essentials Smart Home vs EHW+
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
essentials Smart Home
Control your smart home devices from your smartphone. Easily add new devices and create custom scenes with just a few taps.
- Smartphone control
- Add new devices
- Create smart home scenes
- Comfortable device management
Read full descriptionHide full description
The essentials smart home app allows you to control all your essentials smart home devices comfortably with your smartphone. Teach in new devices quickly and create whole smart home sceneries with only a few clicks.
EHW+
Track and analyze your electricity, heating, and water consumption to reduce utility costs and environmental impact. Monitor various meter types, view cost overviews, and receive tips for saving energy. Supports multiple properties and household members.
- Record and evaluate meter readings
- Track electricity, heating, and water usage
- Cost overview and consumption analysis
- Support for various meter types
- Data import/export and cloud sync
- Manage multiple properties and users
- Dark mode support
Read full descriptionHide full description
Reduce utility costs & protect the environment Recording and evaluating meter readings Be a climate hero now and use the app The free app EHW+ makes it possible to find out about one's own consumption of electricity, heating and water and the ancillary costs in order to better assess and regulate them. This is good for the wallet and good for the climate. Supported: * Electricity meters (also HT/NT meters). * Water meters (hot water/cold water) * Radiators with evaporator * Oil heating systems * Gas heating systems * Photovoltaic systems/solar systems (electricity feed-in meter*) * Water extraction meter*. Free basic functions: * All meters and readings in one app: there is no limit to how many meters or meter readings you can store. * Minute-by-minute entries and calculations: You determine yourself when you read the meter readings. All calculations are made to the minute. * Cost overview: What does it cost to fill a bathtub? What is the impact of a rising oil price/gas price? See if the cost of electricity/power consumption increases or decreases. * News/tips around utility costs/eco-electricity/climate change. * Meter replacement: The app automatically detects when a meter has been replaced. * Monthly consumption for the last twelve months * Cost calculation based on price per unit * Analyze whether your electricity/water consumption is high or low compared to the German average * Find out which room is heated the most. Assign a room to a meter if it only represents consumption in one room (e.g., two water meters for the bathroom only) * NEW: Compare activities like washing/showering/dishwasher/... * Use the app in dark mode (optional) Import/Export/Sync: * Save meter readings as JSON file (suitable for import). * Import existing meter readings via CSV file * Export all meter readings of your housing unit as a table file*. * Synchronize all your properties in the cloud (optional) * All household members have access to the data Other: * Support for water deduction meters*. * Manage as many residential units as you like*. * Vote on which feature to develop next. Feedback: The app was developed as recently as December 2020. Feedback on the app is highly welcome. * Paid (InApp purchase or monthly subscription). Privacy Manager: https://app.ehwplus.com/#/consent Privacy terms: https://app.ehwplus.com/#/privacy Terms of usage: https://app.ehwplus.com/#/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: EHW+ at 5.0 against essentials Smart Home's 4.0. EHW+ also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 9 months). essentials Smart Home's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support 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. EHW+ sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. essentials Smart Home asks for nothing beyond the download.
EHW+ holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.
essentials Smart Home ships an update every 9 months, EHW+ every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | essentials Smart Home | EHW+ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 95.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 192 MB | 111 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Möhlenhoff GmbH | Timo Baehr |
Customer experience
essentials Smart Home
EHW+
In-app purchases
essentials Smart Home
No in-app purchases
EHW+
- Premium$0.991 Month
- Monthly subscription$1.991 Month
- Premium Yearly$7.491 Year
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Annual subscription$8.991 Year
- Water extraction meter$3.99
- Einspeiszähler für PV-Anlagen$3.99
- Multiple objects$4.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Further statistics$8.99
Questions
Is essentials Smart Home free?
Is EHW+ free?
Which has better reviews, essentials Smart Home or EHW+?
Do essentials Smart Home or EHW+ have ads?
Which is updated more often, essentials Smart Home or EHW+?
Other comparisons















