ReefDoser vs Reef Buddy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ReefDoser
This app helps tropical marine aquarium owners calculate precise dosages for essential elements like Calcium, Magnesium, and Alkalinity. It features an extensive database of over 70 products to ensure optimal water parameters for your reef tank.
- Element dosage calculation
- Calcium, Magnesium, Alkalinity tracking
- Potassium, Iodine, Strontium, Boron, Silicate
- Product database (70+ items)
- Tropical marine aquarium focus
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Reef Calculator for tropical marine aquariums, to help calculate the correct dosages of specific elements needed to maintain recommended levels. Current elements are Calcium, Magnesium, Alkalinity, Potassium, Iodine, Strontium, Boron & Silicate. Choose products from over 70 items in our updated database
Reef Buddy
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.
- 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
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Reef Buddy – Track Your Reef Tank With Confidence Reef Buddy is the reef tracker and water test log built for saltwater tank and saltwater aquarium keepers. Log water tests, monitor parameter trends, and understand what is changing in your reef before small swings become real problems. Track Every Essential Reef Parameter Record KH, salinity, pH, Ca, Mg, NO₂, NO₃, PO₄, SiO₂, temperature, and more. Keep a clear aquarium log with visual trends for the values reef keepers watch most. Smart Insights for Saltwater Aquariums Get automated insights from your measurements so you can react earlier, keep your reef tank stable, and make better maintenance decisions. Sync Across Devices All your data is safely stored and automatically synced across your iPhone and iPad. Manual Test Help Enter results from your favorite test kits faster with guided steps designed for reef routines, regular water tests, and day-to-day reef journaling. Unlock Premium with Shrimpy Shrimpy, your reef assistant, unlocks powerful features: • Expert analysis of your tank data • Personalized advice • Photo analysis of your aquarium • Start and continue conversations with Shrimpy for personalized reefing tips Why Reef Keepers Choose Reef Buddy • Built for reef tanks and saltwater aquariums • Clean tracking without unnecessary clutter • Compatible with major test kits, including Red Sea, Salifert, Hanna, and more Subscription Info Shrimpy Premium is available as a monthly or yearly subscription. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage your subscription anytime in your Apple account settings. Terms & Privacy Policy: https://reef-buddy.app
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Reef Buddy at 3.9 against ReefDoser's 1.0. Reef Buddy also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (20 vs 1). ReefDoser's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, 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
Both are free to download. Reef Buddy sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. ReefDoser asks for nothing beyond the download.
Reef Buddy holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Reef Buddy has 20 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 54% and 55% positive.
ReefDoser ships an update every 3 months, Reef Buddy every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ReefDoser | Reef Buddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.0 (1 ratings) | 3.9 (20 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 54.2% of reviews | 54.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 20 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 23 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Pixelwand Ltd | District Web |
Customer experience
ReefDoser
Reef Buddy
In-app purchases
ReefDoser
No in-app purchases
Reef Buddy
- Reef Buddy Pro Weekly$0.997 Days
- Reef Buddy Pro3 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Reef buddy pro month$3.991 Month
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- Reef buddy pro annual3 Days trial$44.991 Year
