Nitrox Buddy vs Dive Shearwater
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.
Dive Shearwater
This app serves as a digital dive log, allowing divers to meticulously record their underwater adventures. It features interactive maps to track explored locations and integrates with specific hardware to automatically capture dive site coordinates. Designed for simplicity and reliability, it helps divers organize records and plan future dives.
- Interactive dive maps
- Automatic dive site coordinate capture
- Streamlined user experience
- Dive history tracking
- Gear setup refinement
- Dive planning tools
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The world is your dive log. Built for simplicity and reliability, Dive Shearwater gives you the tools you need now and the foundation for even more powerful features in the future. More than just another dive log - With an improved user flow and streamlined experience, Dive Shearwater feels intuitive and easy to use. Keep your records organized and focus on the details that matter most to every diver. Track your adventures - Use the interactive dive maps to build your own personal guide of the places you’ve explored. Automatically capture dive site coordinates with the new Swift GPS transmitter on any air integrated Shearwater computer. Whether you're marking new dive sites, refining your gear setup, or simply keeping your dive history pristine, Dive Shearwater delivers a seamless, intuitive experience tailored for divers of all skill levels who value precision and adventure. Together, Shearwater dive computers and the Dive Shearwater app form a complete ecosystem—delivering precision in the water and clarity on land. Dive Shearwater builds on our core principles of being powerful, simple and reliable, while giving you the dive tools you need to track, reflect, and plan your next adventure with confidence.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Nitrox Buddy at 96% against Dive Shearwater's 8%. Nitrox Buddy also leads on rating (4.9 vs 1.5) and ratings volume (468 vs 45). Dive Shearwater's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (monthly vs every 7 months). On price, 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. Nitrox Buddy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Dive Shearwater asks for nothing beyond the download.
Nitrox Buddy holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 1.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nitrox Buddy has 468 ratings behind it against 45, 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 8% of Dive Shearwater's.
Nitrox Buddy ships an update every 7 months, Dive Shearwater monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Nitrox Buddy | Dive Shearwater |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (468 ratings) — better | 1.5 (45 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 95.7% of reviews — better | 8.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 468 — better | 45 |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 103 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Gereon Steffens | Shearwater Research |
Customer experience
Nitrox Buddy
Dive Shearwater
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)
Dive Shearwater
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Nitrox Buddy
- Tip$0.99
Dive Shearwater
No in-app purchases
