Subsurface vs Divemates
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.
Divemates
Log your scuba dives, track marine life sightings, and discover dive sites worldwide. Connect with dive buddies and access your dive history, even offline. Your complete dive life in one app.
- Offline dive logging
- Marine life catalog
- Dive site discovery
- Buddy connection
- Dive history import
- Digital dive card
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Your whole dive life, in one place. Log every dive. Collect the marine life you spot. Discover 10,000+ dive sites; the conditions, the creatures, and the crew who know them. Never dive alone. Divemates is the all-in-one app for divers: a beautiful logbook, a collectible marine-life catalog, a map of the world's dive sites and shops, and the buddies you'll dive them with. — LOG EVERY DIVE — A gorgeous logbook that takes seconds to fill. • Depth profile, bottom time, and max depth • Conditions: visibility, temperature, current, surge • Gear, gas mix, weights, and suit • Buddies, photos, and notes from the dive • Watch it all add up in your Dive Passport: dives, bottom time, max depth, countries — BRING YOUR WHOLE HISTORY — Already have hundreds of dives? Start with all of them. • Import your logbook from a dive computer export or another dive app • UDDF, DL7, FIT, CSV, JSON, XML, and logbook database files • Every dive arrives as a draft you review before it joins your logbook • Sites matched and duplicates caught, so nothing is logged twice • Connect your Suunto account and new dives sync in on their own • Apple Watch Ultra dives sync straight in through Apple Health — COLLECT THE OCEAN — Spot a creature, log it, and grow your catalog. • A living catalog built on real marine science • Rarity tiers, chase the ones most divers never see • Depth, danger, behavior, and the story of every species • Your sightings, mapped over time — DISCOVER WHERE TO DIVE — 10,000+ dive sites at your fingertips. • Ratings, typical depth, and live conditions • The species divers actually report seeing there • Shore or boat, beginner or advanced • Save sites and plan your next trip — SHOPS & GUIDES — Find the crew that runs your next dive. • Discover dive shops, instructors, and guides • Sort by rating, location, and the sites they know best • Find the pros who fit your next trip — DIVE WITH YOUR MATES — The best part of diving is who you meet. • Add the friends and buddies you dive with • Follow them and see their latest dives • Stay in the loop on what your crew is logging and spotting • Your dive mates, always with you — ALWAYS WITH YOU, EVEN OFFLINE — Diving happens where there's no signal. Divemates is built for it. • Log every dive fully offline; it all syncs when you're back • Keep every certification and your dive insurance in your Diver Vault • Carry a digital dive card with your certs and cover on it, ready for any shop to scan • Add it to Apple Wallet so it is one tap away and always up to date • Jump right in with Home Screen widgets, Siri, and Spotlight Every dive, remembered. Every creature, collected. Every site, discovered. Download Divemates, and never dive alone.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Divemates at 5.0 against Subsurface's 4.5. Divemates also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 63%) and update cadence (daily vs every 2 months). Subsurface's advantage is ratings volume (48 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Divemates 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 2, 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 Divemates's.
Subsurface ships an update every 2 months, Divemates daily. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Subsurface | Divemates |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (48 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 63.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 48 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 52 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dirk Hohndel | Divemates LLC |
Customer experience
Subsurface
Divemates
In-app purchases
Subsurface
No in-app purchases
Divemates
No in-app purchases








