Comparison

Pool Math by TroubleFreePool vs PoolChem Tracker

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

PoolChem Tracker

This app provides precise pool chemical dosing recommendations based on your test results and pool size. It calculates a health score for your water and offers a prioritized action list to maintain balance. Works offline with no account required.

Highlights
  • Precise dosing recommendations
  • Pool Health Score (0-100)
  • Prioritized action list
  • CYA-adjusted chlorine targets
  • LSI calculator
  • Chemical inventory tracking
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Stop guessing. Start knowing. Enter your water test results and get exact dosing recommendations for your pool size: what to add, how much, and in what order. A simple Pool Health Score (0-100) shows you where your water stands at a glance. No account. No ads. No internet required. Your data stays on your device. Works with chlorine pools, saltwater (SWG) pools, and all pool types. Imperial and Metric units supported. Free: includes 5 complete water test logs • Precise chemical doses calculated for your pool size • Pool Health Score with prioritized treatment steps to avoid overcorrecting • CYA-adjusted chlorine targets • Log FC, TC, pH, Total Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness, CYA, Salt, Iron, Copper, and Phosphates • Full LSI (Langelier Saturation Index) calculator • Smart validation to catch typos before saving • Equipment maintenance tracker with reminders for skimmer, pump basket, filter, and SWG cell • Chemical inventory tracking • Built-in reference guide with recommended ranges • Automatic light and dark mode Pro: one-time purchase, no subscription • Unlimited water test history • Charts and long-term trend tracking • Detailed Health Score breakdown with per-parameter analysis • Trend detection with actionable insights • Six climate zone presets for more accurate water balance targets • Borate tracking (30-50 ppm target range) • Maintenance history and custom maintenance schedules • Advanced reminders with custom intervals • Liquid chlorine and muriatic acid concentration settings • Advanced LSI factor breakdown with a "What If?" simulator • CSV export and import Built by a pool owner who wanted accurate, straightforward chemistry guidance without the guesswork or the subscription fee.

Screenshots

Pool Math by TroubleFreePool4 screens
PoolChem Tracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PoolChem Tracker at 4.5 against Pool Math by TroubleFreePool's 3.7. PoolChem Tracker also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 63%) and update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). Pool Math by TroubleFreePool's advantage is ratings volume (272 vs 6) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 and PoolChem Tracker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PoolChem Tracker holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pool Math by TroubleFreePool has 272 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Pool Math by TroubleFreePool's written reviews are positive against 100% of PoolChem Tracker's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pool Math by TroubleFreePool ships an update fortnightly, PoolChem Tracker every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Pool Math by TroubleFreePool versus PoolChem Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPool Math by TroubleFreePoolPoolChem Tracker
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (272 ratings)4.5 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings272 — better6
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.4
Further details — not scored
Size314 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTroubleFreePoolJeffrey Thompson

Customer experience

Pool Math by TroubleFreePool

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

PoolChem Tracker

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
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

PoolChem Tracker

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
1 purchases

PoolChem Tracker

One-time1
  • PoolChem Pro$4.99

Questions

Is Pool Math by TroubleFreePool free?
Pool Math by TroubleFreePool is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PoolChem Tracker free?
PoolChem Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pool Math by TroubleFreePool or PoolChem Tracker?
PoolChem Tracker is rated higher. Pool Math by TroubleFreePool averages 3.7 out of 5 from 272 ratings, while PoolChem Tracker averages 4.5 from 6 ratings.
Do Pool Math by TroubleFreePool or PoolChem Tracker have ads?
Neither Pool Math by TroubleFreePool nor PoolChem Tracker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pool Math by TroubleFreePool or PoolChem Tracker?
Pool Math by TroubleFreePool ships an update fortnightly, and PoolChem Tracker every 5 days. Most recently, Pool Math by TroubleFreePool was updated on September 22, 2026 and PoolChem Tracker on September 15, 2026.

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