This article compares the bladed rotors for hydro energy conversion systems.
| Type | Moment of force | output/size of device | Fabrication requirements | Difficulty of production | Durability | Difficulty of repair | Production cost | Hazard to fish ? |
| Devices for continous flow (rivers, ...) | ||||||||
| Hydraulic wheels | ||||||||
| Undershot water wheel (general) | ? | ? (20% efficient or less)[1][2] | ? | ?? | ? | ? | ? | no (AC) |
| Undershot water wheel (Sabegien) | ? | ? (?% efficient)[3][4] | ? | ?? | ? | ? | ? | no (AC) |
| Undershot water wheel (Poncelet) | ? | ? (?% efficient)[5][6] | ? | ?? | ? | ? | ? | no (AC) |
| Undershot water wheel (Zuppinger) | ? | ? (?% efficient)[7][8] | ? | ?? | ? | ? | ? | no (AC) |
| Breastshot water wheel (general) | ? | ? (35-45% efficient) | ? | ?? | ? | ? | ? | yes (UP) |
| Overshot water wheel (general) | ? | ? ( 55-70% efficient) | ? | ?? | ? | ? | ? | yes (UP) |
| Overshot water wheel (Pitchback) | ? | ? (55-65?% efficient) | ? | ?? | ? | ? | ? | yes (UP) |
| Devices for tides and tidal streams | ||||||||
| Francis turbine | ? | ? | ? | ?? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Kaplan turbine | ? | ? | ? | ?? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Propeller turbine | ? | ? | ? | ?? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Bulb turbine | ? | ? | ? | ?? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Tube turbine | ? | ? | ? | ?? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Straflo turbine | ? | ? | ? | ?? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Tyson turbine | ? | ? | ? | ?? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Archimedean screw turbine | ? | ? | ? | ?? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Pelton turbine | ? | ? | ? | ?? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Turgo turbine | ? | ? | ? | ?? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Michell-Banki turbine | ? | ? | ? | ?? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
Note: AC means in all circumstances UP means unless precautions are taken (eg creation of a tail race and lockoff from fish of this tail race by a grating)