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Sutro vs its rivals

Side-by-side comparison against Sutro's closest competitors — identity, store metrics, ratings & sentiment, and strategic intel.

Sutro
This App
WaterGuru
Nemesis
Pool Salt Calculator
Peer
Poolside Attendant
Peer
Fluidra Pool
New Kid
Core Identity
DeveloperMy SutroWaterGuru, IncNorbert MakkPoolside Tech LLCZodiac Pool Systems, Inc.
CategoryLifestyleLifestyleLifestyleLifestyleLifestyle
PlatformiOS, AndroidiOS, AndroidiOS, AndroidiOS, AndroidiOS, Android
Store Metrics
Rating3.9 / 54.1 / 50.0 / 54.6 / 55.0 / 5
Ratings Count1752290142
PriceFreeFreeFreeFreeFree
Release DateFeb 6, 2020Nov 29, 2018Sep 4, 2024Mar 15, 2021Apr 5, 2026
Last UpdatedNov 5, 2025May 4, 2026Sep 27, 2024Oct 31, 2025May 7, 2026
Sentiment & Reviews
Sentimentmixed-mixedmixed-
Score65/100-50/10055/100-
Praises
  • Automated chemical monitoring provides accurate water quality data for pool and spa owners
--
  • Universal hardware compatibility allows control over diverse pool equipment brands
-
Complaints
  • Frequent application freezing and loading failures disrupt access to critical water readings
--
  • Lack of push or email alerts prevents timely notification of critical system failures
-
Requests
  • Expanded measurement capabilities to include total hardness and cyanuric acid levels
--
  • Automated push or email notifications for critical system status updates
-
Strategic Intel
Strengths
  • Hardware-integrated sensor loop creates high switching costs
  • Automated daily measurements eliminate manual color matching
  • Hardware-integrated monitoring provides high-fidelity chemistry data unavailable to manual-entry competitors.
  • Predefined pool types reduce manual input friction
  • Single-purpose UX minimizes cognitive load
  • Hardware-agnostic hub functions as a central control point
  • Spotify integration links pool hardware to social use cases
  • Proprietary hardware-control protocol locks in Polaris cleaner owners
  • S-Pattern cleaning path customization provides a unique hardware-management capability
Weaknesses
  • App freezing/loading failures disrupt data access
  • 0.7★ Android-iOS rating gap indicates platform-specific instability
  • Free-only model lacks clear revenue capture; no stated IAP or subscription tiers in metadata.
  • Ad-supported model limits revenue potential
  • No cloud-save or cross-platform data persistence
  • Lacks historical chemical logging
  • Lack of push notifications forces manual app checks
  • Connectivity failures post-update prevent remote programming
  • Zero water-chemistry analysis features
  • Hardware-dependent utility limits the app to a maintenance-only role
  • 0.0 rating on Android platform
Pricingfreefreefreepaidfree
MomentumMaintenanceMaintenanceZombieZombieMaintenance
Update Cadence2 versions, ~6d avg2 versions, ~0d avg2 versions, ~1936d avg2 versions, ~3d avg2 versions, 2 majors/6mo, ~1d avg

Compare Sutro head-to-head

Disclosure: Independent intel to help mobile builders succeed.

AI-powered analysis with editorial review, built from publicly available sources. Marlvel.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Sutro, its developer, the app publisher, Apple, or Google Play. All trademarks, logos, and screenshots referenced remain the property of their respective owners.

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