Dive Plan vs Subsurface
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Dive Plan
This app serves as a digital decompression table and logbook for divers. It helps calculate non-stop dive times and log dives, compatible with major diving organizations' tables. It supports both air and enriched air (nitrox) tanks.
- Digital decompression tables
- Dive logbook
- Compatibility with major diving organizations
- Supports air and nitrox tanks
- Practice for dive certification exams
- General dive planning guide
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Dive Plan is a dive planning and logbook app for recreational scuba divers. Plan single and repetitive no-decompression dives, work out Nitrox mixes, keep a complete logbook, and check the weather and water temperature at your dive site — all from your iPhone or iPad. PLAN YOUR DIVES • Plan first dives and repetitive dive chains using standard recreational no-decompression tables — pressure groups, no-decompression limits, and surface intervals • Repetitive dives carry each dive's pressure group into the next, with the surface interval pre-filled from real elapsed time • Clear safety-stop guidance (required or recommended) for every dive • The planner won't produce a dive that exceeds no-decompression limits — it tells you instead • Metric or imperial, switchable anytime NITROX / ENRICHED AIR • Set your oxygen fraction (FO2) and partial pressure limit (PPO2) • See maximum operating depth (MOD) and equivalent air depth (EAD) for each dive DIVE LOGBOOK • Record depth, bottom time, date and time, location, tank pressures, air/surface/bottom temperature, gas mix, and notes • Automatic, continuous dive numbering • Review your history on the dashboard: total dives, total bottom time, deepest and longest dives, plus today's dives and your last ten AT-A-GLANCE DASHBOARD • No-Fly countdown based on the DAN Flying After Diving guidelines — 12 hours after a single dive, 18 hours after multiple dives or consecutive days • Readiness: whether your next dive plans as a fresh first dive or a repetitive one, with a live surface-interval timer since your last logged dive • Current weather and sea-surface temperature for your location WEATHER & WATER CONDITIONS • Local forecast — current conditions, highs and lows, wind, and precipitation, powered by Apple Weather • Map view with search and dropped pins to check conditions anywhere • Sea-surface temperature from NOAA satellite data CERTIFICATIONS & CHECKLISTS • Keep your certification cards, with front and back photos, on your device • Build pre-dive and gear checklists and run them before every dive PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Your dives, logs, and photos stay on your device and in your own iCloud • No third-party analytics, no advertising, no tracking DESIGNED FOR IPHONE & IPAD • Universal app, all orientations • Light, dark, and system appearance, with optional background themes DIVE PLAN BASIC & PRO Dive Plan is free to use: one dive plan per day, a 20-entry logbook, one certification card, one checklist, and full weather access — free, forever. Upgrade to Pro for: • Unlimited dive planning • Repetitive dive planning with surface intervals • Nitrox / Enriched Air planning • Unlimited logbook entries, certification cards, and checklists • Premium background themes Pro is available as a monthly or annual subscription, or a one-time Lifetime purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the period; manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Payment is charged to your Apple Account on confirmation. IMPORTANT Dive Plan is a planning aid, not a substitute for proper training, a certified instructor, or a dive computer. Always dive within the limits of your training and certification, verify every plan against your own dive tables and dive computer, and never rely on a single tool. Calculated results are estimates. You are responsible for your own safety in the water. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Subsurface
This application allows divers to manage their dive logs on their mobile devices. It supports editing dive data and downloading new information from compatible dive computers. Optional cloud synchronization is available for seamless data transfer with desktop versions.
- Mobile dive log management
- Edit dive data
- Download from Bluetooth LE dive computers
- Optional cloud synchronization
- Open-source and free
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Subsurface-mobile is an iOS dive log application based on Subsurface, the best free open source dive log application available on Windows, Mac and Linux. Subsurface-mobile allows you to access your dive log on your tablet or phone, edit the data and even download new dive information from many Bluetooth LE enabled dive computers. Using a free Subsurface Cloud Storage account you can synchronize your dive data with the Subsurface desktop application (while significantly increasing the usefulness, the cloud account is not required to use Subsurface-mobile). To get support from the developers, please use the in-app menu entry "Ask for support" Please check out the Subsurface-mobile user manual: https://subsurface-divelog.org/documentation/subsurface-mobile-v3-user-manual (also available from within the app) Subsurface-mobile is free and open source. No ads, no commercial anything. And it comes with free cloud storage (if you decide to use that - it's optional). Your data aren't used for anything, nothing gets monetized.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Subsurface at 4.5 against Dive Plan's 1.8. Subsurface also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and review sentiment (63% vs 38%). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Dive Plan sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Subsurface asks for nothing beyond the download.
Subsurface holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Subsurface has 48 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of Dive Plan's written reviews are positive against 63% of Subsurface's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Dive Plan | Subsurface |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.8 (8 ratings) | 4.5 (48 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 37.9% of reviews | 63.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 8 | 48 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | AXIS Productions | Dirk Hohndel |
Customer experience
Dive Plan
Subsurface
In-app purchases
Dive Plan
- Dive Plan Pro - Monthly$2.991 Month
- Dive Plan Pro - Annual$17.991 Year
- Nitrox EANX Mode$2.99
- Dive Plan Pro Lifetime$69.99
Subsurface
No in-app purchases








