Comparison

Dorsal Shark Reports vs Hoops

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Dorsal Shark Reports

This app provides real-time shark sighting and attack alerts to beachgoers and authorities. It aggregates reports from official channels, the public, aerial surveillance, and media outlets, offering a community-based safety solution for coastal areas.

Highlights
  • Real-time shark alerts
  • Community-based reporting
  • Official and public reports
  • Aerial surveillance data
  • Submit own sightings
  • Location-based notifications
Read full description

Dorsal is the worlds most advanced shark reporting and alerts solution. It is a free community based shark alert solution that allows beachgoers and authorities to immediately alert others to shark sightings or attacks in their area. Currently used by over 250,000 people, the Dorsal solution features reports from official channels, the public, Dorsal aerial surveillance partners and over 100 media outlets. Dorsal is now available in Australia, the USA and Hawaii. Key features: Choose from Australia, USA, Hawaii, Réunion Search your local area to see if there have been any shark sightings in the last 12 hours Search Around You, via Map or List view Submit your own sightings to warn others, including video and image uploading In addition to the free service, there is also a subscription service for $9.99/year that removes the in app ads and allows you to receive automatic push notifications of sightings within your GPS location or favourite locations. The amount will be charged to your iTunes account and may vary by country and you will see the total price before completing payment. To avoid renewal, you must turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before your subscription ends which you can do by turning off auto-renew at any time from your iTunes account settings. Note: Dorsal app can track your location while in the background, so you can continue to use your iPhone for other tasks (Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life). For more information, please do not hesitate to get in contact via info@dorsalwatch.com Terms of Service: https://www.dorsalwatch.com/termcondition Privacy Policy: https://www.dorsalwatch.com/privacy

About

Hoops

Read full description

Hoops connects you with the pickup basketball scene in your city — live, right now. Find courts near you See every court on the map with live player counts. Tap a pin to see who's there and how busy it is. Check in and run Get within 100m of a court and check in to let others know you're ready. Browse scheduled runs or host your own — open to everyone or private for your crew. Skill-based matchmaking Challenge players near your MMR for ranked 1v1s. Win to climb the leaderboard, lose to drop. Work your way from Bronze to Elite. Set your home court Pick the court you play at most. Matchmaking prioritises opponents on your turf.

Screenshots

Dorsal Shark Reports4 screens
Hoops4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hoops at none against Dorsal Shark Reports's 1. Hoops also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 months). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Dorsal Shark Reports sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. Hoops asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dorsal Shark Reports ships an update every 2 months, Hoops every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Dorsal Shark Reports versus Hoops: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDorsal Shark ReportsHoops
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (104 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews73.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings104 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB6 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperBluebottle Digital Pty. Ltd.Finn Shepherd

Bugs and requests

Dorsal Shark Reports

Reported bugs

15 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Cannot see pictures/videos without subscription
  • Facebook login returns server error
  • New user registration doesn't send email codes
  • Unable to reset password
Show 10 more
  • App opens then flashes back to sign-in page
  • Unable to log in
  • Reset password doesn't work
  • Set up new account says account exists
  • Crashed after first update
  • Super buggy after most recent update
  • App crashes after update
  • Scrolls back to top of list after viewing sighting
  • Can't log back in after update
  • No option to reset password

Requested features

10 requests
  • More people to post sightings
  • More reports from QLD
  • Allow users to sponsor/name sharks
  • Show size of sharks detected
  • Immediate update from aerial surveillance
Show 5 more
  • Update for iPhoneX
  • Extreme alarm feature
  • World-wide coverage
  • Better Florida access
  • Dark mode option

Hoops

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Dorsal Shark Reports

Subscriptions1
  • Dorsal Pro (Yearly)$9.991 Year
None

Hoops

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dorsal Shark Reports free?
Dorsal Shark Reports is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hoops free?
Hoops is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Dorsal Shark Reports or Hoops have ads?
Dorsal Shark Reports shows ads; Hoops does not.
Which is updated more often, Dorsal Shark Reports or Hoops?
Dorsal Shark Reports ships an update every 2 months, and Hoops every 2 days. Most recently, Dorsal Shark Reports was updated on October 24, 2026 and Hoops on October 12, 2026.

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