Comparison

Pool Calc vs AquaChek Connect

AquaChek Connect is a free app from the company behind AquaChek strips. It reads its app-enabled strips from a photo and recommends treatments. Pool Calc doesn't read photos. It takes results from any strip or drop kit, gives exact doses for the products you own, and keeps every test.

The short answer

AquaChek Connect makes sense if you already use its app-enabled strips and the camera reads them well on your phone. If you've fought with photo capture, or you use a drop kit, Pool Calc gives exact amounts for your own products and keeps a full, charted log, free for one pool.

At a glance

From each app's own App Store page and website, checked on 28 October 2026. "Not listed" means we found no mention of it there, not that the feature is missing.
FeaturePool CalcAquaChek Connect
Price Free for one pool; Plus or Pro for more Free
Read a strip from a photo No Yes AquaChek Select Connect strips
Manual entry Yes Any kit: strips, drops or a meter Yes Manual read and value entry
Test kit needed Any Photo reading needs the brand's app-enabled strips
Dose amounts for your products Yes Any brand, any strength Yes Treatment recommendations
Ordered plan with waits between steps Yes Not listed
Test history Yes Every test, with charts Yes Pool test history
Water balance (CSI) Yes Not listed
Volume calculator Yes Yes
Reminders Yes Yes Maintenance reminders
Share or print results Yes PDF and CSV Yes Email or print
Account to sign up for None None ("no registration required")
More than one pool Yes Plus (5) or Pro (unlimited) Not listed
Hot tub Attached spa as part of the pool; tubs in Spa Calc For pool or hot tub owners (listing)
Clients, route and service reports Yes Plus and Pro Not listed
Platforms iPhone (iOS 18 or later) iPhone, iPad (iOS 15.6 or later)

Pricing

Our app

Pool Calc

  • Free$0Every feature for one pool and its attached spa.
  • Plus$1.99 a month, $14.99 a year or $39.99 onceUp to 5 pools plus the pro tools. 1-week free trial on the yearly plan.
  • Pro$9.99 a month or $79.99 a yearUnlimited pools plus the pro tools. 1-month free trial on the yearly plan.

Prices on the App Store at launch. Pricing is per person, not per pool.

Strip-reading app

AquaChek Connect

  • AquaChek Connect appFreeStrip photo capture, manual entry, treatment recommendations, test history, volume calculator and reminders.

Free on the App Store, no in-app purchases listed. Photo reading is designed for AquaChek Select Connect strips, sold separately.

Prices as listed on 28 October 2026. Source

Both apps cost nothing for one pool. With AquaChek Connect, the ongoing cost is the app-enabled strips; the listing mentions a starter kit and refills. Pool Calc works with whatever kit you already use.

Any kit, no camera required

Photo reading depends on light, focus and the angle of the strip. Pool Calc skips that step. Choose your kit during setup (strips, a drop kit or a digital meter) and the entry screen matches it: strip readings snap to the steps a strip can show, drop tests take finer values. One screen, no keyboard for readings.

Amounts, in order

Pool Calc turns the readings into a plan: what to add first, how much of each product on your shelf, and how long to wait before the next step. Large doses are split. "Mark as added" logs each one and sets a retest reminder.

A history you can chart

Every test, dose and maintenance task goes into the log, with charts from 7 days to all time and each chemical addition marked. For one pool, that's free and backed up to your iCloud.

What AquaChek Connect Users Complain About

Paraphrased from public reviews. Each one links to where it was posted and gives the month it was written.

  • The camera won't read the strip. A February 2024 App Store reviewer said the app "never read a single strip (11 attempts)" and that some results differed from a liquid kit (App Store review, February 2024). Other reviews from 2022 to 2024 describe focus problems on recent iPhones.

    Pool Calc approach: no photo step. You read the strip against its chart, tap the values and get the plan.

  • Crashes after an update. A September 2023 reviewer said auto capture stopped working and the app crashed when taking a picture or choosing manual entry (App Store review, September 2023).

    Pool Calc approach: test entry is a draft saved on every change, restored if the app is closed.

  • Results that swing, and a hot tub set back to chlorine. A November 2025 reviewer said back-to-back hot tub tests gave widely different results and the app kept switching their bromine setting to chlorine (App Store review, November 2025).

    Pool Calc approach: settings and targets stay as you set them. For a hot tub on its own, Spa Calc has bromine as a first-class choice.

  • "Add a chemical" with no amount. A 2022 reviewer missed dosing amounts that an older version gave for out-of-range readings (App Store review, July 2022).

    Pool Calc approach: every recommendation comes with an amount for a specific product on your shelf.

When AquaChek Connect is the better choice

  • You want the app to read strips from a photo and you use AquaChek Select Connect strips.
  • You want a free app with no setup beyond pool volume.
  • You use an iPad or an iPhone older than iOS 18. Pool Calc needs iOS 18.

Questions people ask

Why won't the AquaChek app read my strip?

The app is designed for app-enabled AquaChek Select Connect strips, according to its App Store description. Several reviewers report focus and capture problems on newer iPhones. The listing also offers manual read and manual value entry. Pool Calc doesn't read strips from photos; you pick the values from your strip chart or type them.

Is there a free alternative to the AquaChek app?

Pool Calc gives one pool and its attached spa every feature for free, with any brand of strips or drop kit. It is on the App Store at launch.

Can I use AquaChek strips with Pool Calc?

Yes. Choose a strip kit during setup and Pool Calc offers the steps a strip can show, then you enter what you read. It doesn't scan the strip.

More comparisons

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References

  1. AquaChek Connect on the US App Store (rating, price, description, version notes), checked 2026-10-28
  2. AquaChek Connect App Store reviews (Feb 2024, Sep 2023, Nov 2025, Jul 2022), checked 2026-10-28