Comparison

COSEA vs Rugu·Map

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

Head to head
About

COSEA

Document marine environments, coastal habitats, and species. Report on pollution, infrastructure, and the blue economy. Contribute data and photos to a collaborative map to help scientists understand marine factors and foster a healthy relationship between humans and the sea.

Highlights
  • Observe marine environments
  • Document coastal habitats and species
  • Report on pollution and infrastructure
  • Add photos and data to a collaborative map
  • Interact with the user community
  • Build an environment notebook
Features
Read full description

With COSEA you can observe your marine environment, document coastal habitats or species, do activities, and report on pollution, infrastructure, and the blue economy. COSEA is a collaborative, participatory, and community-driven project. With your contributions on the map and your activity in the app, you help scientists better understand the impacts and drivers of marine factors to protect and foster healthy relationship between humans and our seas. What can you do? In COSEA you can add your photos and data, aka "Spots, on the map. By submitting your observations and documentation, you can build up an environment notebook in your user profile and map your area. You can also interact, comment, and exchange with others in the user community, or simply respond to the contribution of a friend in the app with a heart & like. We all share a deep care for our seas and their resilience in changing times. With COSEA you can help strengthen a healthy relationship between humans and our oceans and learn more about marine protection, social impacts and sustainable use of natural resources. Open Project COSEA is an open project. We invite actors, stakeholders, environment groups, associations, youth projects, and others to co-use the COSEA App for observations, data collection, and community building. During the course of the projects, we will build innovative tools for you to enable independent and self-governed usage of COSEA for your marine and coastal activities. The COSEA App is running on the SPOTTERON Citizen Science Platform at www.spotteron.net

About

Rugu·Map

Features
Read full description

Fotografía los arribazones del alga asiática invasora Rugulopteryx okamurae, un alga marrón cuyos fragmentos llegan flotando a nuestras playas donde se acumulan, generando importantes problemas ambientales. Su presencia afecta al uso recreativo de las playas y a sectores económicos tan importantes como el pesquero: esta alga invasora se adhiere a las redes de los pescadores, rompiéndolas y reduciendo la pesca. Con Rugu·Map puedes registrar dónde y cuándo la ves, contribuyendo a un mapa ciudadano que ayudará a los científicos a predecir sus arribazones, tanto flotando en el agua como acumulándose en la costa. Tu foto es ciencia. Con solo unos segundos y tu móvil, te conviertes en Rugu Mapper. ASÍ DE FÁCIL: 4 PASOS 1. Ábrela — descarga y abre Rugu·Map en tu móvil. 2. ¿Arena o agua? — dinos en qué entorno has visto el alga. 3. ¿A qué foto se parece? — estima la cobertura con ejemplos visuales. 4. Toma la foto in situ y envíala — el GPS registra la localización. Rugu·Map es la aplicación móvil del proyecto RoGEO "Herramientas GEOespaciales para la monitorización de los arribazones del alga invasora Rugulopteryx okamurae en el litoral andaluz: mitigación de su impacto en la pesca y en el calentamiento global", desarrollado en el Instituto de Ciencias Marinas de Andalucía (ICMAN), perteneciente al Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). Este proyecto se desarrolla con la colaboración de la Fundación Biodiversidad del Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico, a través del Programa Pleamar, y se cofinancia por la Unión Europea por el FEMPA (Fondo Europeo Marítimo, de Pesca y de Acuicultura). ¡Descárgala gratis, y únete a la ciencia ciudadana!

Screenshots

COSEA4 screens
Rugu·Map4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Rugu·Map at weekly against COSEA's every 5 weeks. COSEA's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.2). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

COSEA ships an update every 5 weeks, Rugu·Map weekly. The most recent releases landed on August 14, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
COSEA versus Rugu·Map: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCOSEARugu·Map
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better18.2
Further details — not scored
Size206 MB48 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSPOTTERON GmbhJonathan Jimenez Reina

In-app purchases

None

COSEA

No in-app purchases

None

Rugu·Map

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is COSEA free?
COSEA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Rugu·Map free?
Rugu·Map is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do COSEA or Rugu·Map have ads?
Neither COSEA nor Rugu·Map shows ads.
Which is updated more often, COSEA or Rugu·Map?
COSEA ships an update every 5 weeks, and Rugu·Map weekly. Most recently, COSEA was updated on August 14, 2026 and Rugu·Map on September 30, 2026.

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