Comparison

Pool vs Simple Pool

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

Head to head
About

Pool

This app simplifies swimming pool and hot tub chemistry maintenance by performing all necessary calculations. It provides clear instructions on chemical dosages to maintain balanced, clear water, eliminating the need for complex charts and formulas.

Highlights
  • Chemical dosage calculations
  • Pool volume calculation
  • Chemical effects analysis
  • Customizable chemical ranges
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Looking for help with calculations for your swimming pool or hot tub chemistry maintenance? The Pool Calculator does all the math for you, making chemical testing and treating your pool or hot tub a breeze. Pool Calculator is easy to use, and tells you exactly how much of each chemical to add to keep your water in balance and crystal clear. No more puzzling over complicated charts and formulas. Bring your iPhone or iPad out to the pool and have all the chemical information and calculations you need right at your fingertips. Pool Calculator works offline and online, so if you have poor internet reception by your pool, you’re still able to get test results. Pool Calculator provides a complete tool kit to make pool care easy. You get: • Chemical Calculator • Pool Volume Calculator • Chemical Effects (What-if) Calculator CHEMICAL CALCULATORS You can use whichever test strip or test kit you prefer for testing your pool or hot tub. Pool Calculator provides calculations for: - Chlorine (FCl) - Raising pH - Lowering pH - Total alkalinity (TA) - Calcium hardness (CH) - Stabilizer (CYA or cyanuric acid) - Salt - Borate (Borax) - Calcium saturation index (CSI, similar to LSI) RECOMMENDED CHEMICAL RANGES- USE OURS OR DECIDE YOUR OWN With Pool Calculator, the recommended ranges for your chemicals are based upon whether you have a pool or hot tub, and the surface material (plaster, vinyl or fiberglass) of your pool or hot tub. You can choose from several pre-defined ranges or customize based on your or your pool pro’s preferences. POOL VOLUME CALCULATOR To keep your swimming pool or hot tub at its best, it’s important that you accurately calculate your water volume. All of the chemical balancing recommendations you receive from the Pool Calculator are based on it. You can calculate the volume of your pool in metric units (liters) or in imperial units (gallons). The Pool Volume Calculator can be used for: • Rectangular Pools and Hot Tubs • Oval Pools and Hot Tubs • Round Pools and Hot Tubs CHEMICAL EFFECTS CALCULATOR “What if” analysis for adding chemicals to your pool or hot tub! Ever want to know the impact of adding a given amount of Chemical has on your swimming pool or hot tub chemistry? The Chemical Effects Calculator calculates the impact adding a specific amount of chemical has on your pool chemistry. It does this not only for the primary purpose of the chemical, but also on the other important measurements for your pool. For example, adding Trichlor not only raises your Free Chlorine, it also increases your Cyanuric Acid, lowers your pH and increases your Salt. Adding Cal Hypo raises Free Chlorine, and also raises Calcium Hardness (CH) and Salt. With the Chemical Effects Calculator, you can measure the effects on pool chemistry of adding a given dose of: • Bleach • Trichlor • Dichlor • Cal-hypo • Lithium Hypochlorite • Chlorine gas • Muriatic Acid • Dry Acid • Washing soda • Soda Ash • Borax • Sodium Tetraborate Pentahydrate • Boric Acid • Caustic Acid (lye) • Baking Soda • Calcium Chloride • Calcium Chloride dihydrate • Stabilizer • Liquid Stabilizer • Salt PoolCalculator can be used for in ground or above ground pools, spas and hot tubs, chlorine or salt pools, and a broad range of surfaces. Running into problems? Let us know at support@poolcalculator.com!

About

Simple Pool

This app helps you precisely test, dose, and track your pool and spa water chemistry. It offers practical dosing recommendations and tools to simplify routine maintenance for various pool types. Get accurate chemical calculations without ongoing fees.

