Comparison

aquaPlanner vs Reef Buddy

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

Head to head
About

aquaPlanner

Manage your aquarium with ease. Schedule maintenance, log water tests, and track inhabitants and equipment. Never forget a task with helpful notifications and calculators.

Highlights
  • Maintenance scheduling with notifications
  • Water test logging
  • Inhabitant and equipment logs
  • Calculators
  • Data export to CSV
  • Multiple aquarium support
Features
Read full description

aquaPlanner is the number 1 aquarium manager in the App Store. Maintenance and scheduling becomes easy with notifications, water test logging, calculators, inhabitant and equipment log. Over 10,000 downloads and 100's of ratings. Ditch the notepad and let your iDevice be your aquarium manager. Check out the video at http://www.alliatek.com/mobile/aquaplanner/index.html aquaPlanner Pro has unlimited aquariums, notifications, notes, water analysis logging, graphing, inhabitants, and equipment. Multiple Aquariums Task Alert System Inhabitant Log, with user created Custom List Equipment Log Graphs Syncing and Backup Export data as a CSV and open as spreadsheet Calculators Share via Facebook, Twitter, and Email User History per Aquarium No yearly or monthly subscriptions Lets face it we love our aquarium but sometimes we are either lazy or don't remember when to do some simple maintenance. Looking for an easy way to keep track of your aquarium? One that will let you know when you are neglecting your prized possessions? aquaPlanner will allow you to adjust the parameters and time intervals for your aquarium and will let you know when its time to change the water, filter, carbon, chemi-pure, purigen, change your fluorescent bulbs, CFL's, T5's, HQI's, top off the water, check your chemistry, trim your chaeto, clean your skimmer, add calcium, add trace elements, add medication, and add other supplements. You can also log the water parameters for temperature, salinity, ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, pH, alkalinity, calcium, phosphates, magnesium, copper, iodine, oxygen, silicate, strontium, and potassium. It's perfect for the advanced and the beginner alike. It's complicated to keep track of so many tasks, aquaPlanner will do the hard work for you and let you know when its time to pamper your tank. Check out the video at http://www.alliatek.com/mobile/aquaplanner/index.html

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

aquaPlanner4 screens
Reef Buddy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Reef Buddy at Free against aquaPlanner's $2.99. Reef Buddy also leads on rating (3.9 vs 3.3). aquaPlanner's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (60 vs 20). On review sentiment, update cadence, 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

Reef Buddy is free to download; aquaPlanner costs $2.99 up front. Reef Buddy sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. aquaPlanner asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Reef Buddy holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 60 and 20 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of aquaPlanner's written reviews are positive against 55% of Reef Buddy's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

aquaPlanner ships an update every 3 weeks, Reef Buddy fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
aquaPlanner versus Reef Buddy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteraquaPlannerReef Buddy
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating3.3 (60 ratings)3.9 (20 ratings) — better
Positive reviews51.3% of reviews54.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings60 — better20
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS12.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size101 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJose Weeksmaxime marinel

Customer experience

aquaPlanner

All ratings60 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral15.0%
Negative35.0%
Written reviews468 reviews
Positive51.3%
Neutral14.7%
Negative34.0%

Reef Buddy

All ratings20 ratings
Positive70.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive54.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative45.5%

Bugs and requests

aquaPlanner

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes when trying to add or update test results
  • Water parameter graphs not displaying correctly
  • Alerts not working as expected or disappearing
  • Issues with data syncing and information being lost
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to upload and view tank photos
  • Expand water parameter tracking and graphing capabilities
  • Improve syncing and backup options across devices
  • Allow more customization of alerts and maintenance schedules
  • Expand database of aquatic species and equipment

Reef Buddy

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

aquaPlanner

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Reef Buddy

Subscriptions4
  • Reef Buddy Pro Weekly$0.997 Days
  • Reef Buddy Pro3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Reef buddy pro month$3.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • Reef buddy pro annual3 Days trial$44.991 Year

Questions

Is aquaPlanner free?
aquaPlanner costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Reef Buddy free?
Reef Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, aquaPlanner or Reef Buddy?
Reef Buddy is rated higher. aquaPlanner averages 3.3 out of 5 from 60 ratings, while Reef Buddy averages 3.9 from 20 ratings.
Do aquaPlanner or Reef Buddy have ads?
Neither aquaPlanner nor Reef Buddy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, aquaPlanner or Reef Buddy?
aquaPlanner ships an update every 3 weeks, and Reef Buddy fortnightly. Most recently, aquaPlanner was updated on November 6, 2026 and Reef Buddy on November 3, 2026.

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