Comparison

Emerald vs Echotag

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

Head to head
About

Emerald

Monitor and control your home's energy usage, climate, and safety devices. Track electricity consumption in real-time, set budgets, and receive alerts for emergencies. Turn your air-con into a smart device for remote climate control.

Highlights
  • Real-time electricity usage tracking
  • Electricity budgeting
  • Smart air-con control
  • Remote climate adjustment
  • Smoke alarm monitoring
  • Emergency notifications
Features
Read full description

The Emerald app is a complete solution to creating a smart, sustainable and safe home. Use the Electricity Advisor to keep track of your home’s electricity usage in real-time, create an electricity budget to stay on top of your bills and protect your loved ones and your home from fire with the SafeLink along with other great products! AC LINK Turn your air-con into a smart air-con with Emerald AC Link. Whether you’re at work, on vacation or enjoying a walk, easily control the climate of your home with AC Link and the Emerald app. Access the complete functionality of your air-con via your smartphone. - Adjust mode and fan settings - Set schedules and timers ELECTRICITY ADVISOR The Emerald app works in conjunction with the Electricity Advisor to track your energy consumption via your Smart Meter. Once the Electricity Advisor is installed, you will be able to monitor your energy usage right from your fingertips! - Visually track and measure how energy is being used. - Get Weekly Reports to view and compare your weekly energy usage. - View Energy Savings Tips to help you save on your bills. LIVELINK LiveLink Wi-Fi Gateway works in addition to your Electricity Advisor allowing you to monitor your electricity usage even when you are away from home. Upgrade Bluetooth to Wi-Fi connectivity 24/7 monitoring and visibility React in real-time, even if you’re not home Adjust your habits and save money SAFELINK The SafeLink is a gateway between the Emerald app and your interconnected Emerald smoke alarms, which allows you to view the real-time status of your alarms via your phone. - Protect your family by having full control of your smoke alarms. - Ensure your alarms are working with frequent testing at the touch of a button. - Get notified in case of an emergency. - Full alarm event history. - Link quick-dial contacts in case of a fire. - Humidity and temperature sensors. UPCOMING PRODUCTS We are currently developing a number of Smart Intelligence devices that will assist you in your energy saving journey! Keep an eye out in the coming months for our latest products that will work in conjunction with the Emerald app. https://emeraldhome.com.au/

About

Echotag

This app decodes sound pulses from an alarm via your smartphone's microphone. It provides real-time data visualization of the alarm's current status and historical records, offering a concise and efficient way to monitor your device.

Highlights
  • Real-time data reception via microphone
  • Alarm sound pulse decoding
  • Data visualization
  • Current status monitoring
  • Alarm records viewing
  • Efficient data access
Features
Read full description

The sound pulses generated by the alarm can be received and decoded through the microphone on the smartphone and the Echotag application, making it easy to obtain real-time data from the device and visualize it for users to view the current status and alarm records of the alarm in a concise and efficient manner, saving users time.

Screenshots

Emerald4 screens
Echotag4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Echotag at 5.0 against Emerald's 1.0. Echotag also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and iOS requirement (13 vs 15.0). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Echotag holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Emerald ships an update monthly, Echotag weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Emerald versus Echotag: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmeraldEchotag
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews17.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.013 — better
Further details — not scored
Size110 MB61 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEMERALD PLANET ENVIRONMENTAL PTY LTDK.P.S. AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Customer experience

Emerald

All ratings2 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews106 reviews
Positive17.0%
Neutral19.8%
Negative63.2%

Echotag

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Emerald

Reported bugs

19 issues
  • App crashes on startup or when opening specific features
  • Smart Actions stop working after updates
  • Bluetooth connection drops frequently
  • Data not syncing or updating after certain dates
  • Login failures and forced logouts
Show 14 more
  • OTP (One-Time Password) delivery delays
  • Energy consumption data showing incorrect values
  • Heat pump controls showing disconnected when device is connected
  • Livelink setup stuck on 'configuring' screen
  • App crashes when selecting Electricity Adviser
  • Temperature adjustment feature removed after update
  • Smart Actions button unclickable
  • Electricity Advisor won't open or display data
  • App hangs and becomes unresponsive
  • Bluetooth not visible to device despite being paired
  • Data fetching stopped after July 31, 2025
  • Reverse cycle AC controller library missing
  • App loses product data after reinstall
  • iOS 17 compatibility issues

Requested features

19 requests
  • Support for 3-tier and multi-tier tariff structures
  • WiFi connectivity instead of Bluetooth only
  • Advanced smart actions with conditional triggers
  • Ability to set mode (boost/silent) in smart actions
  • Scheduled automation based on water temperature/capacity
Show 14 more
  • API access for third-party integrations
  • Temperature adjustment controls for heat pump
  • Solar panel production monitoring
  • Larger, more readable text and improved UI
  • Per-second or 10-minute granularity reporting
  • Server-side smart action processing
  • Support for free electricity periods (solar sponge plans)
  • Ability to change peak/off-peak times manually
  • Battery replacement notifications
  • Dark mode and improved visual design
  • Monthly power usage tracking in kWh
  • Grid export monitoring for solar users
  • Thermostat temperature scheduling
  • Better graph visualization with clear day delineation

Echotag

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Emerald

No in-app purchases

None

Echotag

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Emerald free?
Emerald is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Echotag free?
Echotag is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Emerald or Echotag?
Echotag is rated higher. Emerald averages 1.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Echotag averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Emerald or Echotag have ads?
Neither Emerald nor Echotag shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Emerald or Echotag?
Emerald ships an update monthly, and Echotag weekly. Most recently, Emerald was updated on September 30, 2026 and Echotag on October 14, 2026.

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