The washer, the fridge, the AC unit, and the space heater already know their own power draw. A $20 smart plug with energy monitoring reads that draw and hands it to your phone. Suddenly you know when the wash cycle finishes because the wattage dropped to standby, and you know why the electricity bill jumped in July because the old chest freezer draws more than the fridge next to it.
We tested seven apps that turn a smart plug into a real energy monitor on Android. Each was judged on how often it polls, whether it charts over time, whether it can trigger notifications on state change, and how well it plays with the rest of your home. If you’re on Android and looking at the smart-appliance sticker prices, keep the appliance and buy the plug.
What to look for in a smart plug energy monitoring app
- Polling frequency. A plug that reports every 30 seconds tells you the washer finished within a minute. A plug that reports every 5 minutes tells you eventually.
- Historical charts. Watts over the last hour, kWh over the last month. Both matter for different questions.
- State-change notifications. “Alert me when the washer stops” is really “alert me when watts drop below 5 for 60 seconds.”
- Multi-brand support. Some apps only see their own brand; others see everything on the network.
- Local vs cloud. Cloud is easier; local keeps working when the vendor’s servers go down.
- Integration surface. Google Home, Alexa, HomeKit, Home Assistant, MQTT.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Poll rate | Free plan | Local option | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kasa Smart | TP-Link plug owners | ~30s | Free | Partial (Matter models) | 4.4 |
| Home Assistant | Multi-brand and self-hosted | 1s+ | Free (self-hosted) | Yes | 4.6 |
| Smart Life (Tuya) | Cheap generic plug ecosystem | ~30-60s | Free | Via Local Tuya integration | 4.2 |
| Meross | HomeKit-friendly plugs | ~30s | Free | Via HomeKit | 4.3 |
| Sengled | Sengled ecosystem plugs | ~60s | Free | No | 4.0 |
| Emporia | Whole-home + plug energy | 1s (Vue) | Free | Via API | 4.5 |
| Sense | Whole-home learning monitor | 1s+ | Free | No | 4.3 |
The apps
1. Kasa Smart, best for TP-Link plug owners
Kasa Smart is TP-Link’s app for its Kasa and (with the new integration) Tapo plugs. The KP125M and KP115 read power draw at roughly 30-second intervals; the app charts today, week, month, and year usage per plug. Cost estimates use your local rate, once you enter it.
Kasa for smart plug energy monitoring is the “already-owned it” starting point for a lot of Android households. Setup is a QR code and a Wi-Fi handshake.
Where it falls short: Cloud-first. If TP-Link’s servers hiccup, you lose remote control. Historical export is minimal.
Pricing:
- Free
Platforms: Android, iOS
Download: Aptoide · Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: The right pick when you’re buying TP-Link plugs and want the simplest setup.
2. Home Assistant, best multi-brand and self-hosted
Home Assistant is where smart plug energy monitoring gets serious. Integrations exist for Kasa, Tuya (via Local Tuya), Shelly, Sonoff, Zigbee plugs (Aqara, Sonoff ZBMINI, Third Reality) via Zigbee2MQTT, Z-Wave plugs, and just about anything else. The Energy dashboard aggregates all of them into a per-device breakdown with historical charts.
Home Assistant for smart plug energy monitoring is the ceiling of what this category can do. Real-time power to the second, kWh over months, cost projections, and automations that fire on state change.
Where it falls short: You’re running a server. A Raspberry Pi 4 or an old mini-PC covers it; still, it’s a real setup effort. First hour is steeper than any other pick on this list.
Pricing:
- Free, self-hosted
- Nabu Casa Cloud around $6.50/mo for remote access (optional)
Platforms: Android, iOS, Web (server runs on Linux, Docker, HAOS)
Download: Aptoide · Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: The right pick when you own more than three plugs and want them to work as one system.
3. Smart Life (Tuya), best cheap generic plug ecosystem
Smart Life (branded as Tuya elsewhere) is the app that comes up when you buy any generic Wi-Fi smart plug from Amazon. Dozens of white-label brands (Gosund, Teckin, Aoycocr, Wemo copycats) all run through it. Energy monitoring is per-plug where the hardware supports it.
Smart Life for smart plug energy monitoring is the “I already have four random plugs” pick. It works, and it’s free.
Where it falls short: Cloud-first and Chinese-hosted. Polling is coarser than dedicated tools. Historical export is limited. Local Tuya via Home Assistant is a common escape route.
Pricing:
- Free
Platforms: Android, iOS
Download: Aptoide · Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: The right pick when the plugs are already Tuya-flavored and you don’t want another cloud login.
