Comparison

Pool Calc vs Clorox Pool

Clorox Pool is a free app that scans test strips and tells you which of its products to buy, with links to store carts. It is very popular: 29K ratings on the App Store. Pool Calc doesn't sell chemicals. It works out doses for whatever you already own and keeps your whole history.

Prices, features and ratings checked on 28 October 2026.
App Store rating as shown on 28 October 2026: 4.6 stars from 29K ratings on the US App Store.

The short answer

Clorox Pool is a quick, free way to scan a strip and get a product to buy. Pool Calc is for owners who want doses for the bottles they already have, a full history with charts, and water balance, free for one pool. If strip scanning matters most to you, Clorox Pool does that and Pool Calc doesn't.

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.
Feature	Pool Calc	Clorox Pool
Price	Free for one pool; Plus or Pro for more	Free
Read a test strip from a photo	No Pick values from your strip chart or type them	Yes
Enter liquid kit results	Yes	Yes
Dose amounts	Yes For your own products, in order	Yes Product and dosage recommendations
Any brand at any strength	Yes	Not listed
Shopping links	No	Yes Walmart, Amazon, Lowe's.com carts
Test history	Yes Every test	Yes Last 10 water analyses
Charts	Yes	Not listed
Water balance (CSI)	Yes	Not listed
Maintenance plan and reminders	Yes	Yes Pool Plan and reminders
Problem solving	Yes Help for every reading, SLAM mode	Yes Step-by-step problem solving
Talk to a person	Email support	Yes Contact water experts
Hot tub	Attached spa as part of the pool; tubs in Spa Calc	Not listed
More than one pool	Yes Plus (5) or Pro (unlimited)	Not listed
Account to sign up for	None	Not listed in current description
Export	Yes PDF and CSV	Not listed
Clients, route and service reports	Yes Plus and Pro	Not listed

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.

Brand strip-scanning app

Clorox Pool

Clorox Pool appFreeStrip scanning or manual entry, product and dosage recommendations, a Pool Plan, reminders, and the last 10 water analyses.

Free on the App Store. No in-app purchases listed.

Prices as listed on 28 October 2026. Source

Both are free for one pool. Clorox Pool earns its keep through the products it recommends. Pool Calc earns its keep from people who look after more than one pool.

Your bottles, not a shopping list

Clorox Pool's listing describes product recommendations with links to add them to a store cart. Pool Calc starts from the products you already own. Add any chemical at the strength on its label, and every dose is worked out for that bottle, with a kitchen measure or your own scoop if you prefer.

Every test, not the last 10

The Clorox Pool listing says you can view your last 10 water analyses. Pool Calc keeps every test, dose and maintenance task, charted from 7 days to all time with your target band, and backs it up to your own iCloud for free.

Water balance included

Pool Calc shows the CSI water balance on every plan, so you can see whether the water tends to scale or etch plaster before it shows. We didn't find a saturation index in the Clorox Pool listing.

What Clorox Pool Users Complain About

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

It steers you to its own products. A 2024 App Store reviewer found the app useful but said it keeps recommending a specific clarifier and wanted advice based on what they already had (App Store review, August 2024). A 2020 reviewer said there was no option for other chemicals (App Store review, May 2020).

Pool Calc approach: no store links and no brand. You tell it what's on your shelf, and the plan uses those products.
Readings and advice that didn't hold up. A 2022 App Store reviewer said readings changed between checks and felt the app was mainly "a way to make you buy more" (App Store review, July 2022).

Pool Calc approach: Pool Calc doesn't read strips, so the numbers are the ones you read from your kit. The "Inputs used" disclosure shows exactly what each dose is based on, and a retest reminder follows every addition.
An account just to see results. A 2019 reviewer was confused about needing an account to see test results and couldn't reset the password (App Store review, July 2019).

Pool Calc approach: no account, ever. Open the app and enter a test.

When Clorox Pool is the better choice

You want the app to read a test strip from a photo. Pool Calc doesn't do that.
You already buy that brand's products and like being told exactly which one to use.
You want to order chemicals from the app.
You want to contact the brand's water experts from inside the app.

Questions people ask

Is the Clorox Pool app free?

Yes. The App Store listed it as free with no in-app purchases on 28 October 2026. It recommends products and can add them to Walmart, Amazon or Lowe's.com carts.

Does the Clorox Pool app work with other brands of chemicals?

The listing describes product and dosage recommendations and shopping carts; it doesn't describe choosing other brands. Several reviewers say it steers you to its own products. Pool Calc works with any brand at the strength printed on the label.

Does the Clorox Pool app work for a hot tub?

The current App Store description talks about pool care and doesn't list hot tub support, and earlier release notes said the app wasn't meant for spas. For a hot tub, our sister app Spa Calc is built for tubs.

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References

Clorox and Clorox Pool are trademarks of their respective owners. Pool Calc is not affiliated with them. Information checked on 28 October 2026; prices and features change. Corrections: [email protected]