# ESP vs Olarm

The clearest difference is rating: ESP at 4.7 against Olarm's 3.9. ESP also leads on review sentiment (85% vs 54%) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks). Olarm's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ESP sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Olarm asks for nothing beyond the download.

ESP holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ESP has 4.5K ratings behind it against 32, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of ESP's written reviews are positive against 54% of Olarm's.

ESP ships an update every 2 days, Olarm every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ESP | Olarm |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (4.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esp-eskomsepush/id968648379/reviews)** | [3.9 (32 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/olarm/id1008427663/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4.5K** | 32 |
| Positive reviews | **84.5% of reviews** | 54.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 106 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [WELLWELLWELL](https://appshunter.io/developer/1597145589) | [Olarm (Pty) Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1641993829) |

## What reviewers say

### ESP

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esp-eskomsepush/id968648379)

Track South Africa's loadshedding schedules with accurate, real-time notifications for your specific area. Connect with neighbors in local community chats to discuss power outages, local faults, and other neighborhood happenings.

**Highlights:** Accurate loadshedding schedules by suburb, Real-time push notifications, Local community chat groups, Report local issues (power, water, etc.), Follow multiple areas, Neighbor-to-neighbor communication

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pay Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Remove Ads for a year | $13.99 | per year |
| Pay Monthly | $17.49 | per year |
| Pay Yearly | $19.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Helpful for planning around load shedding
- 🚀 Accurate and up-to-date information
- 🔍 Useful for tracking load shedding schedules
- 💡 Provides notifications and reminders
- 🎉 Essential app for South African residents

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional inaccuracies or inconsistencies
- 🔍 Difficulty finding/adding specific locations
- 💸 Concerns about ads or paid features
- 🤔 Confusion about Eskom vs app responsibility

**Reported bugs**

- Schedules not updating in real-time
- Notifications not working as expected
- Certain areas/suburbs disappearing from the app

**Requested features**

- Add calendar integration for schedule planning
- Improve user interface and layout
- Provide more detailed historical data
- Enable location services for automatic area detection


### Olarm

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/olarm/id1008427663)

Control and manage your home alarm system directly from your smartphone. This app allows you to arm, disarm, and monitor your system in real-time, receive notifications, and manage users. It also offers features like silent panic and gate control.

**Highlights:** Arm, Disarm, Sleep, Stay modes, Arming reminders, Real-time zone activity log, Silent Panic, Cancel Responder, User management, Gate and light control

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ESP free?

ESP is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Olarm free?

Olarm is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ESP or Olarm?

ESP is rated higher. ESP averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4.5K ratings, while Olarm averages 3.9 from 32 ratings.

### Do ESP or Olarm have ads?

ESP shows ads; Olarm does not.

### Which is updated more often, ESP or Olarm?

ESP ships an update every 2 days, and Olarm every 3 weeks. Most recently, ESP was updated on October 17, 2026 and Olarm on October 12, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*