Comparison

Recon vs WärmePilot

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

Head to head
About

Recon

Capture accurate 3D data using photogrammetry and your device's lidar sensor. Process data locally for privacy or in the cloud. Includes optional scaling with April Tags and exports in e57 format for further analysis.

Highlights
  • Photogrammetry and lidar fusion
  • Cloud or on-device processing
  • Optional April Tag scaling
  • e57 format export
  • Privacy-focused local processing
Features
Read full description

Recon-3D is a scanning application that fuses photogrammetry and the lidar sensor on the iPhone/iPad Pro. The data can be processed on the cloud or in case of sensitive data, directly on the device only with no data transmitted over the internet. The app provides optional scaling via April Tags which immediately adjusts the scale of the 3D model to match real-world reference measurements. The data can be exported to other programs for inspection, analysis and visualization in e57 format. Privacy Policy: https://www.recon-3d.com/privacypolicy Terms of Use: https://www.recon-3d.com/termsandconditions

About

WärmePilot

Features
Read full description

WärmePilot is your digital assistant for heat load calculations — right on your iPhone or iPad. Whether you own a house, rent an apartment, or manage a multi-family building: find out how much heating power your building really needs, which heat pump fits best, and how renovation measures affect your energy costs. LIDAR ROOM SCANNING Use your device's LiDAR sensor to measure rooms in seconds. WärmePilot detects walls, windows, and doors automatically and stores the scan as a rotatable 3D model. No LiDAR? Manual entry works too. HEAT LOAD CALCULATION (SIMPLIFIED METHOD BASED ON DIN EN 12831) Enter postcode and construction era — the design outdoor temperature and U-values are determined automatically. Rooms and elements can be edited any time. FLOW TEMPERATURE PER ROOM (NEW) Capture the installed radiators per room and see the required flow temperature for each (DIN EN 442). Traffic-light rating shows which radiators should be upgraded for heat-pump operation. HEATING CURVE (NEW) Interactive curve with slope and level. Includes recommendations for underfloor heating (0.2–0.6), modern radiators (0.8–1.6) and legacy radiators (1.6–2.0). SEASONAL PERFORMANCE — SCOP (NEW) True seasonal coefficient of performance using DWD test reference year data for 15 German climate regions, linear COP interpolation from EN 14511 support points, monthly heating-degree-day weighting. Efficiency class A++ to B. HOT WATER & BUFFER TANK (NEW) Demand calculation per DVGW W 551 / VDI 4708 with legionella protection. Buffer tank recommendation with type selection (hydraulic separator, parallel, serial, inline). CONSUMPTION RECONCILIATION (NEW) Compares measured prior-year consumption against the calculated heat load. Energy class A+ to G, plausibility traffic light, concrete warnings for deviations. Fuel-to-kWh conversion (gas m³, oil L, pellets kg). NOISE CHECK PER TA LÄRM (NEW) Validates the outdoor unit against TA Lärm noise limits. All 7 German zone types, reflection corrections, silent mode, minimum-distance calculation. ENERGY COST COMPARISON Compare annual costs of your current heating system (gas, oil, electric) versus a heat pump. CO₂ savings included. HEAT PUMP RECOMMENDATION (290+ MODELS) Curated bestseller database with 54 models from Germany's top brands plus 230+ EU-certified models — separated into monoblock and split. R290 refrigerant highlighted. Top 20 comparison list. SUBSIDY CALCULATOR (BEG/BAFA/KfW) Base subsidy, climate-speed bonus, efficiency bonus R290, iSFP bonus, income bonus — capped at 70%. BIVALENCE POINT & AMORTIZATION Bivalence point and cumulative cost over 25 years. Interactive sliders for price escalation and subsidy. PRICING 1 building included (€14.99) — full depth: flow temp, heating curve, SCOP, hot water, consumption reconciliation, noise check, all calculations, standard PDF. WÄRMEPILOT PRO (one-time €89.99, no subscription): • Unlimited buildings • Multiple heating circuits (UFH + radiators mixed) • Radiator catalog with 32 manufacturer models • BAFA subsidy application PDF (4 pages, BEG EM) • Extended PDF report (+6 pages) Ideal for energy advisors, HVAC contractors and owners of multiple properties. ADDITIONAL FEATURES • Save and rotate 3D room scans • PDF export with building, room, energy and recommendation data • Dark mode by default • Bilingual: German and English • Sample house in settings IMPORTANT NOTE WärmePilot is for rough guidance. Results do not replace professional energy consulting. For binding designs and subsidy applications please consult a certified energy advisor or HVAC company.

Screenshots

Recon4 screens
WärmePilot4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Recon at Free against WärmePilot's $8.99. WärmePilot's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

Recon is free to download; WärmePilot costs $8.99 up front. Recon sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $99.99 per month and WärmePilot sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Recon ships an update every 2 months, WärmePilot every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Recon versus WärmePilot: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReconWärmePilot
PriceFree — better$8.99
Rating4.8 (279 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings279 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRecon-3D Inc.Julian Christopher Siebert

Bugs and requests

Recon

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Program crashes when hitting save
  • App requires update in rural areas without data
  • Camera is laggy and slow to update screen after update
  • Permission problems block app usage
  • App shows 'Oops' screen asking for permission despite all permissions granted
Show 2 more
  • Sign up process is not working
  • Password recovery is not working

Requested features

1 request
  • Tool for measuring in the app

WärmePilot

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Recon

Subscriptions2
  • Recon3D One Month Subscription$99.991 Month
  • Recon3D 1 Year Subscription$599.991 Year
One-time3
  • 5 Additional Uploads$49.99
  • 10 Additional Uploads$79.99
  • Recon3D 1 Year Subscription$299.99
1 purchases

WärmePilot

One-time1
  • WärmePilot Pro$59.99

Questions

Is Recon free?
Recon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is WärmePilot free?
WärmePilot costs $8.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Do Recon or WärmePilot have ads?
Neither Recon nor WärmePilot shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Recon or WärmePilot?
Recon ships an update every 2 months, and WärmePilot every 3 weeks. Most recently, Recon was updated on November 11, 2026 and WärmePilot on November 9, 2026.

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