Nitrox Buddy vs Buddy
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.
Buddy
This app is a comprehensive companion for divers, offering features to log dives, manage gear, and connect with a community of ocean enthusiasts. It provides tools for both free and premium users to enhance their underwater adventures and discover new diving experiences.
- Dive Log recording and validation
- Buddy network and activity feed
- Gear management
- Offline access to certifications
- Buddy Radar for finding dive buddies
- Discover feed for underwater content
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Dive into adventure with Buddy, the ultimate companion for divers of all levels! Buddy makes diving accessible, exciting, and safe with both free and premium features that transform your underwater experiences. FREE FEATURES Dive Log: Record dives, validate them with instructors, add buddies, businesses, and share your adventure! Buddy Discover Activity: Build a network of divers, by viewing their dive log activity in the homepage diver feed of content. Gear Management: Add your gear to your profile and link it to dive logs. Offline Mode: Access certifications and log basic dive details, even offline. Discover Feed: Explore a live feed of Buddy activity and inspiring underwater content. PREMIUM FEATURES Buddy Radar: Meet dive buddies near you or at trip destinations for only $2.99/month or $29.99/year. Color-Correction Filters (Coming Soon): Enhance your underwater photos with professional-quality filters. COMING IN 2025 Dive Computer Integration (Coming Soon): Sync your dives directly to your Buddy profile. Book activities with verified dive shops worldwide through Buddy. Join the Buddy community and take your diving adventures to the next level!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Nitrox Buddy at 4.9 against Buddy's 4.3. Nitrox Buddy also leads on review sentiment (96% vs 77%) and ratings volume (490 vs 49). Buddy's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 7 months) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 and Buddy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Nitrox Buddy holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nitrox Buddy has 490 ratings behind it against 49, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 96% of Nitrox Buddy's written reviews are positive against 77% of Buddy's.
Nitrox Buddy ships an update every 7 months, Buddy monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Nitrox Buddy | Buddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (490 ratings) — better | 4.3 (49 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 95.8% of reviews — better | 76.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 490 — better | 49 |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 118 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Gereon Steffens | Dive with Buddy, Inc. |
Customer experience
Nitrox Buddy
Buddy
User reviews
Nitrox Buddy
From 490 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
Buddy
From 49 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 🌍 Connects divers globally
- 🗺️ Great for logging dives
- 📸 Ability to add photos/videos
- 🤝 Facilitates meeting new dive buddies
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buddy radar not working
- 📉 Low user count in some areas
- 💸 Social features feel like a money grab
- 🤷♂️ Missing advanced features
- 🔌 No import/export of data
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)
Buddy
Reported bugs
7 issues- Buddy radar not working
- App crashes and becomes unresponsive
- Login issues (email not found)
- Draft dives appearing in public searches
- Deleted drafts still appearing publicly
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- Verification issues for certifications
- App freezes and spins when adding info
Requested features
7 requests- Open to dive status to link people
- Ability to import/export data
- Direct data download from dive computers
- Support for technical diving features (e.g., double tanks, trimix volumes)
- Inclusion of smaller certification organizations (GUE, UTD)
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- Booking features
- More ways to connect with other divers
In-app purchases
Nitrox Buddy
- Tip$0.99
Buddy
- Buddy Radar: Monthly1 Month trial$3.991 Month
- Buddy Radar: Annual1 Month trial$29.991 Year
Questions
Is Nitrox Buddy free?
Is Buddy free?
Which has better reviews, Nitrox Buddy or Buddy?
Do Nitrox Buddy or Buddy have ads?
Which is updated more often, Nitrox Buddy or Buddy?
Other comparisons