4. Meross, best HomeKit-friendly plugs
Meross covers the Meross line of smart plugs that support HomeKit directly, so Apple households can add them without a hub while Android households use Meross’s own app. Energy-monitoring models chart daily, weekly, and monthly usage per plug.
Meross for smart plug energy monitoring is the “hardware picks itself if you’re cross-platform” answer.
Where it falls short: The app is Meross-only. Polling is comparable to Kasa. Historical export is basic.
Pricing:
- Free
Platforms: Android, iOS
Download: Aptoide · Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: The right pick for households with both Android and iPhone users on HomeKit plugs.
5. Sengled, best for Sengled ecosystem plugs
Sengled Home covers Sengled plugs and bulbs. The plugs report power draw at roughly one-minute intervals; the app shows today and week-level totals but doesn’t chase Kasa on chart depth.
Sengled for smart plug energy monitoring is the “already bought a Sengled hub” pick. If you’ve built out on their line, staying in the app is easiest.
Where it falls short: Sengled-only. No local mode. Chart resolution is lower than Kasa or Home Assistant.
Pricing:
- Free
Platforms: Android, iOS
Download: Aptoide · Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: The right pick only if you’re already on Sengled hardware.
6. Emporia, best whole-home + plug energy
Emporia Energy is the app for the Vue whole-home energy monitor plus the Emporia smart plugs. Whole-home draw at second-level resolution, per-plug detail for anything on an Emporia plug, and per-circuit detail if you install the Vue with its CT clamps.
Emporia for smart plug energy monitoring is a level up: whole-home context around the plug-level detail. You see the washer starting on the plug and the whole-home draw spike at the same moment.
Where it falls short: The Vue hardware costs more than a smart plug. Circuit clamps mean opening the panel; not everyone will.
Pricing:
- Free app
- Vue hardware is a one-time purchase, plug hardware is per-plug
Platforms: Android, iOS
Download: Aptoide · Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: The right pick if you’re going to instrument the whole panel, not just outlets.
7. Sense, best whole-home learning monitor
Sense puts a monitor at the panel and uses machine learning to identify individual appliances by their power signature. Over weeks it names the fridge, the washer, the microwave, and the AC without you plugging them into anything.
Sense for smart plug (and beyond) energy monitoring is the “let the machine find the loads” pick. Smart plugs still help for devices with unclear signatures.
Where it falls short: Requires a licensed electrician to install at the panel. Machine learning is patient, not fast; expect weeks before every appliance is identified. Discovery can be uneven.
Pricing:
- Free app
- Sense hardware is a one-time purchase
Platforms: Android, iOS
Download: Aptoide · Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: The right pick when the whole home is the question and you’d rather not plug and label everything.
How to pick
If the plugs are TP-Link/Kasa, use Kasa Smart for the simplest path.
If the plugs are generic Amazon Tuya, use Smart Life or move them to Home Assistant with Local Tuya.
If you’re cross-platform (Android + iOS) and want HomeKit, buy Meross hardware and use its app.
If you want the washer-done notification and everything else voice control can do, use Home Assistant with a Zigbee plug. The state-change alert is a five-line automation.
If you want whole-home context with plug detail, use Emporia.
If you want appliance discovery without plugs, use Sense.
FAQ
Do smart plugs actually save money? Directly, no. Indirectly, yes. A smart plug shows you which appliance is drawing more than it should (the old fridge, the always-on desktop PC, the space heater someone forgot). Fixing those saves real money.
How accurate is smart plug energy monitoring? Modern plugs from TP-Link, Meross, Shelly, and Aqara land within a few percent of a Kill-A-Watt meter for steady loads. Momentary spikes and low-power devices (under 5W) are less reliable.
Can I get a notification when the washer is done? Yes. In Home Assistant, create an automation on “power below 5W for 60 seconds.” In Kasa, similar automations exist under Smart Actions but at coarser polling.
Which smart plug app works with Google Home? Kasa, Smart Life (Tuya), Meross, Sengled, Emporia, and Home Assistant all integrate with Google Home. Adding voice control (“Hey Google, turn off the fridge plug”) is a one-tap link in the Home app.
Do I need Wi-Fi plugs or Zigbee/Matter? Wi-Fi plugs are cheaper and easier to set up. Zigbee and Matter plugs are more reliable long-term, don’t clutter Wi-Fi, and integrate better with Home Assistant. Matter is starting to replace both.
Can I monitor a fridge without a smart plug? Only with a whole-home monitor (Sense, Emporia Vue) that identifies loads at the panel. Otherwise a smart plug is the tool.
