Comparison

Nitrox Buddy vs Scuba Diving Hand Signals

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Scuba Diving Hand Signals

Master underwater communication with a comprehensive guide to over 240 scuba diving hand signals. Learn common, emergency, and wildlife signals with illustrations and animal facts. Track your progress and test your knowledge with an integrated quiz.

Highlights
  • 240+ hand signals illustrated
  • Signals grouped into 8 categories
  • Underwater wildlife facts
  • Learning progress tracking
  • Integrated quiz
  • Social media sharing
Features
Read full description

Proficiency in underwater communication is not only a vital part of scuba diving training, it also makes diving a much more enjoyable and safer experience. Scuba Diving Hand Signals intends to support beginning recreational scuba divers in learning underwater communication via hand signals. More than 240 commonly used gestures are illustrated and grouped into eight categories: ▻ Common signals ▻ Problem and emergency signals ▻ Training signals ▻ Number signals ▻ Air pressure signals ▻ Underwater wildlife signals ▻ Emotion and miscellaneous signals Underwater wildlife signals are supplemented with images of each indicated animal and useful information about its features, distribution, and human interactions. Last but not least, the app includes a quiz and tracks your learning progress which can be posted on Twitter or Facebook.

Screenshots

Nitrox Buddy4 screens
Scuba Diving Hand Signals4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Nitrox Buddy at 96% against Scuba Diving Hand Signals's 50%. Nitrox Buddy also leads on price (Free vs $2.99) and rating (4.9 vs 4.0). Scuba Diving Hand Signals's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 7 months). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Nitrox Buddy is free to download; Scuba Diving Hand Signals costs $2.99 up front. Nitrox Buddy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Scuba Diving Hand Signals asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Nitrox Buddy holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nitrox Buddy has 490 ratings behind it against 5, 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 50% of Scuba Diving Hand Signals's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nitrox Buddy ships an update every 7 months, Scuba Diving Hand Signals every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Nitrox Buddy versus Scuba Diving Hand Signals: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNitrox BuddyScuba Diving Hand Signals
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating4.9 (490 ratings) — better4.0 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews95.8% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings490 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB62 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGereon SteffensLars Behnke

Customer experience

Nitrox Buddy

All ratings489 ratings
Positive97.3%
Neutral1.8%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews48 reviews
Positive95.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.2%

Scuba Diving Hand Signals

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral40.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral16.7%
Negative33.3%

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 Diving Hand Signals

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Nitrox Buddy

One-time1
  • Tip$0.99
None

Scuba Diving Hand Signals

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Nitrox Buddy free?
Nitrox Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Scuba Diving Hand Signals free?
Scuba Diving Hand Signals costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Nitrox Buddy or Scuba Diving Hand Signals?
Nitrox Buddy is rated higher. Nitrox Buddy averages 4.9 out of 5 from 490 ratings, while Scuba Diving Hand Signals averages 4.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Nitrox Buddy or Scuba Diving Hand Signals have ads?
Neither Nitrox Buddy nor Scuba Diving Hand Signals shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nitrox Buddy or Scuba Diving Hand Signals?
Nitrox Buddy ships an update every 7 months, and Scuba Diving Hand Signals every 5 weeks. Most recently, Nitrox Buddy was updated on October 24, 2026 and Scuba Diving Hand Signals on October 26, 2026.

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