Bidirectional vs Octopus Shift
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bidirectional
Optimize your electric vehicle charging to save money and reduce your carbon footprint. This app intelligently schedules charging during off-peak hours and can even discharge your EV to power your home or support the grid, potentially earning you money.
- Schedule charging during cheapest energy rates
- Discharge EV to power home
- Reduce CO2 emissions
- Earn money from utility
- Set departure times and battery targets
- Track savings and environmental impact
Read full descriptionHide full description
Bidirectional app lets you manage your bidirectional EV charging to: SAVE MONEY - Automatically schedules your EV charging to occur during the cheapest energy rates - Optionally offset home electricity usage by discharging your EV - See how much you save each week, month, and year REDUCE EMISSIONS - Tangibly reduce CO2 emissions by charging during renewable hours - Power your home using your EV instead of the grid when the grid is powered by coal and natural gas - See your environmental impact each week, month, and year MAKE MONEY - In extreme circumstances (~40-60 hours per year), optionally discharge your EV battery to prevent grid blackouts - Earn money from your utility for supporting the grid READY WHEN YOU NEED IT - Set desired battery target and departure time for both one time trips and daily/weekly schedules - Your car is ready and charged whenever you need it
Octopus Shift
This app intelligently manages your smart home devices like EVs and thermostats to support the power grid. Its algorithm operates in the background to help green the energy system while earning you money.
- Connects to smart devices
- Controls EV, charger, home battery, thermostat
- Smart grid support algorithm
- Earns users cash
- Helps green the energy system
Read full descriptionHide full description
We connect to your smart devices (electric vehicle, charger, home battery or smart thermostat) and control their operation to benefit the power grid. Our smart algorithm operates unnoticed in the background, helping green the energy system and earning you cash at the same time.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Bidirectional at 5.0 against Octopus Shift's 1.0. 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.
Bidirectional holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.
Bidirectional ships an update monthly, Octopus Shift every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bidirectional | Octopus Shift |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 103 MB | 76 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bidirectional Energy, Inc. | Octopus Energy |
Customer experience
Bidirectional
Octopus Shift
In-app purchases
Bidirectional
No in-app purchases
Octopus Shift
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Bidirectional free?
Is Octopus Shift free?
Which has better reviews, Bidirectional or Octopus Shift?
Do Bidirectional or Octopus Shift have ads?
Which is updated more often, Bidirectional or Octopus Shift?
Other comparisons
