TroubleFreePool4 screens
PKB4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PKB at 5.0 against Pool Math by TroubleFreePool's 3.7. PKB also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1). Pool Math by TroubleFreePool's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (272 vs 1). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Pool Math by TroubleFreePool sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $7.99 per year. PKB asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PKB holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pool Math by TroubleFreePool has 272 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pool Math by TroubleFreePool ships an update fortnightly, PKB every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Pool Math by TroubleFreePool versus PKB: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPool Math by TroubleFreePoolPKB
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (272 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings272 — better1
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size314 MB132 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTroubleFreePoolCity of Parkersburg

Customer experience

Pool Math by TroubleFreePool

All ratings262 ratings
Positive66.0%
Neutral7.3%
Negative26.7%
Written reviews123 reviews
Positive63.4%
Neutral11.4%
Negative25.2%

PKB

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Pool Math by TroubleFreePool

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Subscription issues and inability to restore purchases
  • App crashes and freezes on certain actions
  • Incorrect chemical recommendations and calculations
  • Disappearing historical data after updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Custom target ranges and alerts
  • Ability to log non-standard chemical additions
  • Export options for data analysis
  • Apple Watch integration
  • Improved user guidance and on-boarding

PKB

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Pool Math by TroubleFreePool

Subscriptions1
  • Pool Math Premium Subscription$7.991 Year
None

PKB

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pool Math by TroubleFreePool free?
Pool Math by TroubleFreePool is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PKB free?
PKB is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pool Math by TroubleFreePool or PKB?
PKB is rated higher. Pool Math by TroubleFreePool averages 3.7 out of 5 from 272 ratings, while PKB averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Pool Math by TroubleFreePool or PKB have ads?
Neither Pool Math by TroubleFreePool nor PKB shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pool Math by TroubleFreePool or PKB?
Pool Math by TroubleFreePool ships an update fortnightly, and PKB every 7 months. Most recently, Pool Math by TroubleFreePool was updated on September 22, 2026 and PKB on September 15, 2026.

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