Nitrox Buddy vs Garmin Dive™
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Nitrox Buddy
This application serves as a straightforward calculator for nitrox and enriched air divers. It quickly computes essential dive data such as Maximum Operating Depth (MOD), Equivalent Air Depth (EAD), Best Mix, and Partial Pressure of Oxygen (PPO2). It supports both imperial and metric units and offers a companion watch app for on-the-go calculations.
- Calculate MOD, EAD, Best Mix, PPO2
- Imperial and metric unit support
- Sea and fresh water options
- Selectable max oxygen content
- Selectable max partial pressure
- Companion watch app
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Nitrox Buddy is a no-frills calculator app for nitrox/enriched air divers - use it to quickly calculate the most important data for your dive: Maximum Operating Depth/MOD, Equivalent Air Depth/EAD, Best Mix and PPO2. The app works with imperial or metric measurements, sea or fresh water, and allows you to select the maximum oxygen content and partial pressure. A companion watch app puts lets you perform all these calculations on your wrist.
Garmin Dive™
This app serves as a comprehensive diving logbook and planning tool. It automatically records dive data, tracks gas consumption, and supports various diving disciplines. Users can also discover dive sites, manage gear, and share experiences with a community.
- Automatic dive logging
- Gas consumption tracking
- Support for multiple dive types
- Interactive dive site maps
- Gear and service tracking
- Real-time diver monitoring
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Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced diver, Garmin Dive is the ultimate diving companion. Once you pair your phone with a Descent™ dive computer or another compatible Garmin device¹, you can enjoy powerful features like: • Automatic dive logging and gas consumption tracking • Support for recreational and technical scuba diving, including single-gas, multi-gas and closed-circuit rebreather diving • Support for freediving, including apnea, apnea hunt and pool apnea • Interactive maps and dive site search • Viewing and sharing ratings and photos of your dive sites with the community • Tracking dive gear, service intervals and diver certifications • Monitoring other divers in real time with an added Garmin Descent S1 buoy However you enjoy diving, you can plan, log and review your dives with the Garmin Dive app. ¹See a full list of compatible devices at garmin.com/dive Note: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. Privacy Policy: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/privacy/dive/
Screenshots
Verdict
Nitrox Buddy and Garmin Dive™ both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 96% of Nitrox Buddy's written reviews are positive against 50% of Garmin Dive™'s. Garmin Dive™'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 7 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Nitrox Buddy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Garmin Dive™ asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Nitrox Buddy against 4.8 for Garmin Dive™. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 489 and 852 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 96% of Nitrox Buddy's written reviews are positive against 50% of Garmin Dive™'s.
Nitrox Buddy ships an update every 7 months, Garmin Dive™ every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Nitrox Buddy | Garmin Dive™ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (489 ratings) — better | 4.8 (852 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 95.7% of reviews — better | 49.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 489 | 852 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 505 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Gereon Steffens | Garmin |
Customer experience
Nitrox Buddy
Garmin Dive™
User reviews
Nitrox Buddy
From 489 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Quick calculations
- ✅ Accurate results
- 💡 Free to use
- 🎯 Essential for Nitrox divers
Room to improve
- 📱 Ugly iPad icon
- ⚠️ MOD calculation limited to 40% O2 in older versions
- ⚠️ MOD calculation limited to 50% O2 in older versions
- ⚠️ Needs to work with older iOS versions
Garmin Dive™
From 852 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Automatic dive logging
- 👍 Versatile for different sports
- 💡 Integrated with Garmin ecosystem
- 🚀 Ease of use
- 👍 Detailed dive information
Room to improve
- 🐛 Sync issues with dive computer
- 🐛 Buggy and crashes
- 🔒 Requires internet connection
- 🐛 Cannot recover deleted dives
- 🐛 Dive numbers not automatically updated
Bugs and requests
Nitrox Buddy
Reported bugs
4 issues- iPad icon is ugly
- MOD limit of 50% O2 despite 100% O2 setting (resolved)
- MOD limit of 40% O2 (older version)
- Does not work with older iOS versions
Requested features
4 requests- Add MOD 1.5 option
- Allow MOD calculation up to 100% O2 and indicate max exposure duration
- Change color for inappropriate mixes (e.g., 50% at 40m)
- Support older iOS versions (5 & 6)
Garmin Dive™
Reported bugs
6 issues- Cannot save dive logs
- Dive sites not found in the app
- Randomly missing dive logs
- Photos not displayed chronologically
- Sync issues with Mk2i device
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Inability to delete dives and have numbers update automatically
Requested features
6 requests- Dive planner in the app
- Export dive data to other apps
- Ability to combine short dives
- Import dive logs from other software
- More detailed statistics and analytics
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Offline mode for dive logging
In-app purchases
Nitrox Buddy
- Tip$0.99
Garmin Dive™
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Nitrox Buddy free?
Is Garmin Dive™ free?
Which has better reviews, Nitrox Buddy or Garmin Dive™?
Do Nitrox Buddy or Garmin Dive™ have ads?
Which is updated more often, Nitrox Buddy or Garmin Dive™?
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