Comparison

Mares App vs DiveBuddy

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Mares App

Transform your Apple Watch Ultra into a dive computer, recording dives directly on your wrist. Log scuba, freediving, and technical dives, manage dive sites, and track underwater wildlife sightings. Share your adventures with dive buddies and keep your equipment details organized.

Highlights
  • Apple Watch Ultra dive computer integration
  • Digital dive logbook
  • Dive site database and management
  • Underwater wildlife tracking
  • Dive buddy sharing
  • Dive equipment management
  • Firmware updates
Features
Read full description

APPLE WATCH ULTRA DIVE COMPUTER Transform your Ultra into a dive computer. Record dives directly on your wrist and sync automatically to the Mares App. (In-app purchase required.) DIGITAL LOGBOOK: Log your Scuba, Freediving, Extended Range and Rebreather (SCR/CCR) dives in seconds via Bluetooth. Easily share your dives via QR code. Add new dives with your device’s GPS and download your dives from selected dive computers (1*). DIVE SITES: With the help of the Mares dive site database, you can immediately assign a dive site to your logged dives. You can also add your own private dive sites and share them with your dive buddies using a QR code. You can download your dive data directly from selected Mares dive computers . WILDLIFE: A variety of local wildlife is already stored in the app for individual dive sites. This means you can immediately assign the highlights of your underwater encounters to your logged dives. Your sightings are displayed on your personal world map. DIVE BUDDIES: Easily add your dive buddies via QR code or manually in the app. Share your best dives and most exciting animal encounters with friends using the Mares app. STATISTICS: All your dives and data can be seen at a glance, including your longest or deepest dive, your average dive time and more! DIGITAL EQUIPMENT: Store important dive equipment details, including serial numbers, photos and invoices. Enter maintenance dates and keep track of when your equipment needs to be serviced. NEWS AND VIDEOS: Stay up-to-date with all the latest news and videos from the world of water sports and diving. FIRMWARE: When you connect your dive computer to the app, you will be able to confirm if you have the latest firmware. As soon as it is outdated, you will receive a message regarding the newest firmware to download. TABLES: Here you will find useful information such as decompression tables and emergency scenarios. 1* Currently available for MARES Sirius, Sirius L, Sirius Hunter, Horizon, Genius, Quad CI, Quad 2, Quad Air, Quad, Puck 4, Puck Pro EZ, Puck lite, Puck Pro, Puck Pro Plus, Puck Air 2, Smart, Smart Apnea, Smart Air Terms of Use (EULA) Mares App for Apple Watch Ultra: https://my.divessi.com/published/viewhls/awu_terms_v1/2

About

DiveBuddy

Connect with fellow scuba divers, find dive buddies, and discover new dive sites. This app offers essential scuba calculators, a digital dive log, and a platform to store certifications and share underwater photos. Engage in community forums and discussions to enhance your diving experience.

Highlights
  • Find dive buddies
  • Scuba calculators
  • Digital dive log
  • Community dive sites
  • Store certifications
  • Share underwater photos
  • Scuba forums
Features
Read full description

Core features of the Dive Buddy app: - Find dive buddies near you or near a dive destination. - Scuba calculators - Weight, SAC, MOD, EAD, and more. - Maintain your dive log, with option to import, export, and attach photos. - Search our community-maintained dive sites with ratings & comments. - Store digital copies of your scuba certifications or C-cards. - View and share underwater photos with other scuba divers. - Participate in scuba-related forum discussions and ask questions. - Send private messages and comment on community content. Apple Family Sharing: Share a single DiveBuddy Pro subscription with up to five family members. Dive Buddy is the essential social community for scuba divers only, trusted by tens of thousands of members globally since 1998. As a fully independent platform, we are not affiliated with any specific certification agency, we proudly welcome and support divers from all training backgrounds. The platform is built to handle the real-world needs of the scuba community. Whether you are planning your next local shore dive, a weekend boat trip, or a dream destination adventure, DiveBuddy helps you connect with other divers, discover new places to explore, and keep your diving life organized in one easy-to-use app. Learn more at www.divebuddy.com.

Screenshots

Mares App4 screens
DiveBuddy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: DiveBuddy at 100% against Mares App's 47%. DiveBuddy also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and update cadence (daily vs every 3 weeks). Mares App's advantage is ratings volume (183 vs 3). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Mares App sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and DiveBuddy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DiveBuddy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mares App has 183 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of Mares App's written reviews are positive against 100% of DiveBuddy's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mares App ships an update every 3 weeks, DiveBuddy daily. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Mares App versus DiveBuddy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMares AppDiveBuddy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (183 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews47.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings183 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size247 MB82 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperHead Watersports S.p.A.Dive Buddy LLC

Customer experience

Mares App

All ratings183 ratings
Positive89.6%
Neutral4.9%
Negative5.5%
Written reviews99 reviews
Positive47.5%
Neutral12.1%
Negative40.4%

DiveBuddy

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Mares App

Subscriptions8
  • Snorkel Only$2.991 Month
  • Full Featured Month (Housing Only)3 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Full Featured Month (Ultra Only)3 Days trial$6.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • MARES Fully Featured Monthly3 Days trial$8.991 Month
  • Full Featured Yearly (Housing Only)3 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Full Featured Yearly (Ultra Only)3 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • MARES Fully Featured Yearly3 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • MARES Fully Featured Yearly Family3 Days trial$119.991 Year
2 purchases

DiveBuddy

Subscriptions2
  • DiveBuddy Pro - Monthly$2.991 Month
  • DiveBuddy Pro - Annually$24.991 Year

Questions

Is Mares App free?
Mares App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DiveBuddy free?
DiveBuddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mares App or DiveBuddy?
DiveBuddy is rated higher. Mares App averages 4.5 out of 5 from 183 ratings, while DiveBuddy averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Mares App or DiveBuddy have ads?
Neither Mares App nor DiveBuddy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mares App or DiveBuddy?
Mares App ships an update every 3 weeks, and DiveBuddy daily. Most recently, Mares App was updated on September 30, 2026 and DiveBuddy on September 21, 2026.

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