HYDROS App vs Orphek iCon
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HYDROS App
Easily monitor and control your aquarium's vital parameters like temperature, pH, and salinity. Manage all your connected devices, including ATOs, lights, and pumps, with a user-friendly interface. Quick setup with preset configurations means no coding is required to get your system running.
- Monitor temperature, ORP, pH, salinity
- Control ATO, lights, heaters, pumps
- User-friendly interface
- Quick setup with presets
- Manage multiple devices and aquariums
- Set schedules and create modes
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Use the CoralVue HYDROS App to control and monitor HYDROS aquarium devices from your smartphone or tablet. The user-friendly interface allows you to easily monitor your aquarium's temperature, ORP, pH, alkalinity levels, salinity, and more. With just one tap, you can control your ATO, lights, heaters, pumps, skimmer, calcium reactor, RO/DI units, etc. Setup is quick and easy! With 18+ different preset configurations and growing, it will take only minutes to get all of your equipment set up and running, with no coding required. SUPPORTED DEVICES: -HYDROS Control X2, X4, XS, XD, X3, X4, XP8, X10 -HYDROS Kraken -HYDROS Minnow -HYDROS Launch -HYDROS WaveEngine, WaveEngine LT -IceCap Gyre Dual Pump WiFi Controller DISCOVER MORE: -Intuitive interface features multiple view options such as tile, text, or graph -Adjust your view settings to light mode, dark mode, or auto, which will automatically adjust to your mobile device's settings -Ability to manage multiple HYDROS devices and aquariums from one single-screen -Monitor and control WiFi outlets -Set schedules and create modes -Archive controller settings STAY CONNECTED We welcome you to join our HYDROS community at forum.coralvuehydros.com where you can ask questions, learn more about your HYDROS devices, and connect with other aquatic hobbyists like yourself.
Orphek iCon
This app allows users to remotely program, control, and monitor smart lights via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Access your lighting settings from anywhere with an internet connection using your smartphone or tablet.
- Bluetooth + Wifi control
- Remote programming
- Remote monitoring
- Control from phone or tablet
- Anytime, anywhere access
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The Orphek iCon technology brings built-in Bluetooth + Wifi control allowing you to easily program, control, and monitor your light(s) from your Cell Phone or Tablet, any time and any place you are in the world, where internet access is available.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: HYDROS App at 62% against Orphek iCon's 0%. HYDROS App also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 12 months). Orphek iCon's advantage is rating (4.2 vs 3.5). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Orphek iCon holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24 and 51 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 62% of HYDROS App's written reviews are positive against 0% of Orphek iCon's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
HYDROS App ships an update every 3 months, Orphek iCon every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HYDROS App | Orphek iCon |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (24 ratings) | 4.2 (51 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 62.3% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 24 | 51 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 12 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 70 MB | 196 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Coralvue | ORPHEK LIMITED |
Customer experience
HYDROS App
Orphek iCon
In-app purchases
HYDROS App
No in-app purchases
Orphek iCon
No in-app purchases
