# SMUD vs Pool Notes

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Pool Notes at 100% against SMUD's 25%. Pool Notes also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). SMUD's advantage is ratings volume (916 vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Pool Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SMUD has 916 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of SMUD's written reviews are positive against 100% of Pool Notes's.

SMUD ships an update every 6 weeks, Pool Notes fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SMUD | Pool Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (916 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smud/id1367204632/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pool-notes-pool-care/id6788173453/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **916** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 24.6% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 134 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SMUD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1367204631) | [JONATHON TIMOTHY MORTON](https://appshunter.io/developer/6783081553) |

## What reviewers say

### SMUD

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smud/id1367204632)

Manage your home electricity service with ease. View your bill, track usage, report outages, and make payments all from your device. Stay informed about your energy consumption and billing history.

**Highlights:** View bill history, Make payments, Track electricity usage, Get outage information, Report power outages, Schedule auto bill pay

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 📈 Helpful for tracking energy usage
- 💳 Convenient bill payment

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔑 Login issues and sign-out problems
- 🕰️ Delayed or inaccurate data display

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when accessing usage data
- Autopay feature not working as expected
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Customizable payment scheduling
- Improved push notification support


### Pool Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pool-notes-pool-care/id6788173453)

This app simplifies pool maintenance by converting water test readings into precise chemical dosage instructions. It automatically adjusts targets based on stabilizer levels and offers guided algae treatment. All data is stored locally on your device for privacy.

**Highlights:** Precise chemical dosage instructions, Automatic chlorine target adjustment, Trend tracking over time, Test reminders, Guided algae treatment, Local data storage

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SMUD free?

SMUD is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Pool Notes free?

Pool Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, SMUD or Pool Notes?

Pool Notes is rated higher. SMUD averages 4.5 out of 5 from 916 ratings, while Pool Notes averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do SMUD or Pool Notes have ads?

Neither SMUD nor Pool Notes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SMUD or Pool Notes?

SMUD ships an update every 6 weeks, and Pool Notes fortnightly. Most recently, SMUD was updated on September 28, 2026 and Pool Notes on September 19, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*