Best pool test strip apps for Android (2026)
Last updated 16 Oct 2026
Looking for a pool test strip reader app for Android? There are a handful on Google Play, and they split into three kinds: apps that read a photo of any strip, apps that only read their own brand's strips, and calculators where you enter the numbers yourself.
We make one of them, StripWise, so read this with that in mind. Everything said about other apps comes from their own Google Play listing as checked on 16 October 2026. We have not scored or ranked anyone, and there are no iPhone apps here.
How to choose
Which strips do you already buy?
If you are loyal to one brand and it has its own app, that app may be enough. If you buy whatever is on sale, pick an app that is not tied to a brand, or one where you type the numbers in.
Does it say when it can't read a pad?
A camera guess on a smudged pad is worse than a blank. Look for an app that flags or skips pads it is unsure of and makes you confirm values before dosing.
Are the doses in products you own?
Some apps recommend their maker's products. If you use store-brand liquid chlorine or cal-hypo, check that the calculator lets you pick those.
Where do your readings and photos go?
Some apps keep everything on the phone. Others need an account and store your log on a server, which survives a new phone but means trusting that company with it.
Can you get your log out?
A season of readings helps when the water goes wrong. Check for CSV export, or a history that stays free when a subscription ends.
Camera readers that are not tied to one strip brand
These apps read a photo of a dipped strip without asking you to buy a particular brand.
StripWise
Hexar Labs (us)
Reads a photo of any brand of strip, and can use a photo of the bottle's color chart. A pad it can't read comes back blank for you to fill in, and you confirm every value before it saves. Dosing is worked out in liquid chlorine, cal-hypo, dichlor and other common products. The free plan has 3 AI scans a month, 1 pool or spa, unlimited manual entry, the dosing calculator and CSV export. Pro adds unlimited scans and pools, plus 30- and 90-day trend charts. Android only. Signing in takes an email address, and a scan photo is sent to our AI provider when you ask for a read.
PoolsKey: Pool Water Testing
KeyInventions LLC
Per its Play listing, it reads the strips you already own, naming AquaChek, Taylor, JNW, HTH and generic 4-, 6- and 7-way strips, and turns the reading into doses sized to your pool, hot tub or spa. The listing says scans and doses are free to start, and that Pro adds unlimited scans, multiple pools, trends, reminders and an AI assistant.
PoolCheck-Strip Reader
PoolCheck
Per its Play listing, it matches each pad against the color chart from a photo, does the color matching on your phone without uploading the photo, and needs no account. Low-confidence pads are flagged or left blank. It gives a step-by-step dose plan and saves each test on the device. The listing does not name which strip brands it supports.
Apps built around one company's strips
These come from strip or chemical makers. They make sense if you already buy that brand, and less sense if you don't.
HTH Test to Swim
HTH Pools App
Per its Play listing, it scans HTH Pool Care 6-Way Test Strips, matches HTH spa strips on an interactive chart, and recommends HTH products. Saving test history needs a myHTH account. The listing says it supports U.S. pool and spa owners.
AquaChek Connect
Hach Company
Per its Play listing, photo capture works with the app-enabled strips in the AquaChek Select Connect kit. It also takes manual entry, keeps test history, and needs no registration.
Pool Time ClearPool Expert
BioLab Inc
Per its Play listing, it is only compatible with Pool Time ClearPool Expert test strips sold at Home Depot, though it also accepts results from liquid or DPD kits. Products go to a Home Depot cart.
Clorox Pool Care
BioLab Inc
Per its Play listing, it scans test strips or takes manual results, shows your last 10 analyses, and links products to Walmart, Amazon and Lowe's carts. The listing says its water analysis is designed for use with Clorox Pool&Spa products.
Calculators and logs that skip the camera
If you use a drop kit, or would rather read the strip by eye, these do the math from numbers or colors you enter.
Pool Math by TFP
TroubleFreePool
Per its Play listing, it calculates chlorine, pH, alkalinity, calcium, salt, borates and CSI, and logs tests, chemical additions and maintenance. The listing argues that a proper test kit beats strips. Premium adds unlimited history, cloud sync and CSV import/export.
Pooli
Pooli, Inc.
Per its Play listing, you tap the strip colors that are out of balance on built-in palettes for popular strips, and it suggests chemicals and dosing steps. The listing says it is free with no ads or in-app purchases and is paid for by affiliate fees on purchases.
Orenda
Hasa, Inc.
Per its Play listing, it is a chemical dosing calculator that balances water against the LSI, with a pool volume estimator and videos. The listing does not mention reading strips.
Pool apps that are not strip readers
A few pool apps come up in the same searches but do a different job. Per their Play listings, Leslie's Pool Care keeps your in-store and AccuBlue Home test history and treatment plans, Pentair Pool (formerly Pentair Home) controls and monitors connected Pentair equipment, and Sutro works with its own Smart Monitor to measure pH, free chlorine, alkalinity and temperature. None of them reads a photo of a strip.
Getting a cleaner camera read
Whichever app you use, the photo matters more than the app. Dip the strip as the bottle says, shake off the extra water, and lay it flat. Shoot in open shade or even daylight, not under a yellow kitchen bulb.
Read within the time printed on the bottle, since pads keep changing color. If a value looks off, compare it with the chart by eye, and retest before you add a large dose.
Common questions
Is there a pool test strip reader app for Android?
Yes. StripWise, PoolsKey and PoolCheck read a photo of a strip on Android, and HTH Test to Swim and AquaChek Connect do the same for their own brand's strips. Check which strips an app supports before you buy a new bottle.
What app reads any brand of pool test strip?
On Android, StripWise and PoolsKey both say they read strips from any brand. PoolsKey's Play listing names AquaChek, Taylor, JNW, HTH and generic strips. StripWise reads any dipped strip and can also use a photo of the bottle's color chart.
Do I need a specific brand of strips?
Only for some apps. Per their Play listings, HTH Test to Swim, AquaChek Connect and Pool Time ClearPool Expert are built for their own strips. Brand-neutral readers and manual-entry calculators work with whatever strips or kit you have.
Can a phone camera read a test strip accurately?
It can get close, but treat it as a first read you confirm, not a lab result. Shade, yellow indoor light, a blurred or wet pad, or a pad that falls between two swatches all throw off the colors. Lay the strip flat in even daylight, read it within the time on the bottle, and check each value against the chart before you add chemicals.
About this page
Written by Hexar, the one-person studio behind StripWise. Listings change, so check the Play page before you install. Spot an error? Email [email protected] and we'll fix it.
Always store, handle, and add pool chemicals per the manufacturer's instructions.