Comparison

Meter Readings vs Budget Chum

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

Head to head
About

Meter Readings

Easily track your home's energy and water consumption to identify potential savings. Visualize usage and costs with detailed graphs and compare them against historical data. The app supports various meter types and offers advanced features for detailed analysis.

Highlights
  • Monitor multiple utility meters
  • Track usage and costs
  • Visualize data with graphs
  • Compare current vs. historical usage
  • Set local reminders
  • Export data to CSV
  • Backup and sync data
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Apple's iPad APP OF THE WEEK (UK and Ireland), March 2011 AppStore Rewind 2011, one of Apple's favourite iPhone finance apps of 2011 (UK and Ireland) Closely monitor your household energy and water usage and the chances are you will SAVE MONEY! This useful application makes it easy to monitor your household utility meters. Once you start entering readings, your usage, costs and savings are calculated and displayed in easy to visualise graphs. KEY FEATURES - Monitor up to five separate meters, e.g. electricity, gas, water, solar ... etc - Quick entry of readings, as often as you like - Use the rear-facing torch/flashlight when reading your meters (if your device has one) - Local reminders so you don't forget to enter your readings - Displays usage and costs for the latest readings period, and compares this with your average or previous year - Plots graphs of usage and costs per day, week, month, quarter or year, so that you can visualise changes over time, e.g. against the previous year - Multiple colour themes (black, red, blue, green ... etc) - Import historical readings from a CSV file - Backup your data and sync it between devices by email, AirDrop, Dropbox or iCloud - Export your readings as a CSV file for easy import into a spreadsheet - Universal app, works on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad METERS, CURRENCY AND RATES - User configurable units, so the app could be used for other types of measurement - Support for meters that count up (e.g. electricity, gas, water ... etc) or down (e.g. oil) - Uses the currency from your device's region setting, but you can override this per meter (e.g. for holiday homes) - Handles a wide range of rates and charges, e.g. fixed or time based rates, per-unit rates, stepped rates for up to 12 levels, Economy 7/10, time of day meters ... etc BILLS - Check your bills by comparing any pair of readings (e.g. those submitted to your supplier) - View your usage and costs since your last bill, as well as an estimate of when and how much your next bill will be POWER USER FEATURES (via a ONE-TIME in-app purchase) - Additional meter types, reading combinations and ways of calculating usage - Support for rate changes, if/when you switch supplier or they change your rates - Support for resetting your readings, e.g. if you get a replacement meter - Automatic backups to iCloud PRO USER FEATURES (via a ONE-TIME in-app purchase) - Removes the restriction on meter numbers, e.g. for landlords, businesses and professionals SUPPORT Please use the link to my support page from the AppStore page or from the app itself (or simply go to http://grahamhaley.co.uk/meters/. Alternatively, contact me directly via my support pages and you will get a quick response.

About

Budget Chum

Features
Read full description

Meet Budget Chum - the friendly way to budget day by day. Instead of juggling categories and complex rules, Budget Chum focuses on what matters most: what’s safe to spend today. • See your daily budget at a glance and understand how it changes over time • Log expenses and income in seconds with quick actions • Track trends with clean, insightful charts • Keep an eye on subscriptions and recurring payments • Build savings confidently without losing sight of your day-to-day With Budget Chum, every decision gets easier. You’ll always know where you stand, what’s coming up, and how today’s choices help you reach your goals. Key Features • Daily Budget Card: Know exactly what you can spend today - no guesswork. • Safe to Spend: Balance current funds, upcoming payments and goals in one clear signal. • Quick Actions: Add expenses or income fast, adjust balances and jump to common tasks. • Charts & Trends: Understand your spending patterns and progress at a glance. • Subscriptions: Track recurring charges so nothing slips through. • Savings Goals: Set targets and watch your momentum build. • Thoughtful Onboarding: A guided walkthrough highlights the features that matter. • Privacy First: Your data stays yours. Budget Chum turns budgeting into a simple daily habit. It’s fast, clear and encouraging - designed to help you spend confidently and save consistently without the overwhelm. Start your first week with Budget Chum and see how small, confident decisions add up.

Screenshots

Meter Readings4 screens
Budget Chum4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Budget Chum at Free against Meter Readings's $0.99. Budget Chum also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Meter Readings's advantage is chart position (#143 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On ads and device support 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

Budget Chum is free to download; Meter Readings costs $0.99 up front. Meter Readings sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Budget Chum asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Meter Readings ships an update every 2 months, Budget Chum every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Meter Readings versus Budget Chum: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMeter ReadingsBudget Chum
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews96.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#143 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGraham HaleyMichael Butler

Bugs and requests

Meter Readings

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Prices and measurements displayed incorrectly
  • Complicated to use, unless you have a post-graduate degree

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add ability to show power in and power out on same graph for heat pump efficiency
  • Add camera support to capture meter readings
  • Improve export to Excel functionality
  • Add support for cubic feet to kWh conversion for gas meters
  • Add ability to view data in landscape mode with longer time frame
Show 2 more
  • Add feature to compute utility consumption per unit (e.g. water per rental unit)
  • Increase number of digits to support larger meter readings

Budget Chum

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Meter Readings

One-time2
  • Power User$0.49
  • Pro User$4.99
None

Budget Chum

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Meter Readings free?
Meter Readings costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Budget Chum free?
Budget Chum is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Meter Readings or Budget Chum have ads?
Neither Meter Readings nor Budget Chum shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Meter Readings or Budget Chum?
Meter Readings ships an update every 2 months, and Budget Chum every 3 weeks. Most recently, Meter Readings was updated on October 29, 2026 and Budget Chum on October 24, 2026.

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