Subsurface vs Below
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Subsurface
This application allows divers to manage their dive logs on their mobile devices. It supports editing dive data and downloading new information from compatible dive computers. Optional cloud synchronization is available for seamless data transfer with desktop versions.
- Mobile dive log management
- Edit dive data
- Download from Bluetooth LE dive computers
- Optional cloud synchronization
- Open-source and free
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Subsurface-mobile is an iOS dive log application based on Subsurface, the best free open source dive log application available on Windows, Mac and Linux. Subsurface-mobile allows you to access your dive log on your tablet or phone, edit the data and even download new dive information from many Bluetooth LE enabled dive computers. Using a free Subsurface Cloud Storage account you can synchronize your dive data with the Subsurface desktop application (while significantly increasing the usefulness, the cloud account is not required to use Subsurface-mobile). To get support from the developers, please use the in-app menu entry "Ask for support" Please check out the Subsurface-mobile user manual: https://subsurface-divelog.org/documentation/subsurface-mobile-v3-user-manual (also available from within the app) Subsurface-mobile is free and open source. No ads, no commercial anything. And it comes with free cloud storage (if you decide to use that - it's optional). Your data aren't used for anything, nothing gets monetized.
Below
Log your scuba dives with detailed metrics, sync from over 100 dive computers, and explore a vast catalog of dive sites and marine life. This app keeps your dive history on your device and offers an offline-first experience.
- Detailed dive logging
- Bluetooth dive computer sync
- 10,000+ curated dive sites
- Marine life catalog
- Offline-first operation
- Dive site collections
- Gear management
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10,000+ curated dive sites, universal Bluetooth dive logging, and a growing marine-life catalog. Your dive log stays on your device. YOUR DIVE LOG Log every dive with full detail: depth, duration, temperature, gas mixes, SAC rate, visibility, conditions, photos, and notes. Import directly from your dive computer, or enter manually. On iOS 26 you can scan paper logbooks with the camera and import years of past dives in one pass. WORKS WITH 100+ COMPUTERS Bluetooth sync with Shearwater, Suunto, Oceanic, Mares, Aqualung, Scubapro, and 100+ other models via libdivecomputer. Garmin FIT files and Apple Watch dives are supported too. Migrating from MacDive or Subsurface? Below imports your history. BELOW PASSPORT Your diving, in one place: the countries you've dived in, your dive count and the year you started, your deepest dive and total bottom time. Photograph your certification cards front and back and keep them with you. DIVE SITES Browse and search 10,000+ curated dive sites worldwide — from the Great Barrier Reef to your local quarry. Each site has a written brief, depth range, currents, typical visibility, and the species you're likely to encounter. Available in 15 locales before you get in the water. SPECIES HUB A growing catalog of marine life — fish, sharks, rays, turtles, and 431 corals — with illustrations and identification tips. Tap a species in a site brief to jump straight to its profile. Keep field notes on what you've spotted and what you're still chasing. FISH ID GAME (free) A free study game for learning reef fish names and families. Flash-card and comparison rounds in three difficulties, with regional curricula. No paywall, no session limit, no account. YOUR GEAR Build kits from the gear you dive, store serial numbers, and let Below match equipment to the dives it made. Record purchase dates and service intervals for every piece. OFFLINE-FIRST Your dive log lives on your device. No internet required to review dives, stats, or cached site data. Sync between your own devices with iCloud, or leave it off. YOUR DATA UDDF, CSV, PDF, and Subsurface XML export — free. No account required. No lock-in. COLLECTIONS Group sites for upcoming trips. Save favorites, add notes, stay organized. BELOW UNLIMITED · US$19.99/year (or local price) Unlock the full depth profile chart for every dive — depth over time, gas switches, NDL, ceiling data, SAC rate, and deco analysis. Plus the full analytics deck: SAC Rate, SAC by Depth, SAC by Experience, Dives per Year, Dive Duration, Cumulative Bottom Time, Dive Lens, Conditions, Countries & Places, Marine Life, and Records & Milestones — each readable as records, spread, or trends, and scopeable to any year. Offline map downloads, unlimited gear and kits, and service history are included. Terms of Use: https://below.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://below.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Below at 5.0 against Subsurface's 4.5. Below also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 63%) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). Subsurface's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (48 vs 4). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Below sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $19.99 per year. Subsurface asks for nothing beyond the download.
Below holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Subsurface has 48 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Subsurface's written reviews are positive against 100% of Below's.
Subsurface ships an update every 2 months, Below weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Subsurface | Below |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (48 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 63.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 48 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17 — better | 18.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 52 MB | 164 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dirk Hohndel | Rustpoint, LLC |
Customer experience
Subsurface
Below
In-app purchases
Subsurface
No in-app purchases
Below
- Below Unlimited$19.991 Year








