Pool Log vs Chameleon Lighting
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pool Log
This app provides precise chemical dosing instructions for pools and spas based on your test results. It tracks multiple water bodies, integrates local weather data, and offers advanced features like SLAM mode for algae and CSI calculations. All data is stored locally for privacy.
- Precise chemical dosing instructions
- Manages multiple pools and spas
- Weather-aware test result tracking
- SLAM mode for algae treatment
- Calcite Saturation Index (CSI) calculation
- Chemical addition logging
- Maintenance task tracking
Read full descriptionHide full description
TEST AT HOME. KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TO ADD. Enter your test results and Pool Log tells you which chemical to add, how much, and what it will do to your water. Doses account for your pool's volume, its current chemistry, and the strength of the product on your shelf. POOLS AND HOT TUBS Track a backyard pool, a hot tub, or both. Each gets its own targets for its sanitizer (liquid chlorine, salt, tablets or bromine) and its surface (concrete, vinyl or fiberglass). CHEMISTRY YOU CAN TRUST Recommendations follow established industry standards for pool and spa water. Pool Log calculates the Calcite Saturation Index (CSI), so you can see whether your water will etch plaster or scale tile. SLAM mode raises your chlorine target to clear algae, based on your CYA, then steps back down. SEE WHAT CHANGED Charts for every level; a history of tests, chemicals, maintenance and costs; and the local weather recorded with each entry. All you enter is a postal code, with no location permission needed. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT No account. Your data stays on your device unless you turn on iCloud sync between your own Apple devices. Tracks free, combined and total chlorine, bromine, pH, alkalinity, calcium, CYA, salt, borates, TDS and temperature, in US, UK or metric units. Premium (monthly or yearly): multiple pools, CSV export, iCloud sync and priority support. Privacy Policy: https://benholloway.org/pool-log/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://benholloway.org/pool-log/terms/
Chameleon Lighting
Control professional-grade addressable LED lights with pre-designed shows, custom scheduling, and live adjustments. Create your own lighting effects or use curated playlists for holidays, moods, and animations. Works locally on your Wi-Fi, with optional cloud features for remote access and syncing.
- Pre-designed lighting shows
- Customizable scheduling
- Live control and adjustments
- Zone-based lighting control
- Create custom patterns and palettes
- Local Wi-Fi operation
- Cross-device syncing with account
Read full descriptionHide full description
Bring your home to life with Chameleon Lighting, the control center for your professional-grade addressable LED lights. No coding, no confusing setup, no light-by-light programming — just beautiful light, customized for you. ONE-TAP SHOWS, ALREADY DESIGNED A library of professionally designed playlists, ready to run. Holidays: Christmas, Halloween, Fourth of July, Easter and more, as complete multi-effect shows. Moods and animations: rainbows, ocean waves, firelight, aurora, and simple, elegant accent lighting. Dozens of effects — Fireworks, Twinkle Fade, Bouncing Balls, Meteor, Chase — each matched to a curated color palette. Browse the entire library before you ever create an account. SCHEDULING THAT RUNS ITSELF Add an event and it schedules itself. There is nothing else to set up. Holidays arrive on the right days every year, including the ones that move. Your team's colors run on game nights, following the real schedule. Sunrise and sunset are worked out for you, wherever you live. Choose your on and off times once and every event follows them — or give any single event its own. FAVORITES AND LIVE CONTROL Favorites on the Home screen: one tap puts a look on your lights right now, and turns them on if they were off. Now Playing shows what is running and what is coming up next, with brightness and speed you can move while it plays. Zones: split one controller across the roofline, the porch and the walkway, and send different content to each. Turn everything on or off from the main screen. MAKE IT YOUR OWN Studio: build your own playlists, patterns and color palettes — or start from anything in the library and change it. Quick Color: pick a color and it is on your lights immediately. See exactly how a pattern will lay out across your strip before it gets there. WORKS ON YOUR WI-FI, WITH OR WITHOUT AN ACCOUNT Your controller runs on your own network. Find it, drive it, set its schedules and save its settings straight from the app — no account, no internet connection. When your internet is out, your lights carry on. Everything local stays free, always. BUILT FOR THE WHOLE HOUSE A free Chameleon account keeps your devices, schedules and creations in sync across every phone in the home. Set something up on one, and it is there on all of them. Your lights keep to their schedule whether the app is open or not. A Chameleon Cloud plan adds the cloud half: calendars that keep themselves current, live sports schedules, control from outside the house, the Ask Chameleon assistant and over-the-air firmware updates, for up to 5 controllers on your account. New accounts get a free 10-day trial when they add their first controller. Designed to work exclusively with Chameleon Lighting hardware. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Chameleon Cloud — Yearly: $24.99 per year, auto-renewing. Chameleon Cloud — Lifetime: $149.99, a one-time purchase. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. The Yearly plan renews automatically unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings after purchase. Prices are in US dollars and may vary by country. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Chameleon Terms: https://chameleon.lighting/terms Privacy Policy: https://chameleon.lighting/privacy-policy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Chameleon Lighting at every 4 days against Pool Log's monthly. Chameleon Lighting also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). Pool Log's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Pool Log sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Chameleon Lighting sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Chameleon Lighting holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 3 respectively.
Pool Log ships an update monthly, Chameleon Lighting every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 14, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pool Log | Chameleon Lighting |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (8 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 60 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Michael Holloway | Jarrod Brown |
Customer experience
Pool Log
Chameleon Lighting
In-app purchases
Pool Log
- Monthly Plan7 Days trial$0.991 Month
- Annual Plan7 Days trial$7.991 Year
Chameleon Lighting
- Chameleon Cloud — Yearly$24.991 Year
- Chameleon Cloud — Lifetime$149.99
Questions
Is Pool Log free?
Is Chameleon Lighting free?
Which has better reviews, Pool Log or Chameleon Lighting?
Do Pool Log or Chameleon Lighting have ads?
Which is updated more often, Pool Log or Chameleon Lighting?
Other comparisons















