MeCycle vs What I Recycle
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MeCycle
Easily recycle plastic, glass, and aluminum items by scanning their UPC codes. The app credits you for bottle deposits and allows cashouts via Venmo or PayPal once you reach $5. Register your recycling drop with bin QR codes to validate payments and track your impact.
- Scan UPC codes for recycling
- Earn bottle deposit credits
- Cash out via Venmo/PayPal
- Register recycling drops with QR codes
- Track recycling impact
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MeCycle helps you easily recycle right. Use the app to scan the UPC code of plastic and glass bottles or aluminum cans. If they have a recycling incentive, known as a bottle deposit, the app will credit you the deposit amount. When you have $5 or more in your account, you can claim your cash using Venmo or Paypal. When you go to recycle your items in the white, MeCycle bins (made of recycled plastic of course), register your drop with the QR code on the bin. That validates your payment and helps ensure that your items are going to get reborn as things like a new craft brew or a cozy fleece sweater. The MeCycle service is currently only available in select pilot markets. Visit our website www.me-cycle.com to see if it is currently available in your area.
What I Recycle
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What I Recycle helps you sort household waste correctly using AI — powered by Eco-taxi guidelines. Point your camera at any item to get an instant AI-assisted sorting suggestion. The app identifies the material type, category, and whether the item is recyclable. How your photo is used: when you use cloud classification, your image is sent to Google's cloud AI (Gemini) under Google's applicable terms to generate the suggestion. We do not store your photos after the request completes. Features: • AI recognition via camera • Material type and recyclability classification • In-app purchases for scan credits • Scan credits available on web at what-i-recycle.eco-taxi.ge • Manual tagging mode Privacy policy: https://www.eco-taxi.ge/privacy-policy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MeCycle at none against What I Recycle's 3. MeCycle also leads on iOS requirement (13.2 vs 16.0). On price, update cadence, 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. What I Recycle sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. MeCycle asks for nothing beyond the download.
MeCycle ships an update every 2 months, What I Recycle every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MeCycle | What I Recycle |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 13.2 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 31 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Homecycle Technologies, Inc. | ECO SAKARTVELO LLC |
In-app purchases
MeCycle
No in-app purchases
What I Recycle
- 100 scans$1.29
- 200 scans$1.99
- 500 scans$2.99
