Aquarium Advice Forums vs Essential Reef
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Aquarium Advice Forums
Connect with a vibrant community of aquarium owners and enthusiasts. Get expert advice, diagnose fish and plant issues, and share reviews of aquarium equipment. Upload photos and stay updated with the latest discussions on the go.
- Access community forums
- Diagnose fish/plant problems
- Read/post equipment reviews
- Upload photos
- Connect with enthusiasts
- Full iPad support
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AquariumAdvice.com is a leading community of Aquarium owners and information. You can get information on just about anything related to aquariums. Help diagnose your fish or plants problems, read and post reviews of aquariums, filters, and more. Our iPhone app allows you to access our forums on the go. Upload photos to let other AquariumAdvice members know what you are up to and stay connected. You can find our site on the web at http://www.aquariumadvice.com Install this FREE app and start sharing your knowledge with other aquarium owners and enthusiasts. We are looking forward to seeing you on the forums from your phone! This universal app also fully supports the iPad!
Essential Reef
Connect with fellow reef aquarium enthusiasts, track your tank's parameters and livestock, and buy or sell corals, fish, and dry goods in a dedicated marketplace. Features include community forums, direct messaging, and detailed tank logging tools.
- Community forums and direct messaging
- Marketplace for corals, fish, and dry goods
- Tank parameter logging and charting
- Livestock tracking and growth recording
- Dosing schedule and logging
- Data export to CSV
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Essential Reef is a community built for serious reef aquarium hobbyists. Whether you're keeping your first nano or running a 500-gallon mixed reef, Essential Reef gives you the tools to track your tank, the market to source what you need, and a community of fellow reefers who actually know what they're talking about. — THE COMMUNITY — - Public and private channels for tank chat, build threads, and Q&A - Direct messages with other members - Reactions, replies, and rich photo posts - Active moderation by reefers, not algorithms — THE MARKETPLACE — - Browse coral, fish, invertebrates, and dry goods from vetted sellers - Auctions with flash-close rules - Sale listings with photos, prices, and shipping details - Buyers and sellers coordinate payment directly — TANK TRACKER — - Log water parameters (alk, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, nitrate, salinity, temp, and more) - View charts of how your tank changes over time - Track every coral, fish, and invertebrate in your livestock list - Record growth, spawning, health events, and more - Schedule and log dosing for additives and supplements - Export your data as CSV anytime — ABOUT US — Essential Reef is built by reefers, in Florida, for the global reef-keeping community. New members join with an invite from an existing member, keeping the community focused and high-quality. — PRIVACY & SAFETY — - We don't sell your data - We don't track you across other apps or websites - You can block any user, report any content, and delete your account at any time By using Essential Reef, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy at essentialreef.com. Questions? support@essentialreef.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Essential Reef at 5.0 against Aquarium Advice Forums's 4.1. Essential Reef also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 months). Aquarium Advice Forums's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.1). On price, ratings volume, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Essential Reef holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12 and 7 respectively.
Aquarium Advice Forums ships an update every 2 months, Essential Reef every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Aquarium Advice Forums | Essential Reef |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (12 ratings) | 5.0 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 80.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 12 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 178 MB | 62 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Social Knowledge, LLC | Essential Reef |
Customer experience
Aquarium Advice Forums
Essential Reef
Bugs and requests
Aquarium Advice Forums
Reported bugs
3 issues- Search not working
- Freezing and crashing
- Permissions issues preventing posting
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to edit profile and settings from app
- Improved search functionality
- In-app photo/media uploads
- Push notifications for new posts
Essential Reef
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Aquarium Advice Forums
No in-app purchases
Essential Reef
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Aquarium Advice Forums free?
Is Essential Reef free?
Which has better reviews, Aquarium Advice Forums or Essential Reef?
Do Aquarium Advice Forums or Essential Reef have ads?
Which is updated more often, Aquarium Advice Forums or Essential Reef?
Other comparisons
