Comparison

CDC vs Wastewater Trends

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

Head to head
About

CDC

Access the latest health information and news directly from the official source. Organize your home screen to prioritize what matters most and receive real-time updates. Explore a variety of content including disease data, videos, podcasts, and journal articles.

Highlights
  • Up-to-date health information
  • Customizable home screen
  • Disease case counts
  • Videos and podcasts
  • Journal articles
  • Searchable web content
Features
Read full description

Get the official CDC Mobile application to access the most up to date health information. FILTERING OPTIONS Organize your home screen so that the information that’s most important to you appears first! Turn off the content you don’t want with just a flip of a switch and reset it all with the tap of a button. CONTENT The app ensures that you’re getting the most up to date health information. The home screen lets you see all your information in one place and updates whenever your device is connected to WI-FI. Enjoy a greater variety of content such as Image of the Week, disease case counts, videos, and podcasts to give you the most current health information from CDC. Browse the latest articles, stay on top of health news in the Newsroom section, and view CDC Images of the Week. If you’re a journal reader, view the latest Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, Emerging and Infectious Disease journal, or the latest on Preventing Chronic Diseases. You can even search CDC’s web content from the app. We'd love to hear your thoughts about the app! Rate the CDC Mobile App in the App Store or leave a comment to let us know how we're doing. You can even send us an email through the app if you have suggestions for improvements! DISCLAIMER THE MATERIALS EMBODIED IN THIS SOFTWARE ARE PROVIDED TO YOU "AS-IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESSED, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC) OR THE UNITED STATES (U.S.) GOVERNMENT BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANYONE ELSE FOR ANY DIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, LOSS OF PROFIT, LOSS OF USE, SAVINGS OR REVENUE, OR THE CLAIMS OF THIRD PARTIES, WHETHER OR NOT CDC OR THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH LOSS, HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE POSSESSION, USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.

About

Wastewater Trends

Monitor community COVID-19 infection levels using national wastewater surveillance data. Visualize trends with interactive charts and home screen widgets to stay informed about viral activity in your area.

Highlights
  • Wastewater surveillance data for COVID-19
  • National and regional trend insights
  • Interactive viral load charts
  • Home screen widgets for quick updates
  • Community infection level monitoring
Features
Read full description

Track COVID-19, Flu & RSV Trends with Wastewater Data Stay informed about the relative level of COVID-19, influenza, and RSV activity in your community with data from the CDC's National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS). This app uses wastewater testing to detect traces of viral activity circulating in your area, helping you understand infection trends and plan accordingly. Features: • Three Viruses, One App: Switch between COVID-19, flu (Influenza A), and RSV to see what's circulating. • National and Regional Insights: View trends across the U.S. or focus on specific regions like the Northeast, South, Midwest, or West. • Interactive Charts: Explore clear and intuitive visuals of viral activity data to track changes over time. • Handy Widgets: Add widgets to your home screen for at-a-glance updates on local or national trends. Whether you're monitoring for personal awareness, making decisions for your household, or simply curious about the data, this app provides an easy and insightful way to stay informed. Download now and stay ahead of community health trends.

Screenshots

CDC4 screens
Wastewater Trends4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Wastewater Trends at 100% against CDC's 22%. Wastewater Trends also leads on rating (4.9 vs 2.9). CDC's advantage is ratings volume (413 vs 8) and update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Wastewater Trends holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CDC has 413 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of CDC's written reviews are positive against 100% of Wastewater Trends's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CDC ships an update monthly, Wastewater Trends every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
CDC versus Wastewater Trends: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCDCWastewater Trends
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.9 (413 ratings)4.9 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings413 — better8
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.2
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB3 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperCenters For Disease Control and PreventionMatthew Rothenberg

Customer experience

CDC

All ratings413 ratings
Positive45.0%
Neutral5.6%
Negative49.4%
Written reviews89 reviews
Positive22.5%
Neutral10.1%
Negative67.4%

Wastewater Trends

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

CDC

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Links within articles not working
  • App freezing or not loading past the splash screen
  • Symptom checker and other features not functioning properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved contact tracing tools
  • More up-to-date and comprehensive disease data
  • Better integration with other health apps and platforms
  • Landscape mode support for tablets

Wastewater Trends

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

CDC

No in-app purchases

None

Wastewater Trends

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CDC free?
CDC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Wastewater Trends free?
Wastewater Trends is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, CDC or Wastewater Trends?
Wastewater Trends is rated higher. CDC averages 2.9 out of 5 from 413 ratings, while Wastewater Trends averages 4.9 from 8 ratings.
Do CDC or Wastewater Trends have ads?
Neither CDC nor Wastewater Trends shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CDC or Wastewater Trends?
CDC ships an update monthly, and Wastewater Trends every 4 months. Most recently, CDC was updated on October 22, 2026 and Wastewater Trends on October 24, 2026.

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