Comparison

Meter Reading vs Trickle

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

Head to head
About

Meter Reading

Features
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Tired of surprise utility bills? Meter Reading is the simple utility tracker for your electric, natural gas and water meters. Scan or type your meter readings, see what your usage costs so far, and know before the utility bill arrives whether you are on track or heading for a higher bill. No spreadsheets, no account, no hassle. SCAN YOUR METER IN SECONDS Point your camera at the meter and the app reads the numbers for you, right on your device. Works with digital displays and number wheels on electric, gas and water meters. Older dial meters? Type or speak the reading instead. YOUR UNITS, YOUR WAY kWh, CCF and gallons are preset for US meters. Therms, cubic feet or anything else you can type in yourself, for every meter. Gas meters in cubic meters can be converted to kWh automatically. KNOW YOUR UTILITY BILL BEFORE IT ARRIVES Enter your rate plan: price per kWh, base charge and monthly payments. The app does the math: costs to date, a forecast for the whole year and the expected credit or balance due. Tiered rates, rate changes and a plan comparison are built in, and a reminder tells you before your contract term ends. DASHBOARD: EVERYTHING AT A GLANCE Every meter gets its own dashboard: current reading, this year's usage with forecast, monthly trend, comparison with last year, a heatmap across all years and automatic insights when your usage looks unusual. Pick the cards you want and put them in your order. SOLAR, NET METERING AND HEAT PUMPS Virtual meters calculate what no single meter shows: how much solar power you use yourself, how much you send back to the grid and how much you buy from your utility. Start from a template (solar with grid export, solar with self-consumption, solar with heat pump) or write your own formula. Enter your export credit rate to see what your solar earns, and the heat pump meter shows your seasonal performance factor. BUILT FOR HOMEOWNERS, RENTERS AND LANDLORDS Manage multiple homes, rental units and properties, assign meters to each one and read all meters of a property in one go. Print a QR code for every meter and open the right one with a scan. Create annual statements and utility cost statements for your tenants as PDF. NEVER MISS A READING Set reminders for each meter: daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly. Add up to four photos, notes and tags to every reading, and mark the readings you have reported to your utility. SEE HOW WEATHER DRIVES YOUR BILL Outdoor temperature, rain and sunshine hours right next to your usage. Find out how much a heat wave or a cold snap really costs you in heating and cooling. IMPORT, EXPORT, BACKUP CSV import and export for readings, rate plans, payments and gas conversions. PDF reports to share. Back up your data to a file, with a reminder. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your readings and rate plans stay on your device. No sign-up, no account, no cloud required. Light and dark mode, for iPhone and iPad, in 30 languages. FREE, NO SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED Every feature is free. Premium only removes the ads and supports further development. SUPPORTED METERS โ€ข Electric meters, including time-of-use (peak/off-peak) and multi-rate meters โ€ข Bidirectional net meters for solar, also with multiple rates โ€ข Solar production meters and grid export meters โ€ข Plug-in energy monitors and prepaid electric meters with balance forecast โ€ข Heat pump meters with seasonal performance factor, district heating meters โ€ข Natural gas meters, heating oil tanks and pellet heating โ€ข Water meters, irrigation and sprinkler submeters (excluded from sewer charges) โ€ข Virtual meters with your own formula Whether you own, rent or manage properties: Meter Reading helps you understand your electricity usage and lower your utility bills. Download for free today. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Trickle

Features
Read full description

Your water meter tells a story. Trickle helps you read it. Know exactly how much water your household uses, catch silent leaks before they become costly repairs, and build lasting conservation habits โ€” all without an account or internet connection. โ€” KEY FEATURES โ€” โ€ข Meter Readings Log โ€” Record your water meter in cubic metres and instantly see how much you used between each entry. Ten sample readings are included so trends are visible from day one. โ€ข Automatic Usage Calculation โ€” Trickle computes consumption between every consecutive reading and highlights high-usage periods so spikes are impossible to miss. โ€ข Leak Tracker โ€” Report any suspected leak by location, assign Low / Medium / High severity, and advance its status from Suspected to Confirmed to Fixed as you investigate. โ€ข Inline Status Updates โ€” Tap directly on a leak card to switch its repair status without opening a separate screen. โ€ข 15 Conservation Tips โ€” Practical, actionable advice on low-flow showerheads, dripping taps, full dishwasher loads, rainwater collection, and more โ€” each tip expands for full detail. โ€ข Fully Offline & Private โ€” No account, no sign-in, no data ever leaves your device. โ€ข Clean Aqua Design โ€” Calm teal palette designed for quick glances and easy reading. Whether you want to lower your water bill, investigate a suspected leak, or simply build more sustainable habits at home, Trickle gives you the clarity to understand and reduce your household water footprint. โ€” Trickle Water Usage PREMIUM โ€” Premium unlocks the full Trickle experience: unlimited meters and readings, smart leak alerts and anomaly detection, detailed usage trends with data export, and an entirely ad-free environment. All your water data stays private on your device. Subscription options: โ€ข Weekly โ€” $9.99 / week โ€ข Yearly โ€” $49.99 / year (includes a 3-day free trial) Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://pnkl26.web.app/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Meter Reading4 screens
Trickle3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Trickle at none against Meter Reading's shown. Meter Reading's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. Meter Reading sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Trickle sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Meter Reading ships an update every 2 weeks, Trickle every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Meter Reading versus Trickle: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMeter ReadingTrickle
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 8 days โ€” better
AdsYesNo โ€” better
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 โ€” better17.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size253 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMoritz KarraschLinh Phan Nhat Khanh

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Meter Reading

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly ad-free subscription7 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Yearly ad-free subscription$8.991 Year
One-time8
  • Donation XXS$0.99
  • Donation XS$1.99
  • Donation S$3.99
Show 5 more
  • Donation M$8.99
  • Donation L$17.99
  • Ad-Free$22.99
  • Donation XL$44.99
  • Donation XXL$89.99
2 purchases

Trickle

Subscriptions2
  • Trickle Water Usage Weekly$9.997 Days
  • Trickle Water Usage Yearly$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Meter Reading free?
Meter Reading is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Trickle free?
Trickle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Meter Reading or Trickle have ads?
Meter Reading shows ads; Trickle does not.
Which is updated more often, Meter Reading or Trickle?
Meter Reading ships an update every 2 weeks, and Trickle every 8 days. Most recently, Meter Reading was updated on October 20, 2026 and Trickle on October 24, 2026.

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