Comparison

Recology vs Carbon Sight

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

Head to head
About

Recology

Access your garbage and recycling collection schedules and receive timely reminders. Stay informed about your waste and recycling pickups directly from your device.

Highlights
  • View garbage schedule
  • View recycling schedule
  • Collection notifications
  • Waste pickup reminders
Features
Read full description

Garbage and recycling schedules and reminders for customers of Recology. View your garbage and recycling schedule and receive collection notifications all from within this app.

About

Carbon Sight

Scan products, meals, or receipts with your camera to instantly see their carbon footprint. Get cited data and contextual comparisons to understand environmental impact. Discover lower-impact alternatives and make informed purchasing decisions.

Highlights
  • Camera-based carbon footprint scanning
  • AI product identification
  • Cited scientific sources
  • Contextual impact comparisons
  • Alternative product suggestions
  • Receipt and grocery haul scanning
Features
Read full description

Carbon Sight turns your camera into a carbon-footprint scanner. Point it at a product, a meal, a receipt, a label, or a barcode. In about three seconds you get a real, cited carbon number — plus visceral context like "that's 20 single-use water bottles" or "3 kitchen trash bags of decomposing food waste" so it actually means something. WHY IT'S DIFFERENT Most carbon calculators are black boxes. Carbon Sight isn't. Every score you see traces back to a specific published life-cycle assessment, government emissions inventory, or peer-reviewed study — Nature, Science, IPCC, The Lancet, EPA, USDA. The methodology is public. The sources are cited. You can click through and read them yourself. We built it because we were sick of vibes-based sustainability claims. If you're going to change what you buy, you deserve real numbers. HOW IT WORKS Take a photo of packaging, a menu, a receipt, or anything with a carbon footprint. AI vision identifies it in seconds. Or type it — "iPhone 15 Pro," "Beyond Burger," "Diet Coke 12oz can" — anything. Get a score in kg CO2e with a confidence range and grade against similar products. See the sources — every LCA and paper used to compute it, with clickable citations. Compare lower-impact alternatives. WHAT WE MODEL Food and drinks. Consumer electronics. Clothing and footwear. Packaging (aluminum, glass, PET, paper, corrugated cardboard). Household goods, cleaning products, cosmetics. Full receipts and grocery hauls. 10,000+ pre-scored catalog items. WHAT'S FREE, WHAT'S PLUS Free: 3 full scans to try it — no card, no signup gates. Carbon Sight Plus: unlimited scans, full carbon breakdowns, better source detail, and search history. Subscriptions renew monthly and can be cancelled anytime in iPhone Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. FOR BRANDS If you make a product, we can certify it. Carbon Sight Certified is a paid B2B tier that produces audit-grade certificates aligned to ISO 14067 and the GHG Protocol Product Standard. Certificates from $99 per SKU. See carbonsight.io/certify. PRIVACY We don't sell your data. We don't run ads. Scan photos are sent to AI for identification and then discarded. Your scan history stays on your device. Read the full privacy policy at app.carbonsight.io/privacy.html. Backed by 123 government and institutional LCAs, 200+ peer-reviewed papers, 215M+ scientific data points. Chain Reaction Labs Inc. LEGAL Terms of Use (EULA): https://app.carbonsight.io/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://app.carbonsight.io/privacy.html

Screenshots

Recology4 screens
Carbon Sight4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Carbon Sight at 100% against Recology's 23%. Carbon Sight also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 months). Recology's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (540 vs 2). On price, ads 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. Carbon Sight sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Recology asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Carbon Sight holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Recology has 540 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 23% of Recology's written reviews are positive against 100% of Carbon Sight's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Recology ships an update every 3 months, Carbon Sight every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Recology versus Carbon Sight: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRecologyCarbon Sight
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (540 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews23.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings540 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRecologyJeffrey Welch

Customer experience

Recology

All ratings539 ratings
Positive76.4%
Neutral2.6%
Negative21.0%
Written reviews111 reviews
Positive23.4%
Neutral8.1%
Negative68.5%

Carbon Sight

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Recology

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashing after address entry
  • Calendar not showing pickup details
  • Bulky item pickup booking not working

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to pay bills through the app
  • Option to order new trash/recycle bins
  • Indicator for recycling vs. green waste pickup weeks
  • More detailed information on proper item disposal

Carbon Sight

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Recology

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Carbon Sight

Subscriptions3
  • Carbon Sight Standard$4.991 Month
  • Carbon Sight Plus$11.991 Month
  • Carbon Sight Pro$24.991 Month

Questions

Is Recology free?
Recology is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Carbon Sight free?
Carbon Sight is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Recology or Carbon Sight?
Carbon Sight is rated higher. Recology averages 4.0 out of 5 from 540 ratings, while Carbon Sight averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Recology or Carbon Sight have ads?
Neither Recology nor Carbon Sight shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Recology or Carbon Sight?
Recology ships an update every 3 months, and Carbon Sight every 3 days. Most recently, Recology was updated on November 1, 2026 and Carbon Sight on October 31, 2026.

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