Comparison

NPK Calculator vs BudLabs

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

Head to head
About

NPK Calculator

This app helps optimize fertilizer solutions for plants by calculating the correct ratios of macronutrients and micronutrients. It aims to save money, prevent nutrient imbalances, and improve nutrient uptake for healthier plant growth in hydroponics or soil.

Highlights
  • Optimizes macronutrient and micronutrient ratios
  • Database of fertilizers
  • Nutrition programs from experienced growers
  • Saves money on fertilizer solutions
  • Prevents fertilizer burns and nutrient lock-out
  • Optimizes nutrient uptake
Features
Read full description

Living beings such as plants require a proper balance, especially of nutrients, for optimal growth. Essential nutrients are necessary for basic functions, and trace nutrients for the best health. Nutrient lock-out can occur when the pH is out of balance or when there is too much of a nutrient. Even if overdosing doesn't occur, nutrients can be wasted by adding too much solution per fertilizing cycle. NPK Calculator is an app for optimizing the ratio of macronutrients and micronutrients in your fertilizer solution for use in hydroponics or soil. Our in-app database contains many simple and complex fertilizers in the market. Several nutrition programs by knowledge growers with long-term experience are available in preset tabs. -Save money on fertilizer solution (up to 50%) -Know the ratio of elements available in your solution -Prevent fertilizer burns and nutrient lock-out -Optimize nutrient uptake

About

BudLabs

This hydroponics grow guide helps growers of all levels organize their cultivation process. It provides tailored feeding schedules with precise nutrient proportions and allows users to manage multiple virtual crops, track progress, and access product information.

Highlights
  • Tailored feeding schedules
  • Nutrient calculator
  • Manage multiple virtual crops
  • Track crop growth phases
  • Task management and notes
  • Advanced Nutrients product info
  • Retailer locator
Features
Read full description

BudLabs is Advanced Nutrients’ mobile hydroponics grow guide that every grower, from beginner to expert, has been waiting for. It helps you organize each step of the grow process and gives you the feeding schedule, with the exact proportions of Advanced Nutrients products distributed each week. With BudLabs you will achieve reliable and consistent results in your grow room. Here are the features that will help you do that: Nutrient Calculator: - Choose the phase of your crop’s growth — grow or bloom. - Select your nutrient base of choice. - Select your level of grow experience. - Insert your precise reservoir size — BudLabs supports both gallons and liter calculations. - Based on your input, BudLabs will give you a tailored feeding schedule, complete with all Advanced Nutrients products, distributed within the correct weeks. Labs: - Create and manage multiple virtual crops simultaneously. - Each virtual crop you create in Labs boasts its own nutrient base and feeding schedule. - Visualize the growth phases of your crop throughout the grow process. You can even upload images to see your plant’s progress from seed to harvest. - Set the first day of your crop in the calendar and mark the beginning of the growth of your crops. - Manage your daily activities, write down all your tasks, and never forget a thing from your grow-room to-do list. Take advantage of our notes feature to jot down the details you don’t want to miss. - Edit tasks - No more missing crucial steps or misplacing priorities! Our tasks tool makes it easy to stay on top of your daily to-do’s. - Access and monitor your virtual crops — with logged start, end and cycle-switch dates, you never have to worry about skipping a step. - Managing more than one crop at a time? You can duplicate a crop to track your progress across multiple grows at once. - Follow your weekly nutrient calculation for a perfectly balanced grow room. - Get reminders for each activity within your virtual crop. - Take pride in your latest grow, while taking stock of what worked best. You can view your completed crops and tasks while strategizing the best steps for an optimal return to the garden. - Share your cannabis crop data - notes, tasks, images, and more - at growjournals.budlabsapp.com, and show off your grows on social media. Engage with others commenting on your progress and elevate your home-growing experience. Products: - BudLabs includes information for every Advanced Nutrients product, including its exact purpose and how it affects the plant. News: - Select your preferred location and get access to the latest Advanced Nutrients news and promotions. - BudLabs will send you push notifications for the latest “News”. Where to buy: - Always up-to-date map of all Advanced Nutrients’ retailers around the world. - Locate all the nearby stores where you can stock up on Advanced Nutrients products. - Contact selected stores by way of a simple tap, or just allow BudLabs to guide you to their location. Grower Support: - Connect with the world-famous Advanced Nutrients Grower Support team in one tap. - Have our experts answer all the grow-related questions you may have. ------------ * Terms of use: https://budlabsapp.com/terms-of-use * Privacy policy: https://budlabsapp.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

