Optimised Mining vs SharkSmart WA
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Optimised Mining
Prepare for mining legislation exams in Queensland and Western Australia with specialized courses. Access comprehensive study materials designed for exam success.
- Mining legislation courses
- QLD exam preparation
- WA exam preparation
- Legislation study materials
Read full descriptionHide full description
Mining legislation prep courses QLD and WA.
SharkSmart WA
Access Western Australia's official shark activity information and beach safety features. Get real-time alerts, view shark monitoring locations, and report sightings to help plan your beach trips safely.
- Shark activity alerts and warnings
- Map of shark monitoring receivers
- Patrolled beach locations
- Weather forecasts
- Report shark sightings
- Customizable location notifications
Read full descriptionHide full description
SharkSmart WA is Western Australia’s official source of shark activity information. It also includes beach safety features such as Surf Life Saving WA patrolled beaches and weather forecast, to help you plan your trip to the beach. The app will help you switch on your Sea Sense by providing near real-time information of shark activity including current alerts and warnings. Select your favourite coastal locations and use notifications to receive relevant updates as they happen. SharkSmart WA Features: Map Filter and display shark activity and beach safety features including the locations of shark monitoring receivers, beach enclosures, and Beach Emergency Numbers (BEN) signage. Explore and save your favourite coastal locations to stay up to date of recent shark activity. Updates Stay informed of shark activity, including current alerts and warnings. Information is prioritised into ‘Nearby’, ‘Your Favourites’ and ‘Other Locations’, giving you the most relevant information first. Report Using location services, the app can provide you with information about your current coastal location. Use the details provided and the quick call link to report shark sightings or whale carcasses (which are known to attract sharks) to Water Police as soon as possible. Information within the SharkSmart WA app is designed to help you make an informed decision about your water use and take personal responsibility for your safety. You can also follow our Sea Sense tips at https://www.sharksmart.com.au/staying-safe/ and discover more about our shark mitigation strategies by visiting https://www.sharksmart.com.au/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Optimised Mining at 100% against SharkSmart WA's 67%. Optimised Mining also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 4 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). SharkSmart WA's advantage is ratings volume (109 vs 1). 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.
Optimised Mining holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SharkSmart WA has 109 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Optimised Mining's written reviews are positive against 67% of SharkSmart WA's.
Optimised Mining ships an update every 5 days, SharkSmart WA every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Optimised Mining | SharkSmart WA |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 4.7 (109 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 67.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 109 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 106 MB | 41 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Optimised Mining | Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development |
Customer experience
Optimised Mining
SharkSmart WA
User reviews
Optimised Mining
From 1 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Excellent exam preparation
- 👍 Great support from team
- 👍 User-friendly app interface
- 👍 Helps build confidence
- 👍 Makes learning legislation easier
Room to improve
- 💡 Black background option requested
SharkSmart WA
From 109 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Provides awareness and information
- 👍 Awesome and improving app
- 👍 Makes users feel safer
- 👍 Useful for spear fishing and diving
- 👍 Keeps users updated and safe
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frustrating long-term sightings
- 🐛 Updates in random date order
- 🐛 Cannot select town on iPhone
- 🐛 Alerts not listed in date order
- 🐛 More info required on tagged sharks
Bugs and requests
Optimised Mining
Requested features
1 request- Black background option
SharkSmart WA
Reported bugs
6 issues- Cannot select a town or tap on map on iPhone
- App crashes when opening
- App hasn't updated in over a week
- Notifications delayed for incidents
- App doesn't update
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Map/location directions are incorrect
Requested features
10 requests- Add shark ID, tagging date, and size
- Include approximate age, weight, type, size, tagging location/date, and last scanned location/frequency for tagged sharks
- Expand coverage to all of Australia
- Show length and gender of tagged sharks
- Provide more information on tagged sharks (when, where, size when tagged)
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Share alerts via text message or website link
- Include information on WA government approved shark deterrent devices and rebates
- Allow sorting of sightings by date
- Add shark number to alerts
- Improve map/location directions
In-app purchases
Optimised Mining
No in-app purchases
SharkSmart WA
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Optimised Mining free?
Is SharkSmart WA free?
Which has better reviews, Optimised Mining or SharkSmart WA?
Do Optimised Mining or SharkSmart WA have ads?
Which is updated more often, Optimised Mining or SharkSmart WA?
Other comparisons
