HYDROS App vs Reef Buddy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HYDROS App
Easily monitor and control your aquarium's vital parameters like temperature, pH, and salinity. Manage all your connected devices, including ATOs, lights, and pumps, with a user-friendly interface. Quick setup with preset configurations means no coding is required to get your system running.
- Monitor temperature, ORP, pH, salinity
- Control ATO, lights, heaters, pumps
- User-friendly interface
- Quick setup with presets
- Manage multiple devices and aquariums
- Set schedules and create modes
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Use the CoralVue HYDROS App to control and monitor HYDROS aquarium devices from your smartphone or tablet. The user-friendly interface allows you to easily monitor your aquarium's temperature, ORP, pH, alkalinity levels, salinity, and more. With just one tap, you can control your ATO, lights, heaters, pumps, skimmer, calcium reactor, RO/DI units, etc. Setup is quick and easy! With 18+ different preset configurations and growing, it will take only minutes to get all of your equipment set up and running, with no coding required. SUPPORTED DEVICES: -HYDROS Control X2, X4, XS, XD, X3, X4, XP8, X10 -HYDROS Kraken -HYDROS Minnow -HYDROS Launch -HYDROS WaveEngine, WaveEngine LT -IceCap Gyre Dual Pump WiFi Controller DISCOVER MORE: -Intuitive interface features multiple view options such as tile, text, or graph -Adjust your view settings to light mode, dark mode, or auto, which will automatically adjust to your mobile device's settings -Ability to manage multiple HYDROS devices and aquariums from one single-screen -Monitor and control WiFi outlets -Set schedules and create modes -Archive controller settings STAY CONNECTED We welcome you to join our HYDROS community at forum.coralvuehydros.com where you can ask questions, learn more about your HYDROS devices, and connect with other aquatic hobbyists like yourself.
Reef Buddy
Easily log, monitor, and analyze your saltwater aquarium's critical parameters. Get smart insights and personalized advice to maintain a healthy reef tank. Syncs across devices and offers guidance for manual test results.
- Log critical aquarium parameters
- Monitor KH, salinity, pH, Ca, Mg, and more
- Analyze data with automated insights
- Sync data across iPhone and iPad
- Guidance for manual test kit results
- Personalized advice with premium subscription
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Reef Buddy – Track Your Reef Tank With Confidence Reef Buddy is the reef tracker and water test log built for saltwater tank and saltwater aquarium keepers. Log water tests, monitor parameter trends, and understand what is changing in your reef before small swings become real problems. Track Every Essential Reef Parameter Record KH, salinity, pH, Ca, Mg, NO₂, NO₃, PO₄, SiO₂, temperature, and more. Keep a clear aquarium log with visual trends for the values reef keepers watch most. Smart Insights for Saltwater Aquariums Get automated insights from your measurements so you can react earlier, keep your reef tank stable, and make better maintenance decisions. Sync Across Devices All your data is safely stored and automatically synced across your iPhone and iPad. Manual Test Help Enter results from your favorite test kits faster with guided steps designed for reef routines, regular water tests, and day-to-day reef journaling. Unlock Premium with Shrimpy Shrimpy, your reef assistant, unlocks powerful features: • Expert analysis of your tank data • Personalized advice • Photo analysis of your aquarium • Start and continue conversations with Shrimpy for personalized reefing tips Why Reef Keepers Choose Reef Buddy • Built for reef tanks and saltwater aquariums • Clean tracking without unnecessary clutter • Compatible with major test kits, including Red Sea, Salifert, Hanna, and more Subscription Info Shrimpy Premium is available as a monthly or yearly subscription. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage your subscription anytime in your Apple account settings. Terms & Privacy Policy: https://reef-buddy.app
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Reef Buddy at 3.9 against HYDROS App's 3.4. Reef Buddy also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). HYDROS App's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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. Reef Buddy sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. HYDROS App asks for nothing beyond the download.
Reef Buddy holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 25 and 20 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 62% of HYDROS App's written reviews are positive against 55% of Reef Buddy's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
HYDROS App ships an update every 3 months, Reef Buddy fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HYDROS App | Reef Buddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.4 (25 ratings) | 3.9 (20 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 62.3% of reviews — better | 54.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 25 — better | 20 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 70 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Coralvue | maxime marinel |
Customer experience
HYDROS App
Reef Buddy
In-app purchases
HYDROS App
No in-app purchases
Reef Buddy
- Reef Buddy Pro Weekly$0.997 Days
- Reef Buddy Pro3 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Reef buddy pro month$3.991 Month
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- Reef buddy pro annual3 Days trial$44.991 Year









