Comparison

Hatchpedia vs WhatFly

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

Head to head
About

Hatchpedia

Identify hatching insects while fishing with this pocket entomologist. Search by description or example, view curated photos, and access detailed information about bug lifecycles and regional hatch times. Plan trips and learn about aquatic insects, even offline.

Highlights
  • Identify hatching insects by description
  • Search by example with graphical tools
  • Curated photos of all lifecycle phases
  • Detailed bug information and taxonomy
  • Offline functionality
  • Location and date-based hatch predictions
  • Trip planning for fishing expeditions
Read full description

How long have you wished you could identify hatching insects while you're still fishing? Now you can! Hatchpedia is Your Pocket Entomologist. Hatchpedia makes precisely identifying hatching insects fast and easy. Our patent-pending search technology lets you describe the bugs that you are seeing using your own words. It's like a pocket-sized aquatic entomologist that speaks your language. BACKCOUNTRY-READY Hatchpedia is completely functional with no cell service or internet, with a grace period of up to 2 weeks past your next subscription renewal date. You will never need to scramble up a hill hoping to find a bar or two of cell service - heck, you won't even have to leave the water no matter where your adventures take you. SEARCH BY EXAMPLE Sometimes words are hard. Use our graphical Search by Example feature to build up search phrases that describe the bug that you see. CURATED PHOTOS OF ALL PHASES Hatchpedia has photos of all of the phases of the bugs' lifecycles that are important to trout. We've pored over thousands of photos and painstakingly selected over 1,000 photos that we have licensed to help you identify the bug you are seeing with the greatest certainty possible. DETAILED INFORMATION Every search result gives you detailed information about the bug including: the common name, how confident we are in the search result and why, the complete taxonomy, the approximate size of the adult, what U.S. geographic regions it is known to hatch in, and the approximate dates that it hatches. In addition, every phase of every bug has a "Learn about this phase" feature that gives you a summary of the bug's lifecycle and details about the specific phase. FROM SIMPLE TO COMPLEX PHRASES Hatchpedia's search engine is custom-built and entomology-specific (patent pending). We support searches in your own words from very simple keywords to complex phrases. A very simple description of a bug might be simply 'upright wing' or 'upright wing 1/2 inch body', while a more complex description might be 'upright yellow mottled wing 12mm light yellow body 2 tails'. Our search feature doesn't require you to enter quotes or any other special characters as it works hard to figure out complex phrase combinations and match them against a huge database of entomological data with over 520 species that trout love to eat. USE CURRENT LOCATION AND/OR DATE Hatchpedia can use your current location and/or date to find bugs that are hatching around you *now*. PLAN TRIPS You can specify a region within the United States as well as a date in order to find bugs that will be hatching whenever and wherever your fishing trip will take you! HATCHPEDIA FREE You can also use Hatchpedia free of charge to learn more about the lifecycles and behaviors of the bugs that trout love to eat. Privacy policy: https://www.hatchpedia.com/privacy Terms and conditions: https://www.hatchpedia.com/terms Join our community! Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hatchpedia Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hatchpedia Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hatchpedia

About

WhatFly

This app uses real-time weather and water data to suggest the best flies for your fishing location. Connect with other anglers and guides to gain local knowledge and make new friends.

Highlights
  • Location-based fly suggestions
  • Real-time weather and water data integration
  • Connect with other anglers
  • Access local fishing knowledge
  • Friend-finding for fishing trips
Features
Read full description

WhatFly is a fly fishing app built to help you catch more fish! Choose any location on the map, and our WhatFly suggestion algorithm takes realtime weather and water data to suggest flies that fish are eating in that area! Also connect with other anglers and guides for a touch of local knowledge and make new friends!

Screenshots

Hatchpedia4 screens
WhatFly3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: WhatFly at none against Hatchpedia's 2. WhatFly also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (100% vs 80%). Hatchpedia's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (67 vs 3). On price, ads and device support 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. Hatchpedia sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month. WhatFly asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

WhatFly holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hatchpedia has 67 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Hatchpedia's written reviews are positive against 100% of WhatFly's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hatchpedia ships an update every 9 days, WhatFly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and September 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Hatchpedia versus WhatFly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHatchpediaWhatFly
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (67 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings67 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size361 MB65 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperJames SpeakerBrendon Jolley

Customer experience

Hatchpedia

All ratings67 ratings
Positive88.1%
Neutral4.5%
Negative7.5%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

WhatFly

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Hatchpedia

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$2.491 Month
  • Annual7 Days trial$26.991 Year
None

WhatFly

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hatchpedia free?
Hatchpedia is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is WhatFly free?
WhatFly is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Hatchpedia or WhatFly?
WhatFly is rated higher. Hatchpedia averages 4.5 out of 5 from 67 ratings, while WhatFly averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Hatchpedia or WhatFly have ads?
Neither Hatchpedia nor WhatFly shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hatchpedia or WhatFly?
Hatchpedia ships an update every 9 days, and WhatFly every 2 months. Most recently, Hatchpedia was updated on September 12, 2026 and WhatFly on September 4, 2026.

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