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Skimmer vs. Sutro
A smart floating water-testing sensor and subscription that, per public reports, was discontinued in 2025.
Discontinued
What happened to Sutro
Sutro's floating water-testing sensor, mobile app, and required subscription were discontinued in 2025, per public reports. Owners who'd bought the hardware were reportedly left with a device that could no longer deliver automated readings once the backend service was shut down.
What Sutro users lost
- Automated chlorine, pH, and alkalinity readings from the floating sensor
- Any dosing recommendations generated through Sutro's app and cloud service
- Historical test-result data that lived in Sutro's account rather than on their own device
- The value of the subscription itself, which was paying for a service that no longer exists
What to do now
- 1Retire the physical sensor, it has no function once Sutro's backend is offline
- 2Switch to manual test strips or a liquid test kit for chlorine, pH, alkalinity, and stabilizer
- 3Pick a tracking app that stores data on your own device, not on a single company's servers
- 4Before the Sutro app disappears entirely, save any equipment or service records kept there
Why Skimmer
Skimmer takes a deliberately different approach: no sensor hardware to fail, no subscription tied to a backend that can be shut off. It's a native iOS app that stores everything on your device, so the routine you build with it keeps working for as long as you own an iPhone.
Feature by feature
Skimmer vs. Sutro, side by side.
| Feature | Skimmer | Sutro |
|---|---|---|
| Automated water-chemistry readings | Manual entry, always available | Yes, while the service was operating |
| Chemical dosing log | Tied to the app while it operated | |
| Equipment lifecycle tracking | ✗ | |
| Resale-grade PDF export | ✗ | |
| Works without a subscription or backend | ✗ | |
| Still available to buy | No, discontinued in 2025 per public reports |
Why Skimmer
Where Skimmer pulls ahead.
- No hardware to fail, replace, or outlive its manufacturer's support window
- No subscription tied to a backend that can simply be turned off
- Equipment lifecycle tracking and a resale-grade PDF export, features a water-testing sensor never addressed
- Works fully offline, so your maintenance history isn't stored on a company's servers
- A native iOS app that works the same way for as long as you own an iPhone
Frequently asked
Questions about Skimmer vs. Sutro
Is Sutro still available to buy?
No. Per public reports, Sutro's hardware sensor and app were discontinued in 2025. If you already own the hardware, it's likely no longer functional now that the backend service is gone.
What happens to my Sutro sensor now?
Without the company's backend running, the floating sensor has no way to deliver readings to an app, it's effectively inert hardware at this point. There's no official guidance we're aware of for repurposing it.
What should I use instead of Sutro?
Anyone who relied on Sutro for automated readings will need to go back to manual testing, test strips or a liquid kit, and log those results somewhere. Skimmer is built for exactly that: fast manual entry, a running history, and none of the hardware-dependency risk that comes with a smart sensor.
Is Skimmer at risk of shutting down the same way Sutro did?
Skimmer has no backend and no required subscription server to shut off, it's a local, offline-first iOS app. Your data lives on your device, not in a cloud account tied to Skimmer's continued existence as a company.
Ready to switch from Sutro?
7-day free trial, $19.99/yr after. No account, no ads, no backend to shut down.
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