Comparison

Charging Stations Nearby vs Balcony Solar optimizer

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

Head to head
About

Charging Stations Nearby

Find electric vehicle charging stations across Europe with detailed information on power, pricing, and availability. Easily filter by connector type and payment methods to plan your journeys.

Highlights
  • Locate charging stations
  • Over 100,000 locations
  • Filter by connector type
  • Filter by payment methods
  • Detailed station information
  • Nearby points of interest
Features
Read full description

Charging Stations Nearby is a free app designed for electric vehicle drivers who want to find reliable and suitable charging stations quickly and easily. With access to more than 100,000 locations and over 360,000 charging points across Europe, the app provides a comprehensive overview of public charging infrastructure to support both daily driving and long-distance travel. You can easily: - choose your current location or any destination - set a search radius between 5 and 20 kilometers - select compatible connector types - filter by charging cards and apps you use for payment Each charging station includes detailed information such as charging power, pricing, operator details, availability and photos of the station. You will also find nearby points of interest, including shopping options and restaurants. The app is completely free, easy to use and available on both the App Store and Google Play.

About

Balcony Solar optimizer

Features
Read full description

Balcony Solar helps you get the most out of your balcony or plug-in solar panels: measure how your panels are placed, find out how to place them better, and know what they will produce. MEASURE YOUR PANELS WITH YOUR IPHONE β€’ Lay your iPhone on the panel – the app reads tilt, direction and GPS in one stable reading β€’ A step-by-step guide shows exactly where and how to place the phone β€’ Your measurement is saved and used for every forecast OPTIMIZE THE PLACEMENT β€’ The Optimizer compares your setup with better tilts and directions for the coming days β€’ Clear advice like "Lower the tilt by about 30Β°" – together with the extra kWh it gives β€’ Get a placement certificate as a PDF when your panel is placed close to optimal FORECAST FOR YOUR PANELS β€’ Daily kWh estimate based on live Apple Weather data and the sun's real path for your date and location β€’ Accounts for your panel's exact tilt and direction – and for how clouds turn direct sun into diffuse light β€’ Four-day outlook so you can plan the sunny days ahead BEST TIME TO USE POWER β€’ See the strongest hours of the day for your exact panel direction β€’ Run the dishwasher, washing machine or charging when the sun is on your side β€’ Optional evening alert when tomorrow looks sunny SEE WHAT YOU SAVE β€’ Enter your electricity price and see today's savings, the next four days and a yearly estimate FORECAST VS. REALITY β€’ Compare the forecast with what your panels really produced, day by day β€’ Enter the day total from your inverter app, or read it automatically from a Shelly plug or meter or an OpenDTU (Hoymiles) on your Wi-Fi β€’ Readings stay on your home network WIDGETS β€’ Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets with today's production and the best time to use power FREE TO TRY Today's forecast, the best hours and the panel measurement are free. Balcony Solar Pro unlocks the Optimizer, the 4-day outlook, savings, forecast vs. reality, widgets, sunny-day alerts and the placement certificate – a one-time purchase, no subscription. Your location is only used to fetch local weather and the sun's angle. Weather data provided by Weather.

Screenshots

Charging Stations Nearby4 screens
Balcony Solar optimizer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Charging Stations Nearby at none against Balcony Solar optimizer's 1. Balcony Solar optimizer's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Balcony Solar optimizer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Charging Stations Nearby asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Charging Stations Nearby ships an update every 2 months, Balcony Solar optimizer every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 6 level
Charging Stations Nearby versus Balcony Solar optimizer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCharging Stations NearbyBalcony Solar optimizer
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews0.0% of reviewsβ€”
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
MonetizationFreeβ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.0 β€” better26.4
Further details β€” not scored
Size10 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGerhard LentschikPatrick Christensen

In-app purchases

None

Charging Stations Nearby

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Balcony Solar optimizer

One-time1
  • Balcony Solar Pro$4.99

Questions

Is Charging Stations Nearby free?
Charging Stations Nearby is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Balcony Solar optimizer free?
Balcony Solar optimizer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Charging Stations Nearby or Balcony Solar optimizer have ads?
Neither Charging Stations Nearby nor Balcony Solar optimizer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Charging Stations Nearby or Balcony Solar optimizer?
Charging Stations Nearby ships an update every 2 months, and Balcony Solar optimizer every 3 weeks. Most recently, Charging Stations Nearby was updated on November 3, 2026 and Balcony Solar optimizer on November 8, 2026.

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