Nitrox Buddy vs Scuba Dive Signals
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.
Scuba Dive Signals
Access a comprehensive list of underwater hand signals for safe scuba diving communication. Includes a quiz feature to test your knowledge of signals recognized by major training agencies.
- List of recognized dive hand signals
- Signals from PADI, NAUI, SSI
- Quiz feature to test knowledge
- Safety communication focus
- Creative Commons licensed images
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Access a handy list of dive signals to safely communicate underwater while scuba diving. This contains a list of hand signals generally recognized by the Recreational Scuba Training Council and its member agencies (PADI, NAUI, SSI, and more). Once you've studied up, you can quiz yourself on what you've learned-- the app will show a series of five dive signal descriptions and give you a choice of four different pictures-- only one will match, so choose wisely! As always, safety is paramount when scuba diving, so be sure you are your diving partners are clear on their meanings before diving. The author of this app does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or injury, including death, caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. The information in this app is meant to supplement, not replace, proper scuba diving training. Scuba diving poses some inherent risk. Never dive without proper training and certification! The images used in this app are used via the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike licenses, and are credited as follows: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en): Original author: Thomei08 Dive hand signal-cold.plain.svg Dive hand signal-look.plain.svg Dive hand signal-tink.plain.svg Dive hand signal-ear.plain.svg Original author: Peter Southwood Dive hand signal OK 1.png Dive hand signal OK 2.png Dive hand signal OK surface 1.png Dive hand signal OK surface 2.png Dive hand signal Stop.png Dive hand signal Turn Around.png Dive hand signal Which Way.png Dive hand signal Boat.png Dive hand signal Buddy up.png Dive hand signal Hold on to each other.png Dive hand signal Lead and follow.png Dive hand signal Level out.png Dive hand signal Slow down.png Dive hand signal Give me air.png Dive hand signal Emergency Out of air.png Dive hand signal Help surface 1.png Dive hand signal Dont know 1.png Dive hand signal Danger there.png Dive hand signal Pressure.png Dive hand signal Bubbles.png Dive hand signal Cut.png Dive hand signal Safety stop.png Dive hand signal Entangled.png Dive hand signal Silt.png Dive hand signal Cramps.png Dive hand signal Reserve.png Dive hand signal Time up.png Dive hand signal Fetch surface 1.png Dive hand signal Turn dive.png Dive hand signal Stuck.png Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en): Original author: Peter Southwood Dive hand signal Ascend to stop.png The licensors do not in any way endorse the author of this app or usage.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Scuba Dive Signals at none against Nitrox Buddy's 1. Scuba Dive Signals also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). Nitrox Buddy's advantage is ratings volume (468 vs 3) and update cadence (every 7 months vs every 42 months). On price, rating, review sentiment 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. Scuba Dive Signals asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Nitrox Buddy against 5.0 for Scuba Dive Signals. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nitrox Buddy has 468 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 96% of Nitrox Buddy's written reviews are positive against 100% of Scuba Dive Signals's.
Nitrox Buddy ships an update every 7 months, Scuba Dive Signals every 42 months. Both last shipped on September 21, 2026.
| Parameter | Nitrox Buddy | Scuba Dive Signals |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (468 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 95.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 468 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months — better | Every 42 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Gereon Steffens | Eric Hamiter |
Customer experience
Nitrox Buddy
Scuba Dive Signals
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)
Scuba Dive Signals
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Nitrox Buddy
- Tip$0.99
Scuba Dive Signals
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Nitrox Buddy free?
Is Scuba Dive Signals free?
Which has better reviews, Nitrox Buddy or Scuba Dive Signals?
Do Nitrox Buddy or Scuba Dive Signals have ads?
Which is updated more often, Nitrox Buddy or Scuba Dive Signals?
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