# Aquarium Advice Forums vs Essential Reef

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Aquarium Advice Forums | Essential Reef |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aquarium-advice-forums/id410649700/reviews) | **[5.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essential-reef/id6765518560/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **12** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 80.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 178 MB | 62 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Social Knowledge, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/404713196) | [Essential Reef](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895977098) |

## What reviewers say

### Aquarium Advice Forums

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aquarium-advice-forums/id410649700)

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.

**Highlights:** Access community forums, Diagnose fish/plant problems, Read/post equipment reviews, Upload photos, Connect with enthusiasts, Full iPad support

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Helpful community
- 🤝 Friendly and knowledgeable users
- 💡 Great resource for aquarium enthusiasts
- 🚀 Convenient mobile access to forums

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔒 Permissions and login problems
- 🙅‍♀️ Rude or unhelpful users
- 📁 Limited profile and account management

**Reported bugs**

- Search not working
- Freezing and crashing
- Permissions issues preventing posting

**Requested features**

- Ability to edit profile and settings from app
- Improved search functionality
- In-app photo/media uploads
- Push notifications for new posts


### Essential Reef

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essential-reef/id6765518560)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Aquarium Advice Forums free?

Aquarium Advice Forums is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Essential Reef free?

Essential Reef is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Aquarium Advice Forums or Essential Reef?

Essential Reef is rated higher. Aquarium Advice Forums averages 4.1 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Essential Reef averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.

### Do Aquarium Advice Forums or Essential Reef have ads?

Neither Aquarium Advice Forums nor Essential Reef shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Aquarium Advice Forums or Essential Reef?

Aquarium Advice Forums ships an update every 2 months, and Essential Reef every 2 days. Most recently, Aquarium Advice Forums was updated on October 23, 2026 and Essential Reef on October 28, 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.*