# CDC vs Wastewater Trends

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.

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

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | CDC | Wastewater Trends |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.9 (413 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cdc/id487847188/reviews) | **[4.9 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wastewater-trends/id6475651538/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **413** | 8 |
| Positive reviews | 22.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 38 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 17.2 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Centers For Disease Control and Prevention](https://appshunter.io/developer/439259253) | [Matthew Rothenberg](https://appshunter.io/developer/1724673668) |

## What reviewers say

### CDC

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cdc/id487847188)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Informative and reliable health information
- 🚀 Easy to navigate and access data
- 👍 Useful for public health professionals and students

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- ⚠️ Outdated or inaccurate information, especially regarding COVID-19
- 🔒 Privacy and security concerns
- 👎 Lack of trust in the CDC due to political influence

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wastewater-trends/id6475651538)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*