Ref Tools vs Elitech iCold
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ref Tools
This app provides HVACR technicians with essential tools and information for field service. It includes refrigerant calculators, troubleshooting guides, product finders, and access to spare parts. Listen to educational podcasts to enhance your knowledge on the go.
- Refrigerant Slider for P/T calculations
- Solenoid valve coil testing tool
- Refrigeration system troubleshooting guide
- Product data finder
- Spare parts ordering
- Low-GWP refrigerant comparison
- TXV Superheat optimization
- Educational podcasts
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Get the guidance, support, information, and tools you need—on the job and in the field. Ref Tools is a free, powerful app that contains essential tools every HVACR technician needs in their digital toolbelt. Ref Tools offers a collection of useful air conditioning and refrigeration tools: Refrigerant Slider As a featured part of Ref Tools, you get all the features and functionality that made Refrigerant Slider a hit with millions of installers around the world. Quickly calculate pressure/temperature ratios and find essential information on over 80 refrigerants. Magnetic Tool Test and troubleshoot solenoid valve coils quickly and easily. Troubleshooter Get help diagnosing issues in refrigeration systems, so you can quickly identify symptoms and find recommended solutions. Product Finder Find extensive product-related data in one place. Search by product code number or product category to access and share product specifications, documentation, visuals, and more. Spare Parts Access and order an extensive list of Danfoss spare parts and service kits for air conditioning and refrigeration applications. Low-GWP Tool Find and compare climate-friendly refrigerants for retrofitting by checking compatibility with the TXV. TXV Superheat Tuner Optimize superheat in less than 15 minutes. Using advanced algorithms, TXV Superheat Tuner provides valve-specific adjustment recommendations. Podcasts The workday can be full and the road long, so Ref Tools also provides you with some educational entertainment. You can listen to podcasts, including the popular Chilling with Jens podcast, directly in the app. So, take a break and chill out a bit while learning something new about refrigeration. More about Refrigerant Slider Refrigerant Slider, now a part of Ref Tools, helps you quickly calculate the pressure-to-temperature ratio for more than 80 refrigerants, including natural refrigerants such as ammonia and transcritical CO2. Refrigerant Slider also provides you with information about each refrigerant, including Global Warming Potential (GWP) and Ozone Depleting Potential (ODP). You can switch between the IPCC AR4 and AR5 values, where AR4 values are used in relation to the European F-Gas regulations. Refrigerant Slider’s P/T calculations use extended curve–fitting models based on Refprop 10 results. You can also see both dew and bubble point for refrigerants with glide. Streamline your workflow Ref Tools goes beyond just providing quick access to helpful tools; it helps you save time by allowing you to track your most visited service sites and save unique settings for each one. Simplify each service call with ease. Feedback Your input matters – we would love to hear it from you. We're committed to continuously improving Ref Tools to meet your needs. If you encounter a bug or have a feature suggestion, please use the in-app feedback function available in Settings. Alternatively, you can reach us via email at coolapp@danfoss.com. Danfoss Climate Solutions At Danfoss Climate Solutions, we engineer energy-efficient solutions to help the world get more out of less. Our innovative products and solutions enable a decarbonized, digital, and more sustainable tomorrow, and our technology supports a cost-efficient transition to renewable energy sources. With a strong foundation in quality, people, and the climate, we drive the energy, refrigerant, and food system transitions needed to achieve climate goals. Read more about us at www.danfoss.com. Terms and Conditions apply for use of the app.
Elitech iCold
This cloud-based platform allows remote, real-time monitoring of temperature, humidity, and location for sensitive goods during transport and storage. It ensures the efficacy and safety of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, food, and chemicals by providing constant condition updates.
- Cloud-based platform
- Remote real-time monitoring
- Temperature tracking
- Humidity tracking
- Location tracking
- Goods condition monitoring
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Elitech iCold is a cloud-based platform designed for Elitech wireless data loggers. You can monitor the temperature, humidity and locations of your goods remotely in real-time. To keep the efficacy and safety of your pharmaceuticals, vaccine, food and chemical goods requires proper handling at an accurate temperature during transportation and storage, Elitech iCold helps you always know where your goods are and in what condition.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Ref Tools at 3.9 against Elitech iCold's 3.3. Ref Tools also leads on review sentiment (58% vs 48%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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.
Ref Tools holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 52 and 86 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Ref Tools's written reviews are positive against 48% of Elitech iCold's.
