Comparison

Poolside Showcase vs NPT Backyard

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

Head to head
About

Poolside Showcase

Explore stunning and innovative pool designs from Australia. Get inspired to create your ideal outdoor living space that harmonizes with your home. Download issues to discover the latest trends in pools and spas.

Highlights
  • Innovative pool and spa showcases
  • Outdoor area design inspiration
  • Harmonious home and exterior integration
  • Digital magazine issues
  • Subscription options available
  • Pocketmags account for purchase protection
Features
Read full description

Poolside Showcase features the latest and most innovative pool products, displaying spectacular and cleverly designed pools and spas in Australia. The magazine inspires the design and integration of outdoor areas which ensures harmony and balance is created between the house and its exterior. Start designing your dream pool and download your edition today to never miss an issue. ---------------------------------------------- This is a free app download. Within the app users can purchase the current issue and back issues. Subscriptions are also available within the application. A subscription will start from the latest regular issue at the time of purchase. -The subscription will renew automatically unless cancelled more than 24 hours before the end of the current period. You will be charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of the current period, for the same duration and at the current subscription rate for the product. -You may turn off the auto-renewal of subscriptions through your Account Settings, however you are not able to cancel the current subscription during its active period. -Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when a subscription to that publication is purchased. -If a subscription offers a free trial, at the end of the trial period, you will be charged the full price of the subscription. You may cancel a subscription during its free trial period via the subscription settings on your iTunes account. This must be done 24 hours before the end of the subscription period to avoid being charged. Users can register for/ login to a pocketmags account in-app. This will protect their issues in the case of a lost device and allow browsing of purchases on multiple platforms. Existing pocketmags users can retrieve their purchases by logging into their account. We recommend loading the app for the first time in a wi-fi area so that all issue data is retrieved. If your app will not load past the splash page after a first install or an update, please delete and reinstall the app from the App Store Help and frequently asked questions can be accessed in-app and on pocketmags. If you have any problems at all please do not hesitate to contact us: help@pocketmags.com -------------------- You can find our privacy policy here: http://www.pocketmags.com/privacy.aspx You can find our terms and conditions here: http://www.pocketmags.com/terms.aspx

About

NPT Backyard

Visualize your dream pool in your own backyard using augmented reality. This app offers stunning 4k graphics, advanced lighting, and realistic water simulations to help you design and preview your perfect pool.

Highlights
  • Augmented Reality pool visualization
  • 4k graphics
  • Realistic lighting effects
  • Advanced water systems
  • Design your dream pool
Features
Read full description

This application will no longer be available. Existing users will be required to upgrade to the new version and when opened, Users will be directed to our Website.

Screenshots

Poolside Showcase1 screens
NPT Backyard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: NPT Backyard at 3.7 against Poolside Showcase's 1.0. NPT Backyard also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). Poolside Showcase's advantage is iOS requirement (11.2 vs 15.0). On price 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Poolside Showcase sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per year. NPT Backyard asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NPT Backyard holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NPT Backyard has 101 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Poolside Showcase ships an update every 30 months, NPT Backyard every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Poolside Showcase versus NPT Backyard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPoolside ShowcaseNPT Backyard
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (1 ratings)3.7 (101 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—42.5% of reviews
Number of ratings1101 — better
Update frequencyEvery 30 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.2 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB117 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUniversal Magazines Pty LtdPool Corporation

Customer experience

Poolside Showcase

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

NPT Backyard

All ratings101 ratings
Positive65.3%
Neutral4.0%
Negative30.7%
Written reviews40 reviews
Positive42.5%
Neutral7.5%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

Poolside Showcase

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

NPT Backyard

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • AR doesn't work
  • App crashes when viewing tiles
  • App crashes frequently
  • App is slow and hangs
  • Water color doesn't change with plaster choices
Show 1 more
  • Tutorial is useless

Requested features

6 requests
  • Option to design a remodel for existing pools
  • Ability to change pool dimensions within the app
  • More standard pool shapes available (e.g., round spa)
  • Include all pool tiles from the catalog
  • Ability to drag and position the pool design in the yard
Show 1 more
  • More realistic water color rendering based on plaster choices

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Poolside Showcase

Subscriptions1
  • Poolside Showcase Auto-Renewable Subscription1 Month trial$5.991 Year
One-time9
  • Issue#26 2017$2.99
  • Issue#24 2016$2.99
  • 23$2.99
Show 6 more
  • 22$2.99
  • Poolside Showcase issue29 Issue$2.99
  • issue 33 Poolside Showcase$2.99
  • June Issue#21 2014$3.99
  • December Issue#20 2013$3.99
  • June Issue#19 2013$3.99
None

NPT Backyard

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Poolside Showcase free?
Poolside Showcase is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NPT Backyard free?
NPT Backyard is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Poolside Showcase or NPT Backyard?
NPT Backyard is rated higher. Poolside Showcase averages 1.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while NPT Backyard averages 3.7 from 101 ratings.
Do Poolside Showcase or NPT Backyard have ads?
Poolside Showcase shows ads; NPT Backyard does not.
Which is updated more often, Poolside Showcase or NPT Backyard?
Poolside Showcase ships an update every 30 months, and NPT Backyard every 2 months. Most recently, Poolside Showcase was updated on September 17, 2026 and NPT Backyard on October 1, 2026.

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