WhatsApp and Messenger try to cover every kind of conversation. Ladefuchs does the opposite and handles a single question: which charging card is cheapest for the electric car you are plugging in right now. It is a free Android app, version 4.0.5, listed here as an unmodified APK for Android 9 and newer.
One swipe at the charger, German market only
The defining fact about Ladefuchs is how little it asks of you. At a charging point, a single swipe brings up the cheapest charging card for that spot. The developers describe the scope in plain terms: nothing more, nothing less.
The app is aimed at the German EV charging market and is currently in German only. The project site is ladefuchs.app.
A session, and the two permissions behind it
A typical use is short. You stand at a charger, open the app, swipe, and read which card gives the lowest price. The app talks to its own API server, and that server pulls its price data from chargeprice.app. Before it makes a request, it checks whether the phone has an internet connection.
That explains the two permissions in the listing: INTERNET, for reaching the API server, and ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE, for the connectivity check. The listing names no others. The reliance on an outside service is flagged as an anti-feature called Non-Free Network Services, so the prices are only as current as that chain of servers.
The app shows ads. It is free, and the makers mention that food donations for the little Ladefuchs mascot are welcome.
Ladefuchs next to WhatsApp, Google Photos and the rest of the list
The alternatives listed here are WhatsApp, Facebook, Messenger, Google Photos, X and Aegis Authenticator. None of them compares charging prices, so this is a contrast in scope rather than a like-for-like match. Those are broad services built around accounts and feeds, while Ladefuchs does one thing: it shows the cheapest charging card at the charging point, aimed at the German EV charging market and in German only.
The closest overlap is with Aegis Authenticator, which is also open source. Ladefuchs is licensed under Apache-2.0 and its React Native code is on Codeberg. The package ID is app.ladefuchs.android and the file weighs 108.8 MB, which is large for an app this narrow. The latest update is dated October 22, 2026, and the app first came out on October 8, 2023.
Ladefuchs pros and cons
Pros
- Shows the cheapest charging card after one swipe at the charger
- Free to install, with source code under Apache-2.0 on Codeberg
- Requests only two permissions: INTERNET and ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE
- Runs on Android 9 and newer
Cons
- German market and German language only
- Contains ads
- Prices depend on its own API server and on chargeprice.app, flagged as Non-Free Network Services
- At 108.8 MB, the download is heavy for a single-purpose tool
Is Ladefuchs safe?
The file is unmodified, and you can check it against its SHA-256 checksum: 2f0a8b7dbc2a48e3521f0d7f0b34fe55210c2c98a4a3358ef067b01fc09d8a99. The code is open under Apache-2.0. The app asks only for network access, to reach its own API server and to check whether a connection exists. That server in turn pulls data from chargeprice.app, which the app's description flags as a non-free network service. The developer is shown as unknown, and the app contains ads.
How to install Ladefuchs
- Download the APK with the button on this page and wait for it to finish.
- Compare the file with the SHA-256 checksum shown here if you want to confirm it arrived intact.
- Open the file on your phone and allow installs from this source when Android asks.
- Finish the install, then open Ladefuchs from your app drawer.
