# Reef Buddy vs AquariumNotes

The clearest difference is ads: Reef Buddy at none against AquariumNotes's shown. AquariumNotes's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Reef Buddy sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and AquariumNotes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Reef Buddy ships an update every 2 weeks, AquariumNotes monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Reef Buddy | AquariumNotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (19 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reef-buddy-reef-tank-tracker/id1593580822/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **19** | — |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 44 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [maxime marinel](https://appshunter.io/developer/595076846) | [Yusuke Morimoto](https://appshunter.io/developer/1702989537) |

## What reviewers say

### Reef Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reef-buddy-reef-tank-tracker/id1593580822)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reef Buddy Pro Weekly | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Reef Buddy Pro | $1.99 | per month |
| Reef buddy pro month | $3.99 | per month |
| Reef buddy pro annual | $44.99 | per year |


### AquariumNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aquariumnotes/id6480376453)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PremiumMember/1Month | $2.99 | per month |
| PremiumMember/6Month | $9.99 | per 6 months |
| PremiumMember/1Year | $19.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Reef Buddy free?

Reef Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is AquariumNotes free?

AquariumNotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Reef Buddy or AquariumNotes have ads?

AquariumNotes shows ads; Reef Buddy does not.

### Which is updated more often, Reef Buddy or AquariumNotes?

Reef Buddy ships an update every 2 weeks, and AquariumNotes monthly. Most recently, Reef Buddy was updated on September 20, 2026 and AquariumNotes on September 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*