Bowhunter Specials vs Trophium
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bowhunter Specials
Access digital archives of leading bowhunting magazines, including back issues and special guides on crossbows, saddle hunting, and new gear. Enhance your hunting knowledge and gear selection with comprehensive resources.
- Digital back issues of Bowhunter magazine
- Petersen's Bowhunting back issues archive
- New Gear Guide with over 200 items
- Crossbow Revolution special editions
- Comprehensive saddle hunting guide
- Archery Trade Show gear spotlights
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From the publisher of Bowhunter – The #1 Bowhunting Magazine – comes Bowhunter Specials, now including back issues of longtime rival in the Outdoor Sportsman Group media stable, Petersen’s Bowhunting. Following the brand’s merge into Bowhunter across all media platforms in the winter of ’23, we’re thrilled to offer Petersen’s Bowhunting Back Issues to fans of the magazine, with digital copies archived all the way back to 2012! You’ll also find copies of the New Gear Guide, which spotlights the best new gear introduced at this year’s Archery Trade Show, two editions of the popular Crossbow Revolution, covering the latest gear and hunting how-to for those choosing to hunt with horizontal bows, and lastly, the only comprehensive sourcebook for all things saddle hunting. Crossbow Revolution: Crossbow hunting's popularity continues to grow by leaps and bounds, and every edition of Crossbow Revolution is jam-packed with dynamic features and informative articles to help you up your crossbow-hunting game. Whether you're a crossbow-hunting newbie, or a veteran horizontal bowhunter, Crossbow Revolution is a must-read! Saddle Hunter: The first source book entirely dedicated to all aspects of mobile hunting, this magazine focuses on hunting’s fastest growing community and the tactics and gear making elevated pursuits possible. Whether you’re a novice or longtime saddle hunter, you’ll be sure to learn something new that will improve your hunting experiences and make you more successful in the saddle. Give this issue a read, and you’ll not only walk away with a more thorough understanding of saddle-use and best practices but you’ll pick up on keys to locating and setting up on game, what saddle-hunting tactics and techniques to employ and when, how to make the most of every day afield and, of course, you’ll surely add to your list of the right saddle-hunting gear for the seasons ahead. Bowhunter New Gear Guide: Bowhunters are always looking forward to the next great hunt and the next big season, and the 2024 New Gear Guide has you covered, no matter your archery-hunting passions or equipment needs. Within the guide, you'll find more than 200 'must-have' items including:New Bows and Crossbows, Arrows and Broadheads, Archery AccessoriesTrail, Cams and Optics, Saddles, Stands and Blinds, Boots and Apparel, Targets, Tools & More!
Trophium
Document your hunting and fishing achievements with photos, videos, and detailed logs. Share your successes with a dedicated community or keep them private. Get AI-powered advice and discover local guides.
- Log trophies with photos, video, location, weather, gear, and story
- Filter and search trophy history
- Share with private or public digital camps
- AI-powered hunting and fishing advice
- Directory of guides and outfitters
- Permanent digital record of achievements
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Trophium is the hunting and fishing app built to document every trophy and share your best moments with the people who get it. Your camera roll loses photos. Social media hides your content. Trophium gives every trophy a permanent home with the full story attached. Log every trophy with photos, video, location, weather, gear, and the story behind the shot. Filter and search your trophy history. Build a digital record of a lifetime in the field. Share with your Camp, a digital deer camp of hunters and anglers who actually care about what you shot, where you were, and what you were running. Make it private or public. Use Trophium Intel for AI-powered hunting and fishing advice tailored to your area and your target species. Find guides and outfitters through our directory. Built by outdoorsmen. Your content, your control. Download free and start building your digital trophy room today. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://app.trophium.co/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Trophium at 88% against Bowhunter Specials's 22%. Trophium also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 months) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). Bowhunter Specials's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, 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. Bowhunter Specials sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Trophium sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Trophium holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 65 and 39 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of Bowhunter Specials's written reviews are positive against 88% of Trophium's.
Bowhunter Specials ships an update every 6 months, Trophium every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bowhunter Specials | Trophium |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (65 ratings) | 4.7 (39 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 22.2% of reviews | 87.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 65 — better | 39 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 78 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | KSE Sportsman Media, Inc | Trophium.co |
Customer experience
Bowhunter Specials
Trophium
In-app purchases
Bowhunter Specials
- February/March 2013$4.99
- April / May 2013$4.99
- August 2013$4.99
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- September 2013$4.99
- October 2013$4.99
- Petersen's Bowhunting Nov/Dec 2013$4.99
- Petersen's Bowhunting March 2014 New Gear Guide$4.99
- Petersen's Bowhunting September 2014$4.99
- Petersen's Bowhunting October 2014$4.99
- March 2016$5.99
Trophium
- Trophium Premium Monthly$4.991 Month
- Trophium Premium Yearly$49.991 Year
Questions
Is Bowhunter Specials free?
Is Trophium free?
Which has better reviews, Bowhunter Specials or Trophium?
Do Bowhunter Specials or Trophium have ads?
Which is updated more often, Bowhunter Specials or Trophium?
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