Ref Tools ships an update every 5 weeks, Elitech iCold monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ref Tools | Elitech iCold |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (52 ratings) — better | 3.3 (86 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 57.6% of reviews — better | 47.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 52 | 86 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 98 MB | 174 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Danfoss A/S | Elitech Technology,Inc. |
Customer experience
Ref Tools
Elitech iCold
User reviews
Ref Tools
From 52 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Useful tool for HVAC/R techs
- 👍 Great idea for an app
- 👍 Best refrigeration and hvac app
- 👍 Useful App for HVACR
- 👍 Brilliant app
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes instantly on launch
- 🐛 App won’t open on iPhone
- 🐛 Flashes up and disappears
- 🐛 Cannot open app
- 🐛 Immediately shuts off
Elitech iCold
From 86 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Hardware capabilities are impressive
- 👍 Good price-performance ratio
- 👍 Works as intended when configured
- 👍 Intuitive interface (for some)
- 👍 Useful for remote monitoring
Room to improve
- 🐛 App needs significant work
- 🐛 WiFi connection issues
- 🐛 Poorly written documentation
- 🐛 App not ready for use
- 🐛 Bad translation and untranslated fields
Bugs and requests
Ref Tools
Reported bugs
27 issues- CRASHED instantly on Mac Mini M4
- App won’t open on iPhone
- App flashes up and disappears
- Cannot open app
- Immediately shuts off since recent release
Show 22 moreShow fewer
- Crash au lancement since update
- Will not save to Home Screen
- Incorrect PT Charting for r134a
- Information doesn’t slide down
- Crashes on iOS12.1.4
- App won’t open since previous update
- List of refrigerants shifted upwards on iPhone 10
- Stuck on R134a, needs update for current iOS
- R744A only goes to 60 psi
- Scale did not go low enough for deep vacuum
- Missing R22 on Apple version
- Missing R717 (Ammonia)
- Missing R-22
- Missing R124a
- No longer lists Ammonia
- Missing Refrigerants since app update
- Missing Ammonia and CO2
- r410a is missing since update
- Removed r22, 410a, and 407c
- Refrigerants missing now
- Removed slider for ammonia
- Scale doesn't go into vacuum
Requested features
18 requests- More residential AC information
- Troubleshooter for Residential & Commercial
- Add SP22 refrigerant
- Add R-11 refrigerant
- Add R-123 range down to 40 degrees
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- Add R744 and R744A to 0 psia
- Scale to go lower for R-123 vacuum
- Add R410a
- Add R407c
- Add R404A
- Add R22
- Add R124a
- Add Ammonia
- Add CO2
- Add R717 (Ammonia)
- Scale going higher on CO2
- Setting for high altitude
- Scale to go into vacuum
Elitech iCold
Reported bugs
59 issues- Password policy is weak
- Charts only show up to 100 degrees F
- Power consumption option doesn't work
- Cannot connect device to WiFi
- Repeated attempts to connect to WiFi fail
Show 54 moreShow fewer
- Fails to configure WiFi in Smartlink mode
- App suggests using Android instead of iPhone/iPad
- Lot of fields and messages in Chinese
- Humidifying element not working
- WiFi bug causing loss of connectivity
- Cannot record or see data logging history
- App broken in v61 update, not fixed
- Detailed settings page for STC1000 disappeared
- Functionality to change Temp and Humidity Settings removed
- Ability to adjust user parameters removed
- User parameters missing in latest update
- Cannot change parameters from phone after update
- New update makes it impossible to change anything from phone
- Cannot change parameters from phone anymore
- App update error, cannot change anything
- Cannot change parameters from phone anymore after update
- RCW-360 never worked
- App crashes often
- Impossible to add devices
- Bluetooth function obsolete
- Device will not come online to phone
- Device will not pair to WiFi
- Cannot register, code not sent via email
- Cannot sign up, code not sent to email
- Device does not work and won't connect to Wi-Fi
- Cannot get devices to connect to network or Bluetooth
- Device will not change from C to F
- Knocked offline, have to manually reconnect
- Cannot find where to put device back online
- Device does not flash WiFi indicator on power up
- Device will not link to WiFi
- Manual does not tell how to set up mode
- Cannot make WiFi device work
- Cannot log in, possibly server issues
- Cannot register, does not send code
- Cannot enter mobile number, says incorrect
- Old controllers not working after new update
- Devices that were not in use won't respond
- Devices in use won't turn on/off, parameters won't change
- App will not save temp or humidity parameters
- App changed, devices offline, temp fault
- Bluetooth function required for first-time WiFi connection
- App will not let you select a network to login
- Cannot type to enter wireless network name
- Username already exists error, then user does not exist error
- WiFi option to connect from PC doesn't work
- Cannot connect to iPhone
- Cannot connect to WiFi
- Cannot tap on field to select SSID
- Grey text is too dark and small
- Difficult to add devices
- App DOA, cannot get confirmation code emailed
- App takes WiFi network name from device, but must be 2.4GHz
- App requires Bluetooth for first-time WiFi connection
Requested features
13 requests- Option to use Google, Yahoo, iCloud for login
- Schedule on/off option
- Intermittent on/off option for fans
- Option to show humidity reading on main screen
- Scheduling for different temperature settings (day/night)
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard
- Ability to switch language
- Fix checkbox out of screen issue
- Add user manual to the app
- Make WiFi symbol more intuitive
- Improve UI design
- Fix spelling mistakes
In-app purchases
Ref Tools
No in-app purchases
Elitech iCold
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Ref Tools free?
Is Elitech iCold free?
Which has better reviews, Ref Tools or Elitech iCold?
Do Ref Tools or Elitech iCold have ads?
Which is updated more often, Ref Tools or Elitech iCold?
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