Minn Kota Fishing vs BuoyPilot
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Minn Kota Fishing
Integrate your boat's electronics into a single control center. Manage navigation, trolling motors, and shallow water anchors from your smartphone. Access detailed maps and update device software seamlessly.
- Integrated boat electronics dashboard
- Digital remote control for trolling motors and anchors
- Waypoint management and transfer
- Customizable lake and coastal maps
- Software updates for boat devices
- Access to product manuals and tutorials
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PLAN YOUR TRIP. MANAGE YOUR SYSTEM. GET MORE FROM YOUR TIME ON THE WATER The Minn Kota® Fishing App is the mobile extension of your integrated Minn Kota system. Use Minn Kota Maps to plan your fishing trip, manage waypoints, control compatible products, keep your equipment up to date, and access support - all from one app. EXPLORE AND PLAN WITH MINN KOTA MAPS Plan before you launch and understand the water before you make your first cast. Minn Kota® Maps help you see depth, contours, structure, and other map detail so you can identify potential fishing areas and navigate with confidence. Explore detailed freshwater and coastal mapping, including trusted LakeMaster® data across supported freshwater coverage. Set waypoints and customize your map view, with available map detail and features varying by coverage and subscription. Advanced mapping offers features such as up-to-1-foot contours, enhanced aerial imagery, and shaded relief where available. MANAGE YOUR WAYPOINTS Create, customize, and manage waypoints right from your phone. Plan your next fishing trip, organize the places that matter, and transfer supported waypoint data between the Minn Kota® Fishing App and compatible fish finders. ACCESS YOUR INTEGRATED MINN KOTA SYSTEM The Minn Kota® Fishing App helps bring your integrated Minn Kota® system together in one mobile experience. Access supported controls for compatible Minn Kota® trolling motors and shallow water anchors. Adjust trolling motor speed and steering, access supported GPS navigation modes including Spot-Lock®, Advanced AutoPilot®, and Drift Mode, and deploy, retract, and adjust compatible Raptor® or Talon® shallow water anchors. You can also view compatible devices integrated across your Minn Kota® system from the app. CAPTURE AND SHARE FISH FINDER CONTENT Save and transfer supported screenshots from compatible fish finders to your phone, making it easier to save and share what you discover on the water. Supported fish finders may also allow transfer of screen recordings. KEEP YOUR EQUIPMENT UP TO DATE Download available software updates for supported Minn Kota® and integrated products through the app to help keep compatible equipment current and ready for your next trip. GET HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT Access product manuals, tutorial videos, FAQs, and other support resources from one place. Need more help? Request a callback directly through the app to connect with Minn Kota Technical Service.
BuoyPilot
This app helps boaters identify and report lake hazards like stumps and shallow areas to improve water safety. It also provides fishing insights, weather information, and lake conditions. An optional subscription unlocks offline maps and advanced features.
- Discover and report lake hazards
- Check lake conditions and weather
- Access fishing insights and forecasts
- View offline lake maps (Pro)
- Contribute to community safety map
- Plan day trips with helpful tools
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BuoyPilot helps boaters discover lake hazards, report obstructions, check lake conditions, view fishing insights, and contribute to a growing community-powered lake safety map. Boating conditions can change fast. Stumps, rocks, shallow areas, debris, and other hazards may appear or become harder to see as water levels change. BuoyPilot gives lake users a simple way to mark hazards, view nearby reports, and improve awareness for everyone on the water. Plan your time on the lake with helpful tools for weather radar, lake levels, bathymetry on supported lakes, marinas, fuel reports, day planning, and Fishing Intelligence. Fishing Intelligence can show known fish at supported lakes, current fishing outlooks, recommended approaches, lure and bait ideas, water clarity, fishing factors, and forecast windows. Free features include weather radar, bathymetry on supported lakes, basic forecasts, 3 AI fish IDs per month, and up to 25 saved catches. Optional BuoyPilot Pro features include up to 10 offline lakes, fishing zones on supported lakes, detailed weather and Day Planner, 50 AI fish IDs per month, and unlimited catch entries. BuoyPilot is community based and still growing. Always use caution, follow local regulations, and verify official boating, fishing, weather, and water-level information before making decisions on the water. BuoyPilot Pro Subscription BuoyPilot Pro is an optional auto-renewing subscription that unlocks Pro features including up to 10 offline lakes, fishing zones on supported lakes, detailed weather and Day Planner, 50 AI fish IDs per month, and unlimited catch entries. Pro Monthly: $4.99 per month Pro Annual: $39.99 per year Payment will be charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current billing period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://buoypilot.com/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
Minn Kota Fishing and BuoyPilot both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of BuoyPilot's written reviews are positive against 18% of Minn Kota Fishing's. BuoyPilot also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). Minn Kota Fishing's advantage is chart position (#54 vs unranked). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Minn Kota Fishing sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $24.99 per year and BuoyPilot sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Minn Kota Fishing against 5.0 for BuoyPilot. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 18% of Minn Kota Fishing's written reviews are positive against 100% of BuoyPilot's.
Minn Kota Fishing ships an update every 6 weeks, BuoyPilot fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Minn Kota Fishing | BuoyPilot |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 18.1% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | #54 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 116 MB | 129 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Johnson Outdoors Inc. | Elk Ridge Systems LLC |
Customer experience
Minn Kota Fishing
BuoyPilot
In-app purchases
Minn Kota Fishing
- Fishing Maps of USA and Canada1 Month trial$24.991 Year
BuoyPilot
- BuoyPilot Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
- BuoyPilot Pro Annual$39.991 Year








