# Fishing Mobile vs ActiveCaptain®

The clearest difference is ratings volume: ActiveCaptain® at 5.2K against Fishing Mobile's 15. ActiveCaptain® also leads on chart position (#56 vs unranked). Fishing Mobile's advantage is review sentiment (71% vs 59%) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Fishing Mobile sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year and ActiveCaptain® sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $74.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.1 for Fishing Mobile against 4.0 for ActiveCaptain®. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ActiveCaptain® has 5.2K ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of Fishing Mobile's written reviews are positive against 59% of ActiveCaptain®'s.

Fishing Mobile ships an update every 5 weeks, ActiveCaptain® every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Fishing Mobile | ActiveCaptain® |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fishing-mobile-forecast-and-log/id626567332/reviews)** | [4.0 (5.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/activecaptain/id1116089313/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 15 | **5.2K** |
| Positive reviews | **71.4% of reviews** | 59.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#56** |
| Size | 243 MB | 197 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 18.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bloch](https://appshunter.io/developer/1880986205) | [Garmin](https://appshunter.io/developer/411046952) |

## What reviewers say

### Fishing Mobile

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fishing-mobile-forecast-and-log/id626567332)

Log your fishing trips with detailed records of catches, including location, weather, and species. Access advanced tools like tidal charts, weather reports, mapping, and route tracking. Share your logs and access a wealth of fishing articles.

**Highlights:** Customizable fish log with date, GPS, and weather, 1140+ saltwater and freshwater species, Detailed riggings, lures, and bait customization, Solunar and tidal charts, Advanced weather reporting with radar, Mapping and route tracking, Social media sharing

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Garmin Nautical Charts - Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Premium Annual Subscription | $49.99 | per year |
| Premium + Garmin Depth Charts | $69.99 | per year |


### ActiveCaptain®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/activecaptain/id1116089313)

**Currently charting:** #56 Top Grossing · Navigation, #169 Top Free · Navigation (US App Store)

This app connects your mobile device to compatible Garmin chartplotters, enabling wireless chart and map transfers, software updates, and route planning. It also provides access to a community of boaters for reviews and information on marinas and points of interest.

**Highlights:** Wireless chart and map transfer, Route and waypoint planning, ActiveCaptain Community for POI reviews, Chartplotter control via Helm feature, Easy software updates, OnDeck system monitoring, Garmin Quickdraw Community map sharing

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| NSUS006R-U.S. South | $74.99 | per year |
| NSUS001L-U.S. & Canada | $99.99 | per year |
| g4 Vision U.S. South | $129.99 | per year |
| g4 Vision U.S. East | $129.99 | per year |
| GN+ US & Coast Canada Built-In | $149.99 | per year |
| U.S. LakeVü Detail Map | $59.99 | one-time |
| BlueChart g3+LakeVu g3 Built-I | $99.99 | one-time |
| GN+ U.S. South | $149.99 | one-time |
| GN+ U.S. & Canada | $199.99 | one-time |
| GNV+ U.S. South | $249.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Seamless integration with Garmin devices
- 💡 Useful for planning trips and managing waypoints
- 🚀 Convenient for updating software and charts
- 👍 Great app for Garmin users

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and connection issues
- 🔍 Limited chart and mapping functionality compared to competitors
- 🤔 Difficult to transfer data between devices
- 🤔 Confusing and not very intuitive user interface
- 💰 Expensive for the features provided

**Reported bugs**

- Charts and maps not loading properly
- Waypoints and routes not syncing correctly
- Constant prompts to purchase additional charts
- Compatibility issues with older Garmin devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to duplicate and edit existing routes
- Sync user data across multiple devices
- Improved chart detail and coverage
- Animated tides and currents
- Better integration with other navigation apps


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Fishing Mobile free?

Fishing Mobile is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is ActiveCaptain® free?

ActiveCaptain® is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Fishing Mobile or ActiveCaptain®?

Fishing Mobile is rated higher. Fishing Mobile averages 4.1 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while ActiveCaptain® averages 4.0 from 5.2K ratings.

### Do Fishing Mobile or ActiveCaptain® have ads?

Neither Fishing Mobile nor ActiveCaptain® shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Fishing Mobile or ActiveCaptain®?

Fishing Mobile ships an update every 5 weeks, and ActiveCaptain® every 3 months. Most recently, Fishing Mobile was updated on November 1, 2026 and ActiveCaptain® on November 7, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*