# Chargeway vs Francis Energy

The clearest difference is rating: Chargeway at 4.6 against Francis Energy's 1.5. Chargeway also leads on review sentiment (48% vs 10%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 15 months). Francis Energy's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Chargeway sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Francis Energy asks for nothing beyond the download.

Chargeway holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 1.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chargeway has 2.5K ratings behind it against 29, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of Chargeway's written reviews are positive against 10% of Francis Energy's.

Chargeway ships an update every 3 weeks, Francis Energy every 15 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chargeway | Francis Energy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (2.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chargeway/id1434740229/reviews)** | [1.5 (29 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/francis-energy/id6444097248/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.5K** | 29 |
| Positive reviews | **47.8% of reviews** | 9.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 15 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 31 MB | 72 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **16.1** |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Chargeway Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1737855059) | [Francis Energy, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1652272541) |

## What reviewers say

### Chargeway

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chargeway/id1434740229)

This app helps electric vehicle owners find charging stations and plan trips. It displays real-time charger availability, estimates charging times, and offers route planning with multiple stops. Customize your experience by adding your EV and preferred charging networks.

**Highlights:** Plug-specific color-coded station map, Real-time charger availability, Charge time estimation, EV trip planner with multiple stops, Vehicle customization for charging, Station reviews and photos, One-click directions to stations

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Annual | $24.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent trip planning
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 🔋 Accurate range and charging estimates
- 💡 Helpful charging station information
- 👍 Great customer support

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Requires phone number to use
- 🐛 Connectivity and login issues
- 💡 Limited route customization options
- 🐛 Inaccurate or missing charging station data

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when trying to create an account
- Charging station information not updating in real-time

**Requested features**

- Add option to switch between miles and percentage for remaining range
- Improve charging station filters and sorting
- Allow adding multiple vehicles to a single account
- Integrate with in-car navigation systems


### Francis Energy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/francis-energy/id6444097248)

Locate and manage electric vehicle charging sessions with real-time availability updates. View charger details, save favorites, and monitor your charging progress and history. Supports a wide range of EV models and charging connector types.

**Highlights:** Real-time charger availability, Charger details and favorites, Remote charging session control, Live charging information, Charging history and statements, Supports CCS and CHAdeMo, Finds Level 2 chargers

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly dashboard (recent update)
- 👍 Guest option available
- 👍 Decent network of locations
- 👍 Quick and easy setup (for some)
- 👍 Clear prompts during setup

**What reviewers complain about**

- ❌ Chargers often unreliable/not working
- ❌ App is consistently buggy/unusable
- ❌ Expensive pricing compared to competitors
- ❌ Poor customer service
- ❌ Inconsistent app performance

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes immediately after starting charge
- App crashes on iOS 17.3.1
- App gets stuck in a billing history loop
- App doesn't remember password
- App doesn't integrate with Google or Apple for login

**Requested features**

- Fix non-working chargers
- Improve app reliability and fix bugs
- Make app more user-friendly
- Offer dark mode
- Integrate with car's in-dash system (new Chevy EVs)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chargeway free?

Chargeway is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Francis Energy free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Chargeway or Francis Energy?

Chargeway is rated higher. Chargeway averages 4.6 out of 5 from 2.5K ratings, while Francis Energy averages 1.5 from 29 ratings.

### Do Chargeway or Francis Energy have ads?

Neither Chargeway nor Francis Energy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chargeway or Francis Energy?

Chargeway ships an update every 3 weeks, and Francis Energy every 15 months. Most recently, Chargeway was updated on November 11, 2026 and Francis Energy on November 7, 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.*