Comparison

Gridwatch vs Polar

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head

About

Gridwatch

Monitor real-time energy demand and electricity supply sources for the UK. Track current and past consumption levels to understand grid performance.

Highlights

Live UK energy demand metrics
Electricity supply source breakdown
Current consumption levels
Historical consumption data
Grid performance insights

Read full description

Get live energy demand metrics for the UK and from which sources the electricity is supplied to the grid. View current and historical consumption levels.

About

Polar

Features

Read full description

The Polar-ESS App uses an API and connects to your Polar-ESS Cloud Monitoring account. The APP provides basic information about your Home Energy Demand, Solar PV Generation, Grid import energy and Battery Usage To view the Privacy Policy and EULA please visit the links provided in the app, or visit https://givenergy.co.uk/website-privacy-policy/ and https://polar-ess.co.uk/terms/ respectively.

Screenshots

Gridwatch4 screens

Polar3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Gridwatch at none against Polar's 1. Gridwatch also leads on device support (5 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.4). Polar's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). On price and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Polar sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $25.00 per year. Gridwatch asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Gridwatch ships an update every 3 months, Polar every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 4 level

Gridwatch versus Polar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter	Gridwatch	Polar
Price	Free	Free
Positive reviews	66.7% of reviews	—
Update frequency	Every 3 months	Every 5 weeks — better
Ads	No	No
In-app purchases	No — better	Yes
Monetization	Free	—
Devices	iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better	iPhone, iPad
Requires iOS	15.6 — better	17.4
Further details — not scored
Size	8 MB	69 MB
Age rating	4+	4+
Developer	Carl de Wiele	GivEnergy Software Limited

In-app purchases

None

Gridwatch

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Polar

Subscriptions1

Yearly Subscription1 Year trial$25.001 Year

Questions

Is Gridwatch free?

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

Is Polar free?

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

Do Gridwatch or Polar have ads?

Neither Gridwatch nor Polar shows ads.

Which is updated more often, Gridwatch or Polar?

Gridwatch ships an update every 3 months, and Polar every 5 weeks. Most recently, Gridwatch was updated on October 17, 2026 and Polar on October 27, 2026.