NPK Calculator3 screens
BudLabs4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: BudLabs at Free against NPK Calculator's $2.99. BudLabs also leads on ratings volume (77 vs 8) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.5). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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

BudLabs is free to download; NPK Calculator costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.3 for NPK Calculator against 3.2 for BudLabs. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BudLabs has 77 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 33% of NPK Calculator's written reviews are positive against 36% of BudLabs's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NPK Calculator ships an update monthly, BudLabs every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
NPK Calculator versus BudLabs: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNPK CalculatorBudLabs
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating3.3 (8 ratings) — better3.2 (77 ratings)
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews36.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings877 — better
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.513.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB36 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperAnton SimonovAdvanced Nutrients

Customer experience

NPK Calculator

All ratings8 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative37.5%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

BudLabs

All ratings77 ratings
Positive48.1%
Neutral14.3%
Negative37.7%
Written reviews74 reviews
Positive36.5%
Neutral16.2%
Negative47.3%

Bugs and requests

NPK Calculator

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

BudLabs

Reported bugs

13 issues
  • App crashes
  • App freezes
  • App does not work
  • App not opening
  • App under maintenance message
Show 8 more
  • Cannot check or uncheck tasks
  • Cannot start new crops or duplicate
  • App stopped working after update
  • Pro access not working
  • Subscription not recognized
  • App crashes non stop
  • App closes right away
  • Bug: App does not open

Requested features

31 requests
  • Ability to input pH and PPM
  • Grower suggestions for adjustments
  • All grow info in one place
  • Edit or delete entries on to-do list
  • Support for autoflower community
Show 26 more
  • Add in-app notes section
  • Add other nutrients to calculator
  • Option to go off pot size, not just reservoir
  • Ability to add more info like pH and PPM
  • User wiki for nutrient info
  • Interaction with IFTTT or Alexa
  • Consider lighting and humidity based on location
  • Ability to increase/decrease nutrients by 1 gallon/L
  • Measurement conversion options (fl oz, ml, gallons)
  • Ability to move crops in Labs
  • New crops added to top of list
  • Ability to edit crop names
  • Work with completed crops (view, copy, repeat)
  • Ability to edit 'To-do tasks'
  • Priority Grower Support for subscribers
  • Calibrate for iPhone Max screen
  • Add a calendar for feeding days
  • Save calculations for larger grows
  • Higher max for gallons in calculator
  • Set up several 'grows' with selected products
  • More personalized features for saving individual crop calculations
  • Dark mode option
  • Advanced analytics dashboard
  • Ability to track multiple plants for free
  • More user-friendly interface
  • More information or ability to access it

In-app purchases

None

NPK Calculator

No in-app purchases

None

BudLabs

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NPK Calculator free?
NPK Calculator costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is BudLabs free?
BudLabs is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NPK Calculator or BudLabs?
NPK Calculator is rated higher. NPK Calculator averages 3.3 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while BudLabs averages 3.2 from 77 ratings.
Do NPK Calculator or BudLabs have ads?
Neither NPK Calculator nor BudLabs shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NPK Calculator or BudLabs?
NPK Calculator ships an update monthly, and BudLabs every 2 months. Most recently, NPK Calculator was updated on November 1, 2026 and BudLabs on November 2, 2026.

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