EcoNet vs PlumBuddy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
EcoNet
Manage your home's heating, cooling, and water heater systems remotely. Optimize energy efficiency, track consumption, and set custom schedules for comfort and savings. Receive alerts for maintenance and system updates.
- Smart HVAC control
- Smart water heater monitoring
- Energy consumption tracking
- Custom scheduling
- Remote system access
- Maintenance alerts
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EcoNet®: Smart Control for Your Home’s Comfort Take complete control of your home’s comfort and energy efficiency. EcoNet provides seamless smart control over your HVAC and water heaters from the Rheem family of brands (Rheem, Ruud, Friedrich, Richmond, Sure Comfort, Russell by Rheem, Durastar). Experience the convenience of managing your home’s climate and hot water needs right from your smartphone. Features: - Smart Control: Easily adjust your heating and cooling settings to maintain the perfect indoor climate. - Smart Monitoring: Monitor and control your water heater’s performance for optimal efficiency and comfort. - Smart Savings: Track your energy consumption and receive tips to improve efficiency and save on utility bills. - Utility Programs: Enroll in utility programs in your area to maximize your savings. - Custom Schedules: Set personalized schedules for your HVAC and water heater to match your lifestyle and maximize energy savings. - Alerts & Notifications: Get real-time alerts and notifications for maintenance reminders, system updates, and potential issues. Quickly share these alerts with your contractor when contact info added at account creation. - Remote Access: Control your home’s systems from anywhere, ensuring comfort and peace of mind whether you’re at home or away. Download EcoNet today and transform the way you manage your home’s comfort and efficiency!
PlumBuddy
Monitor and control your home's water system remotely. Receive real-time alerts for leaks and track water usage to prevent damage and identify issues. Manage multiple properties from a single account.
- Real-time water data monitoring
- Remote water shut-off
- Automatic leak detection
- Customizable alerts (email, SMS, push)
- Multi-property management
- Live water usage tracking
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The PlumBuddy App is the mobile companion to our Ecosystem of Total Plumbing Protection. Get access to real-time data based on intelligent monitoring by our PlumBuddy valves and PlumSense sensors. Whether you're at home or away, the PlumBuddy app provides full visibility and control over your property's water usage. PlumBuddy helps protect your properties from water damage with these key features: - Email, SMS, and push notifications with customizable settings - Turn your water on or off remotely from the app - Automatic water leak location & identification with the PlumAssist sensor. - Live water flow, pressure, temperature, and usage tracking - Insights that help homeowners and plumbers identify hidden problems - Manage multiple properties from one account - PlumBuddy delivers the dependability and features that plumbers want and what you need. Learn more at www.plumbuddy.co.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: PlumBuddy at 100% against EcoNet's 16%. PlumBuddy also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 5 weeks). EcoNet's advantage is ratings volume (13K vs 5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
PlumBuddy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: EcoNet has 13K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 16% of EcoNet's written reviews are positive against 100% of PlumBuddy's.
EcoNet ships an update every 5 weeks, PlumBuddy every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | EcoNet | PlumBuddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (13K ratings) | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 15.5% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 13K — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 62 MB | 59 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Rheem Manufacturing Company | PlumBuddy Inc |
Customer experience
EcoNet
PlumBuddy
Bugs and requests
EcoNet
Reported bugs
5 issues- Frequent disconnections from Wi-Fi
- Vacation mode not functioning properly
- Schedules not being followed consistently
- Temperature and mode settings not sticking
- Incorrect time zone and date information
Requested features
5 requests- Actual water temperature display
- Customizable scheduling options
- Geofencing with multiple users
- Integration with other smart home platforms
- More detailed energy usage reporting
PlumBuddy
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
EcoNet
No in-app purchases
PlumBuddy
No in-app purchases
