WattGuru vs Solar Setup
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
WattGuru
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WattGuru turns your iPhone, iPad and Mac into a practical toolbox for electricity and energy. Calculate values, document meter readings and save calculation cases clearly – without a WattGuru account, advertising or tracking. ELECTRICAL TOOLS - Ohm's law from any two known values - Power and current for DC, single-phase AC and three-phase AC - Cable cross-section, voltage drop and maximum cable length - Energy, runtime, battery charging and consumption costs - Series and parallel resistor networks plus voltage dividers - Conversion of electrical units METERS AND COSTS Record household, sub, appliance, generation and storage meters. Log standard and off-peak readings, follow consumption and costs in charts, and exchange your own data using CSV when needed. PROJECTS AND REFERENCE Save calculator results together with inputs and assumptions in projects. The built-in reference explains voltage, current, power, energy, cables, protective measures and safe measurement in clear language. PRIVATE AND AVAILABLE ACROSS DEVICES Your data stays on your device by default. Optional iCloud sync keeps meters, tariffs and projects in step across your own Apple devices. cgNetsphere does not receive this content. WattGuru includes no advertising, tracking or analytics services. WattGuru is a calculation, planning and documentation aid. Work on electrical installations must be carried out by qualified people. Applicable standards, protective measures and manufacturer instructions always take precedence.
Solar Setup
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Plan your off-grid solar setup in minutes. Solar Setup Calculator turns your appliance list into a complete, sized system — solar panels, battery bank, inverter, and charge controller — with real-world cost estimates and payback time. No spreadsheets. No installer sales calls. Just answer three questions about where you live, how much power you use, and how many days of battery backup you want — and the app does the off-grid solar math using the same formulas professional installers use. WHY IT'S DIFFERENT * Off-grid solar sizing built for everyone, not just installers. Pick appliances from a built-in catalog of 30+ common loads (fridges, lights, laptops, AC units, water pumps) or type in your own watts and hours. * Real sun-hours data, not guesses. The app pulls NASA POWER satellite data for your exact location on demand, so your panel count reflects what your roof actually gets — not a generic regional average. * Real battery science. Lithium and lead-acid have very different depth-of-discharge limits and round-trip efficiency. The calculator handles both correctly so your battery bank is sized for what it can actually deliver, not what's printed on the label. * Inverter sizing that handles surge loads. Air conditioners, fridges, and pumps draw 3 to 5 times their rated wattage during startup. The app accounts for this so your inverter doesn't trip out on day one. * Cost and payback estimates. Add your local kWh price and see how many years until your solar setup pays for itself versus staying on the grid. * Save and compare. Try different configurations side-by-side — 12V vs 24V vs 48V, lithium vs lead-acid, 1 day vs 3 days of backup — and see which one wins on cost and reliability. * Export as PDF. Share your sized system with an installer or supplier as a clean, professional PDF — no spreadsheet attachments. BUILT FOR - RV and van life — calculate solar for your rig with realistic appliance assumptions - Tiny house and cabin — design a system sized for your real consumption - Backyard sheds, workshops, and outbuildings — keep your tools running without trenching mains - Backup power for grid-tied homes — size a battery bank for blackouts - Marine solar setups — the same off-grid math works on a boat FREE FOREVER - Unlimited setups and saved designs - Cloud sync across devices (optional) - Full off-grid sizing wizard - NASA POWER sun-hours refresh - Built-in solar education library PRO — ONE-TIME $6.99, LIFETIME - PDF export of your sized system - Side-by-side comparison of multiple setups No subscriptions. No ads. Pay once, keep forever. THE STORY Solar Setup Calculator was built by an off-grid enthusiast frustrated with calculators that sized panels for daytime use only and left batteries empty by midnight. The app uses the full daily kWh figure for panel sizing, accounts for system losses, and handles depth-of-discharge correctly — the same way a professional designer would. Whether you're planning a weekend cabin, going full-time off-grid, or just curious what it would take to cover your fridge with solar — Solar Setup Calculator gives you a real answer in 5 minutes. Download free, design unlimited setups, and pay once for Pro if you need the comparison view or PDF export.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Solar Setup at every 2 days against WattGuru's fortnightly. Solar Setup also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.6). 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. WattGuru sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Solar Setup sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
WattGuru ships an update fortnightly, Solar Setup every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | WattGuru | Solar Setup |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 4.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Michael Caklec | Ammar Khatib |
In-app purchases
WattGuru
- WattGuru Full Version$3.99
Solar Setup
- Solar Setup Pro$6.99









