Comparison

Pool Doctor vs Pool Math by TroubleFreePool

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

Head to head
About

Pool Doctor

This powerful digital tool helps pool professionals and enthusiasts maintain their pools. Input your chemical readings, and it will provide precise instructions on what chemicals to add and why, supporting various pool types and units of measurement.

Highlights
  • Chemical level adjustment (chlorine, pH, alkalinity, etc.)
  • Supports regular, salt-water, and bromine pools
  • Multiple unit of measurement options
  • Customizable ideal ranges and chemicals
  • Saves reading and treatment records
  • Langelier Index calculation
  • Shock calculator
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Thousands of professionals across the world already use Pool Doctor to keep their pools blue... you should too! This app is not for total beginners -- It is a powerful digital tool for professionals or enthusiasts. But don't worry! Instructions are constantly scrolling across the screen. Just enter whatever chemical readings you prefer using any test kit you own, and Pool Doctor will tell you exactly what chemicals to put into your pool and why. With Pool Doctor, you can adjust the chlorine, bromine, salt, pH, total alkalinity, calcium hardness, and even the cyanuric acid levels in all of your pools. You can even configure the ideal ranges and chemicals used to treat the pools (see screenshots). Pool Doctor gives all results and explanations in pounds, ounces, grams, kilograms, liters, gallons, or even in the number of scoops (you can enter custom scoop sizes); and changing units is as easy as pressing a button! This app supports regular, salt-water, or even bromine pools. Pool Doctor now saves basic reading and treatment records for all of your pools! Pool Doctor only shows you readings that apply to your pool type, so there is no unnecessary confusion! Pool Doctor will now calculate the Langelier Index automatically if you take all of the required readings! Pool Doctor now includes a shock calculator! Just enter the free and total chlorine levels, and Pool Doctor will automatically calculate how much of your preferred shock chemical is necessary to bring your pool to breakpoint chlorination.

About

Pool Math by TroubleFreePool

Easily manage your swimming pool's water chemistry by tracking key levels like chlorine and pH. This app calculates the precise amounts of chemicals needed to maintain clear, algae-free water, offering a cost-effective alternative to pool store advice.

Highlights
  • Chemical level calculators (pH, Chlorine, Alkalinity, etc.)
  • Track pool maintenance tasks
  • Log chemical additions
  • Weather condition tracking
  • Chemical addition effect calculations
  • Bleach price comparison
  • Data backup and export
Features
Read full description

PoolMath makes swimming pool care, maintenance and management easy by tracking chlorine, pH, alkalinity and other levels to help calculate how much salt, bleach and other chemicals to add. Keep swimming in your TroubleFreePool with Pool Math. Crystal clear algae free pool water is what Trouble Free Pool Math is committed to. Pool Math performs all the calculations you need to keep your chlorine, pH, calcium, alkalinity, and stabilizer levels balanced. Why choose Pool Math over the others? Other apps claim to make testing easy by using test strips and your phone's camera. Unfortunately, this is simply too good to be true. Test strips are notoriously inaccurate and end up costing you much more money in both chemicals and the tests themselves in the long run. Trouble Free Pool believes using a proper test kit is much easier, effective, and economical in the long run. By following these calculations the pool owner achieves and maintains crystal clear water without reliance on the often unproductive advice and unneeded expense from pool stores. Pool Math's great features include: • Calculators for pH, Free Chlorine, Calcium Hardness, Salt, Total Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness, Borates, CSI • Track Maintenance: Backwashing, Vacuuming, Filter Cleaning, Filter Pressure, SWG Cell %, Flow Rate • Track Chemical Additions • Track Weather conditions with your logs • Calculate the Effects of Adding chemicals to your pool • Bleach Price Calculator - Find the best deals on bleach easily • Summary page to see an overview of test results and chemical additions • Data backup / Export Premium Subscribers get access to these additional features: • Unlimited Test Log History Storage • Maintenance Reminders • Cloud Sync/Backup • Sync across multiple devices • Unlimited Pool / Spa Configurations • Test Log CSV Import / Export Pool Math Premium Subscription details: • Auto-renewable subscription • 1 year for $7.99 USD • Your subscription will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and will automatically renew (at the duration of 1 year) unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Current subscription may not be cancelled during the active subscription period; however, you can manage your subscription and/or turn off auto-renewal by visiting your iTunes Account Settings after purchase. • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use: http://poolmathapp.com/privacy/

Screenshots

Pool Doctor4 screens
Pool Math by TroubleFreePool4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Pool Math by TroubleFreePool at Free against Pool Doctor's $19.99. Pool Math by TroubleFreePool also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Pool Doctor's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 3.7) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On review sentiment, ratings volume, 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

