Comparison

Polar vs Havenwise

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

Head to head
About

Polar

Features
Read full description

The Polar-ESS App uses an API and connects to your Polar-ESS Cloud Monitoring account. The APP provides basic information about your Home Energy Demand, Solar PV Generation, Grid import energy and Battery Usage To view the Privacy Policy and EULA please visit the links provided in the app, or visit https://givenergy.co.uk/website-privacy-policy/ and https://polar-ess.co.uk/terms/ respectively.

About

Havenwise

Features
Read full description

Havenwise is an easy-to-use control and optimisation system for your heat pump. Connect via our app in just a few minutes, no installer needed! We connect directly to your internet-connected Vaillant, Mitsubishi or Samsung heat pump, so most users need no extra hardware. Havenwise automatically learns how your home heats up and cools down. Our smart software takes into account your energy tariff, local weather, and your comfort to keep your home warm and water hot for the lowest possible bill. Havenwise works great with time-of-use tariffs to shift your heating out of expensive peak periods and into the cheapest times of day. For homes with solar panels, we can shift usage to warmer and sunnier periods. For batteries, time-of-use optimisation can be toggled on and off depending on your preference, to take advantage of tariffs or keep your heat pump running low and slow for maximum efficiency. Our excellent support is always available to answer questions and keep you informed and confident about your home heating needs.

Screenshots

Polar3 screens
Havenwise4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Havenwise at none against Polar's 1. Havenwise also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.4). Polar's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Polar sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $25.00 per year. Havenwise asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Polar ships an update every 5 weeks, Havenwise weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 5, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences ยท 2 level
Polar versus Havenwise: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPolarHavenwise
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksWeekly โ€” better
AdsNo โ€” betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS17.415.1 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size69 MB74 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGivEnergy Software LimitedHavenwise Limited

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Polar

Subscriptions1
  • Yearly Subscription1 Year trial$25.001 Year
None

Havenwise

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Polar free?
Polar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Havenwise free?
Havenwise is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Polar or Havenwise have ads?
Havenwise shows ads; Polar does not.
Which is updated more often, Polar or Havenwise?
Polar ships an update every 5 weeks, and Havenwise weekly. Most recently, Polar was updated on September 5, 2026 and Havenwise on September 21, 2026.

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