Highlights
  • Water test logging
  • Dosing recommendations
  • Chemical tracking
  • LSI/CSI monitoring
  • Shock treatment mode
  • Test reminders
  • Chemical effects preview
Features
Read full description

Unlock crystal-clear pool water with Simple Pool - the pool chemistry calculator with no subscription, ever. One purchase, lifetime access. Simple Pool helps you test, dose, and track your pool water chemistry with precision. Get CYA-aware sanitizer targets, practical dosing recommendations, and powerful tools that make routine pool maintenance faster and easier. Whether you manage a chlorine pool, saltwater pool, bromine pool, or hot tub and spa, Simple Pool gives you accurate chemical calculations - including algae treatment dosing - every time. No more overspending at the pool store - just enter your test results and get exactly what your pool needs. What you can do: • Keep a chemical log of every addition with the unified Activity History • Log full water tests or Quick Tests in seconds • Built-in LSI calculator tracks the Langelier Saturation Index (LSI/CSI) to prevent scale and corrosion • Get dosing recommendations for chlorine, acid, total alkalinity, calcium hardness, stabilizer, and more • Set your exact chlorine concentration and acid strength for precise dosing • Use Shock Treatment mode (chlorine/saltwater pools) with progress tracking • Set recurring test reminders and shock retest reminders • Use the Chemical Effects Calculator to preview chemical changes before dosing • Track trends and test history over time with interactive charts • Haptic feedback confirms pool status at a glance • Support for chlorine, saltwater, and bromine pools • Keep visual track of how your pool is doing over time by snapping a photo during water testing • Share your pool's progress by tapping the share icon on your water test details Simple Pool Pro (one-time purchase, no subscription): • One-time purchase - no subscription, no recurring fees • Unlimited pools and spas • Full test and activity history • 90-day and all-time trend ranges • iCloud sync across Apple devices Free includes: • 1 pool • Test logging and dosing recommendations • 7-day and 30-day trends • 30 days of history Spend less time managing pool chemicals and more time enjoying your pool. Download Simple Pool and make pool care simple. Links: • Privacy Policy: https://sites.google.com/view/simple-pool-privacy-policy/home • Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Pool4 screens
Simple Pool4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Simple Pool at 100% against Pool's 22%. Simple Pool also leads on price (Free vs $4.99) and rating (5.0 vs 4.1). Pool's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (630 vs 21). 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

Simple Pool is free to download; Pool costs $4.99 up front. Simple Pool sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Pool asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Simple Pool holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pool has 630 ratings behind it against 21, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of Pool's written reviews are positive against 100% of Simple Pool's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pool ships an update every 5 weeks, Simple Pool every 6 days. Both last shipped on October 28, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Pool versus Simple Pool: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPoolSimple Pool
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.1 (630 ratings)5.0 (21 ratings) — better
Positive reviews21.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings630 — better21
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPool and Spa Resources, LLCGrey Park, LLC

Customer experience

Pool

All ratings629 ratings
Positive80.3%
Neutral5.4%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews101 reviews
Positive21.8%
Neutral19.8%
Negative58.4%

Simple Pool

All ratings21 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Pool

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes on launch for many users
  • Keyboard issues preventing data entry
  • Incorrect chemical effect information (e.g. soda ash)
  • Volume calculation not updating properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to save and track test history
  • Support for multiple pools/spas
  • Metric-only unit support
  • More detailed chemical dosage information (e.g. weight-based)

Simple Pool

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Pool

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Simple Pool

One-time1
  • SimplePool - Lifetime$9.99

Questions

Is Pool free?
Pool costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Simple Pool free?
Simple Pool is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pool or Simple Pool?
Simple Pool is rated higher. Pool averages 4.1 out of 5 from 630 ratings, while Simple Pool averages 5.0 from 21 ratings.
Do Pool or Simple Pool have ads?
Neither Pool nor Simple Pool shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pool or Simple Pool?
Pool ships an update every 5 weeks, and Simple Pool every 6 days. Most recently, Pool was updated on October 28, 2026 and Simple Pool on October 28, 2026.

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