Pool Math by TroubleFreePool is free to download; Pool Doctor costs $19.99 up front. Pool Math by TroubleFreePool sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $7.99 per year. Pool Doctor asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pool Doctor holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 134 and 272 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Pool Doctor's written reviews are positive against 63% of Pool Math by TroubleFreePool's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pool Doctor ships an update every 2 months, Pool Math by TroubleFreePool fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Pool Doctor versus Pool Math by TroubleFreePool: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPool DoctorPool Math by TroubleFreePool
Price$19.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (134 ratings) — better3.7 (272 ratings)
Positive reviews67.8% of reviews — better63.4% of reviews
Number of ratings134272 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
Best chart rank#168 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB314 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGazzini VenturesTroubleFreePool

Customer experience

Pool Doctor

All ratings134 ratings
Positive86.6%
Neutral3.0%
Negative10.4%
Written reviews90 reviews
Positive67.8%
Neutral6.7%
Negative25.6%

Pool Math by TroubleFreePool

All ratings262 ratings
Positive66.0%
Neutral7.3%
Negative26.7%
Written reviews123 reviews
Positive63.4%
Neutral11.4%
Negative25.2%

User reviews

Pool Doctor

From 134 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
  • 🎯 Accurate chemical calculations and recommendations
  • 💡 Customizable pool parameters and chemical selection
  • 📊 Helpful for pool maintenance beginners
  • 🔄 Multiple unit conversions (lbs, oz, kg, metric)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes frequently
  • ❌ Email functionality doesn't work
  • ⚠️ Inaccurate recommendations for some pool types
  • 🔧 Settings don't persist or sync across devices
  • 💸 Price increased from free to $20

Pool Math by TroubleFreePool

From 272 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💎 Excellent for maintaining a clean, balanced pool
  • 🔍 Comprehensive tracking of test results and chemical additions
  • 🧠 Helpful recommendations for chemical adjustments
  • ⚙️ Useful features like SLAM mode and timeline
  • 🤖 Automatic weather data logging

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Issues with data syncing and backup
  • 🤔 Unintuitive interface and navigation
  • 💰 Subscription model and lack of one-time purchase
  • 🚫 Limited support for non-chlorine sanitizers and spa-specific options
  • 🔄 Bugs with chemical addition logging and target value retention

Bugs and requests

Pool Doctor

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • App crashes after entering readings
  • Phone keyboard won't close, preventing navigation
  • Entered values change automatically (pH decreases, chlorine increases)
  • Chemical settings don't save or remember user preferences
  • Recommendations ignore user-specified chemical concentrations
Show 4 more
  • Metric calculations don't work properly
  • App requires internet connection despite being offline-capable
  • Support page/links no longer available
  • Inconsistent shock chemical recommendations despite selection changes

Requested features

13 requests
  • Customizable input field order to match test kit order
  • Support for Baquacil pool products
  • Cyanuric acid reading support
  • Ability to select specific chemical types (liquid vs powdered chlorine)
  • Salt level adjustment based on salt water generator (SWG) ranges
Show 8 more
  • Support for additional chemicals like Borax for pH adjustment
  • Water temperature and wind data tracking
  • Graphing and historical data visualization
  • Multi-user sync for shared pool maintenance
  • Pool volume estimator tool
  • Support for hot tubs and spas
  • Metric-only interface for non-US users
  • More detailed information on calcium hardness and other parameters

Pool Math by TroubleFreePool

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Subscription issues and inability to restore purchases
  • App crashes and freezes on certain actions
  • Incorrect chemical recommendations and calculations
  • Disappearing historical data after updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Custom target ranges and alerts
  • Ability to log non-standard chemical additions
  • Export options for data analysis
  • Apple Watch integration
  • Improved user guidance and on-boarding

In-app purchases

None

Pool Doctor

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Pool Math by TroubleFreePool

Subscriptions1
  • Pool Math Premium Subscription$7.991 Year

Questions

Is Pool Doctor free?
Pool Doctor costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pool Math by TroubleFreePool free?
Pool Math by TroubleFreePool is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pool Doctor or Pool Math by TroubleFreePool?
Pool Doctor is rated higher. Pool Doctor averages 4.4 out of 5 from 134 ratings, while Pool Math by TroubleFreePool averages 3.7 from 272 ratings.
Do Pool Doctor or Pool Math by TroubleFreePool have ads?
Neither Pool Doctor nor Pool Math by TroubleFreePool shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pool Doctor or Pool Math by TroubleFreePool?
Pool Doctor ships an update every 2 months, and Pool Math by TroubleFreePool fortnightly. Most recently, Pool Doctor was updated on September 23, 2026 and Pool Math by TroubleFreePool on September 22, 2026.

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