Fish Mapping vs SimpleFlight
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Fish Mapping
This app provides detailed fishing recommendations and environmental data to help anglers find the best spots for bait and game fish. It displays information like plankton strength, sea surface temperature, and ocean currents to optimize fishing trips.
- Fishing Recommendations
- Weed Lines
- Plankton Front Strength
- Sea Surface Temperature
- Sub-Surface Temperatures
- Sea Surface Height Anomalies
- Ocean Currents
Read full descriptionHide full description
Let SiriusXM Marine Fish Mapping help save time and fuel by showing you the spots where conditions are best for bait fish to gather and where game fish are most likely to hunt. The Fish Mapping App is included with your SiriusXM Marine Fish Mapping subscription. With the Fish Mapping App, anglers can view the following features on their phone or tablet: • Fishing Recommendations • Weed Lines • Plankton Front Strength & Contours • Sea Surface Temperature Front Strength & Contours • 30m Sub-Surface Temperatures • Sea Surface Height Anomalies • Ocean Currents • Historical Data Note: SiriusXM Marine weather features are not available on the Fish Mapping App. Download the Fish Mapping App now and start using it on your smartphone or tablet to help plan your next fishing trip! App requires internet access. Not a Fish Mapping subscriber? Learn more at siriusxm.com/fishmapping. -------------------------- The Fish Mapping App is only available with your Fish Mapping subscription and subscriptions require a compatible satellite-enabled device. The Fish Mapping App is not sold separately. Access to the app may take up to 24 hours from subscription activation to process and access is limited to 2 devices. Internet access is required for the Fish Mapping App. Data rates may apply. Subscription and service fees, content, and features are subject to change. IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Not all devices are capable of receiving all services offered by SiriusXM. Current information and features may not be available in all locations, or on all receivers. Data displays vary by device; images are representative only. SiriusXM services may include weather and other content and emergency alert information. Such information and data is not for “safety for life,” but is merely supplemental and advisory in nature, and therefore cannot be relied upon as safety critical in connection with any aircraft, seacraft, automobile, or any other usage. SiriusXM is not responsible for any errors or inaccuracies in the data services or their use. See Fish Mapping coverage area at siriusxm.com/marine/coverage-map. SiriusXM Privacy Policy: www.siriusxm.com/privacy Your Privacy Choices: www.siriusxm.com/yourprivacychoices SiriusXM Customer Agreement: www.siriusxm.com/customeragreement
SimpleFlight
This app helps VFR pilots plan flights by providing essential information on distance, duration, fuel, weather, airspace, and destination conditions. It offers wind-corrected headings, decoded weather reports, and airspace details, all designed for simplicity and VFR flight in the United States.
- Route planning with airspace avoidance
- Wind-corrected heading and fuel calculations
- Decoded METARs and TAFs
- Animated winds, radar, and satellite imagery
- Airspace class details with altitude floors/ceilings
- Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) alerts
- Runway diagrams and traffic pattern information
Read full descriptionHide full description
SimpleFlight answers the questions that matter before a VFR flight: how far, how long, how much fuel, what the weather is doing along the way, what airspace is in the way, and what the destination looks like when you get there. Built by a pilot, for the United States, for VFR. Saying no to everything else is what keeps it simple. PLAN • Pick a departure and destination. Press and hold the route line to bend it around airspace; it snaps to nearby airports, VORs and fixes. • Choose from legal VFR hemispheric altitudes, each with its headwind or tailwind and time en route from current winds aloft. • Get wind-corrected heading, groundspeed, time, fuel burn and reserve for your airplane. WEATHER • Decoded METARs and TAFs for reporting airports along the route, colored by flight category. • Animated winds at your cruise altitude, radar and satellite on the map. • Winds aloft table for 6, 12 and 24 hours. SIGMETs, G-AIRMETs and pilot reports in the corridor. ROUTE PROFILE • A side view of the route: terrain under it, your cruise altitude, Class B, C and D shelves, cloud bases from METARs and the freezing level. • Highest terrain on the route and your clearance at cruise, with a preview of every VFR altitude. • Edit the route from the profile: find the ridge, drop a waypoint there and drag it around, then re-plan in place. MAP RULER • Hold two fingers on the map to measure distance, magnetic course from each end, and no-wind time and fuel. AIRSPACE AND TFRs • Class B, C and D with floors and ceilings. Shelves that apply at your altitude stand out; the rest fade back. • TFRs on or near the route, checked against your planned time and altitude, with the NOTAM text a tap away. DESTINATION • Headwind and crosswind for every runway, with the favored runway marked. • A to-scale runway diagram and the expected traffic pattern, drawn on the map when you zoom in, with left or right traffic from FAA data and pattern altitude. • Frequencies, elevation, fuel, sunrise and sunset. SHARE • Send the route to ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot in one tap, or export a Garmin FPL file, waypoints included. YOUR DATA • No account needed. Without one, nothing you enter leaves your device. • Optional Sign in with Apple syncs your airplanes and plans between iPhone and iPad. Export or delete your account any time in Settings. • No ads. No tracking. IMPORTANT SimpleFlight is a planning aid. It is not an official weather or NOTAM briefing, it is not approved by the FAA, and it is not for navigation. Data can be late, incomplete or wrong. Terrain comes from USGS elevation data and does not include towers or other obstacles. Traffic patterns and runway diagrams are schematics; ATC instructions and published procedures take precedence. The pilot in command is responsible for every decision. Get an official briefing and check current charts before every flight. Data: Aviation Weather Center (NOAA), FAA, USGS, Iowa Environmental Mesonet, Open-Meteo.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SimpleFlight at 5.0 against Fish Mapping's 3.7. SimpleFlight also leads on monetization model (free vs subscription). Fish Mapping's advantage is ratings volume (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.4 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
SimpleFlight holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively.
Fish Mapping ships an update every 3 weeks, SimpleFlight every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Fish Mapping | SimpleFlight |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (3 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 11 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.4 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 57 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | OceanBytes Holding LLC | Kip Haas |
Customer experience
Fish Mapping
SimpleFlight
In-app purchases
Fish Mapping
No in-app purchases
SimpleFlight
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Fish Mapping free?
Is SimpleFlight free?
Which has better reviews, Fish Mapping or SimpleFlight?
Do Fish Mapping or SimpleFlight have ads?
Which is updated more often, Fish Mapping or SimpleFlight?
Other comparisons















