ecar connect vs IONITY
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ecar connect
Easily find and use Ireland's public electric vehicle charging stations. Register, pay, and remotely control charging sessions. Monitor your usage and manage your account.
- Real-time charge point map
- Remote start/stop charging
- Usage monitoring and tracking
- Account management
- Registration and payment
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Use Ireland’s extensive public charging network to charge your electric vehicle with the easy to use ecar connect app from ESB. The app displays all charge points on the public charging network across Ireland in real-time. It enables you to register and pay, to swipe to remotely start and stop charging, to monitor and track usage, and to manage your own personalised account. For more information visit www.esb.ie/ecars and www.facebook.com/ESBecars.
IONITY
Find and use high-power EV charging stations across Europe. Plan your routes, start and stop charging sessions, and manage payments easily. Offers subscriptions for lower charging prices.
- Find nearest charging stations
- Real-time charger availability
- Route planner
- Start/end charging sessions
- Track charging progress
- QR code scanning to start
- Secure payment storage
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Say hi to your co-driver. You’re searching for a top-notch EV charging experience? Here you are: Download the IONITY App to access Europe’s leading High-Power Charging (HPC) network available across 24 countries – open to EVs from all manufacturers. Our network delivers maximum charging speeds of up to 400 kW, enabling you to charge 300 kilometres of range in 15 minutes. Faster charging sessions — more time for you. Discover the highlights of the IONITY App Navigation • Search and find the nearest or a specific IONITY Station — the availability of all charging points is displayed in real-time. • Use the IONITY Route Planner to plan your journey ahead and import your daily or upcoming routes to your favourite navigation app with ease. Charging • Conveniently start and end your charging session directly within the IONITY App. • Track your charging progress in real-time and receive a push notification when you’re at 80% to go back on the road. • Optional: Use our app to scan the QR code on the charger to start the session. Payment • Safely store your account and payment details within the app to conveniently pay for your charging sessions. • Receive monthly invoices for your personal or professional use to keep an eye on your spendings. • Have a closer look at your past IONITY charging sessions and explore useful information like station location and kWh charged. Find the right IONITY Subscription for you Discover our subscriptions within the app: Choose the one that matches your lifestyle, driving habits, and charging needs by opting for IONITY Power or Motion. Sign up now and charge your electric vehicle at very attractive price per kWh. Prices vary by country. IONITY Power Power your EV and charge for less: Our IONITY Power subscription is the right choice for most EV drivers. You save money after only two charging sessions per month: Benefit from the cheapest charging prices per kWh and continue your journey fast. IONITY Motion Keep yourself in motion: IONITY Motion is the ideal subscription for drivers that only occasionally use their electric vehicle and want to benefit from a cheaper charging price per kWh by using the IONITY App. Your benefits with IONITY Power and IONITY Motion: • A significantly lower charging price per kWh • No seasonal or peak changes of kWh prices • Switch your current subscription anytime • Cancel subscription anytime to next billing date • Subscribe and pay via the IONITY App Charging for registered users without IONITY Power or Motion subscription: IONITY App tariff Ready. Set. Charge! Sign up within the IONITY App and automatically benefit from a slightly lower charging price per kWh. No subscription and no monthly fees. This is the IONITY App tariff. Upgrade to our subscriptions to save even more. About IONITY IONITY builds and operates Europe’s largest ultra-fast charging network. With a High-Power Charging (HPC) capacity of up to 400 kW, it enables maximum charging speeds. IONITY exclusively uses renewable energy, ensuring emission-free and carbon-neutral driving. Currently, the IONITY network includes over 700 charging stations and more than 4,800 HPC charging points across 24 European countries. IONITY was founded in 2017 and is a joint venture between the car manufacturers BMW Group, Ford Motor Company, Hyundai Motor Group, Kia, Mercedes-Benz AG and Volkswagen Group with Audi and Porsche as well as BlackRock's Climate Infrastructure Platform as a financial investor. The company is headquartered in Munich, Germany, and has additional offices in Dortmund, Germany, the French metropolis Paris, and outside the Norwegian capital Oslo. Further information at www.ionity.eu.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: IONITY at 4.5 against ecar connect's 3.0. IONITY also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 8 months) and review sentiment (44% vs 16%). ecar connect's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
IONITY holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: IONITY has 146 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 16% of ecar connect's written reviews are positive against 44% of IONITY's.
ecar connect ships an update every 8 months, IONITY fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on August 15, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ecar connect | IONITY |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (1 ratings) | 4.5 (146 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 15.8% of reviews | 44.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 146 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 58 MB | 70 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Driivz Ltd. | Ionity |
Customer experience
ecar connect
IONITY
Bugs and requests
ecar connect
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
IONITY
Reported bugs
22 issues- App hangs on logo screen and won't load
- Login and registration process fails repeatedly
- Map doesn't display charging stations
- Charging session won't start despite payment
- App crashes during payment authorization
Show 17 moreShow fewer
- QR code scanner button missing or non-functional
- Charging status not updating in real-time
- Unable to stop charging from app
- Session stuck in app after failed charge attempt
- Email verification codes not received or delayed
- App freezes when selecting locations
- Payment method changes not working
- Subscription cancellation failing with server errors
- Route planner crashes and malfunctions
- Charger not recognized after QR scan
- Double charging occurring on account
- App doesn't sync with vehicle data
- Language settings not respected
- Tariff/pass information not displaying
- Invoice download functionality broken
- Weak mobile signal causes app failures
- Address validation rejecting valid entries
Requested features
19 requests- CarPlay and Android Auto integration
- Plug and Charge functionality
- Real-time charger availability status
- Route planning with charging stops
- Business/company account invoicing
Show 14 moreShow fewer
- RFID card or badge payment option
- Charger occupancy forecasting
- Infrastructure information (restaurants, toilets, WiFi)
- Dark mode for app interface
- Ability to save and export planned routes
- Multiple invoice consolidation
- Wallet/prepaid balance feature
- Live charging progress notifications
- Filter for IONITY-only stations
- Improved vehicle database for route planning
- Email language preference settings
- Payment method management in app
- Charger power output display on map
- Home screen widget functionality
In-app purchases
ecar connect
No in-app purchases
IONITY
No in-app purchases









