The Essential vs ZeroWasteStore
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Essential
Discover and purchase furniture directly from the factories that produce for designer brands. Enjoy high-quality pieces without the traditional retail markups. Access factory-direct pricing for stylish home furnishings.
- Factory-direct furniture
- Designer-quality at lower prices
- Avoid retail markups
- Access to original factory sources
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Furniture from the same factories as designer brands. Without the markups.
ZeroWasteStore
Discover and shop for sustainable brands and low-waste products on the go. Enjoy plastic-free, carbon-neutral shipping and exclusive app-only offers. Track orders and explore ways to live a more eco-conscious lifestyle.
- Browse sustainable brands and products
- Plastic-free and carbon-neutral shipping
- App-exclusive offers and discounts
- Create wishlists and gift registries
- Track order history
- Discover trending eco-friendly items
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The First sustainable shopping app of its kind, with ZWS mobile app, you can now browse low waste product swaps and sustainable brands instantly & effortlessly right from the palm of your hand. Shop confidently with ease knowing that all orders placed within the ZWS app are sustainable, packaged and shipped completely plastic-free & carbon neutral, with 1% of all sales going back to our planet! ZWS AppVantages: - Shop Green-on-the-Go: Enhanced search functions and express checkout allow you to peruse & purchase the newest low waste swaps and zero waste products in an instant! With the ZWS app you can now shop a wide variety of sustainable collections and brands for any areas in your life that you want to “green” up. - Rewards Galore: Take advantage of app-only special offers & discounts. Earn even more exclusive rewards as a ZWS Rewards member. - Wishlist & Gift Registries: Conveniently create & customize sustainable Wish Lists and Gift Registries with ease! - Account Tracking in an Instant: Always have immediate access to your account with the ZWS app, where you can keep track of your current and previous orders at all times. - Discover the Sustainable You: Whether you’re a newbie or a zero-waste vet, you can explore how to live your most sustainable life through browsing our trending and top selling products. And with the ZWS app, you can always find inspiration on demand from our @zerowastestore community!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ZeroWasteStore at 50% against The Essential's 24%. ZeroWasteStore also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.4 vs 16.4). The Essential's advantage is rating (4.0 vs 3.6) and ratings volume (100 vs 20). On price, update cadence, 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.
The Essential holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Essential has 100 ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 24% of The Essential's written reviews are positive against 50% of ZeroWasteStore's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
The Essential ships an update every 4 weeks, ZeroWasteStore every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.
| Parameter | The Essential | ZeroWasteStore |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (100 ratings) — better | 3.6 (20 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 24.1% of reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 100 — better | 20 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 13.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 78 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Inhabit.io, Inc | Monarch Agency LLC |
Customer experience
The Essential
ZeroWasteStore
Bugs and requests
The Essential
Reported bugs
7 issues- Won't let me log in without paid account
- Shipping option keeps pending
- App loads website
- Cannot maintain session token
- App is buggy
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- Cannot see order details in the app
- Login screen freezes
Requested features
18 requests- Contact information on the app
- Ability to get refunds
- Better shipping reliability
- More product availability
- Clearer pricing information
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- Improved customer service response times
- Ability to maintain login sessions
- Fix app bugs
- Display order details in the app
- Improve shipping quality for delicate items
- Focus on fulfilling existing orders
- Improve supply chain management
- Improve app usability
- Improve shipping process
- Make cancellations easier
- Ensure inventory availability
- Provide product expiration dates
- Improve communication about shipping delays
ZeroWasteStore
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
The Essential
No in-app purchases
ZeroWasteStore
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is The Essential free?
Is ZeroWasteStore free?
Which has better reviews, The Essential or ZeroWasteStore?
Do The Essential or ZeroWasteStore have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Essential or ZeroWasteStore?
Other comparisons
