Comparison · Climatools
Climatools or Koldwerk — an honest comparison
An honest comparison — no bashing, no invented downsides. We check the claims below against Climatools's public website (www.climatools.nl). Found a mistake? Email privacy@koldwerk.nl — we correct within 3 business days.
BRL 100, K25000 and STEK are Dutch national certification schemes — full support today is NL-only. See our honest country-coverage disclosure.
Climatools
Dutch 'software + guidance' all-rounder for refrigeration and climate professionals: admin software plus an A-to-Z certification partner.
- Target audience
- Refrigeration and climate companies that want a done-for-you certification track (BRL 100 / K25000 / STEK) alongside software.
- Price indication
- Public monthly plans at a comparable level to Koldwerk — price is not a differentiator here.
Koldwerk
Specialized platform for refrigeration installers in the Netherlands.
- Target audience
- Installers with BRL 100, K25000 or STEK certification, 1-50 installers.
- Price indication
- €49 / €69 / €89 per month (public) — cancel monthly.
Feature comparison
Per feature: why it matters for a refrigeration company, and what Koldwerk vs Climatools offers.
| Feature | Koldwerk | Climatools |
|---|---|---|
BRL 100 / K25000 / STEK audit trail Without an appeal-proof audit trail, any refrigeration installer fails their next Kiwa audit. Essential, not optional. | Present Append-only audit log with hash-chaining + one-click BRL-100 ZIP export for Kiwa/InstallQ. | Present BRL 100 / STEK / BRL 6000-25 reporting present; per-installation logbooks with audit-ready PDF export. |
F-gas balance + GWP calculation EU 517/2014 requires a closed balance per refrigerant type. Excel never hits zero — the auditor will ask why. | Present Live kg + CO₂-eq balance per refrigerant type with GWP table from co2-eq.ts and annual reporting. | Present Automatic ongoing refrigerant balance (purchases, use, emissions, recovery) — a core feature. |
Machine-readable audit evidence (ZIP + SHA-256) An auditor can verify and reuse a hashed, structured package — a PDF has to be trusted. | Present BRL 100 audit package as a ZIP with manifest + SHA-256 hash; separate CSVs for installations, mutations and work orders. | Partial Audit-ready PDF export confirmed; a machine-readable ZIP + SHA-256 manifest is not publicly confirmed. |
Gas combustion + CO certification (BRL 6000-25) Companies who also do gas/hybrid work want those inspections in the same system. | Partial Installation records support gas + hybrid and CO personal certificates; CO certification is offered as a guidance track. A full Gas Appliances Act inspection flow in the UI is in development. | Present Gas and hybrid logbooks + CO certification are a fully worked-out part of the offering. |
LMRA for VCA installers Last Minute Risk Analysis is mandatory for VCA-certified companies. | Present Mobile LMRA flow with GPS, photo evidence, CRITICAL block, and installer + supervisor sign-off. | Unknown Not explicitly found in the public offering. |
Transparency + no lock-in Your data and your progress should belong to you — not held behind a cancellation wall or a mandatory consultancy track. | Present Public roadmap + release notes, and your full admin data always machine-readable and exportable. | Partial Strong guidance, but the A-to-Z approach couples software and consultancy — less 'grab your data and go'. |
Track record / installed base A longer history gives a sense of security when choosing. | Partial Koldwerk is a new product — we're upfront that we don't have a years-long installed base yet. Our proof is in software quality, not marketing numbers. | Present Longer track record and a larger existing customer base. |
Honest price + cancel monthly No annual-contract lock-in. Our price is public (from €49/month) instead of 'request a quote'. | Present €49/€69/€89 public on /en/prijzen. Cancel monthly. | Present Public monthly prices at a comparable level, also cancel monthly — price is not a differentiator. |
When Climatools is the better choice
- You want a partner who runs the certification track for you (intake → action plan → audit guidance), not just software.
- You do a lot of gas-combustion and hybrid installation work with CO certification (BRL 6000-25 / K25000) and want that flow ready-made.
- A longer track record and larger installed base matter more to you than the newest approach.
When Koldwerk is the better choice
- You want audit evidence a machine can read and verify: a BRL-100 ZIP with a SHA-256 manifest + STEK CSV, not just a PDF.
- You want LMRA (Last Minute Risk Analysis) for your VCA installers in the same system — not as a separate tool.
- You value radical transparency: a public roadmap, an open changelog, your data always exportable — no lock-in behind a consultancy track.
- You want a modern, mobile-first system with offline mode and direct integrations (Exact, Debitan, Chamber of Commerce, Mollie).
Still not sure?
Send us your situation — we'll tell you honestly which tool we'd pick ourselves. No sales pitch, no empty demo.
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