Comparison

SmartOut vs DownWind

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

Head to head
About

SmartOut

Features
Read full description

At Smartout, our goal is to make it easy to discover the joy of hunting and fishing in Ontario by making it easy to access the rules and regulations. SmartOut includes: - Map of Fisheries Management Zones (FMZ) - Fishing Seasons by Zone (FMZ) - Additional Fishing Opportunities (locations displayed on the map where known) - Exceptions to zone regulations (locations displayed on the map where known) - Map of Wildlife Management Units (WMU) - Hunting seasons by game category (Migratory Birds, Deer e.t.c.) - Hunting seasons by WMU - all seasons for all game in a given WMU Clicking anywhere on the map allows to open seasons for that location. Hunting and fishing seasons are presented in familiar format, as in official regulation summaries, but at the same time much easier to look up. Ontario residents hunting seasons are shown at the same time as non-resident seasons to make it easier to understand.

About

DownWind

Features
Read full description

DownWind is a hunter's map, forecast, and recovery tool — built to help you plan a smart approach, pick the right day and time, and find a wounded animal. THE MAP & SCENT CONE Lay your hunt out on a satellite and topo map: save stands, blinds, and trail-camera spots, and draw deer trails and your own land boundaries. The scent cone overlay shows where your scent is drifting for any hour's wind — so you can pick a stand and an approach the wind keeps in your favor instead of blowing your spot. "Best stands for this wind" ranks your setups for the conditions, and a time slider scrubs the wind hour by hour so you can plan exactly when to slip in. DEER MOVEMENT FORECAST A 7-day forecast tuned for hunters: every day gets a deer-movement rating and the best windows to be out, with the hourly detail behind it. It weighs what actually moves deer — cool-to-cold temperatures, rain that shuts movement down, and a rut overlay that lifts midday activity during the chase — and stays honest about the weak signals instead of overselling them. Wind, temperature, precipitation, and sunrise/sunset are all there for planning the sit. RECOVERY Marginal hit? Log the blood and sign you find — color, consistency, hair, bone, spray pattern — and DownWind reads the likely hit zone, estimates how lethal the shot was, and recommends how long to wait before you take up the trail, with a countdown. Drop shot and last-blood markers and it builds a recovery map: color-coded probability zones and a directional search fan drawn from the hit, animal behavior, and terrain. Add blood, hair, bone, track, and bed waypoints as you go and the predicted line tightens around the real trail. Turn on GPS tracking to record your search path — even in the background, with the screen off — and invite your party by email so everyone's tracks and positions merge into one shared coverage map. No more searching the same ground twice. YOUR DATA Your hunts, recoveries, tracks, and saved places stay private to your account. Delete any record — or your whole account — at any time. Location is used only with your permission, and background recording shows the standard system indicator while it's active. AN AID, NOT A GUARANTEE DownWind's ratings, maps, and wait times are estimates meant to support your own judgment and experience — not facts, not a guarantee of recovery, and not a safety, navigation, or emergency device. Always hunt legally and ethically: follow your local regulations, seasons, and legal hours, and verify land boundaries before you cross them. For licensed hunters. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

SmartOut4 screens
DownWind4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SmartOut at none against DownWind's 2. DownWind's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.1). On price, update cadence, 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

Both are free to download. DownWind sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. SmartOut asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SmartOut ships an update every 2 weeks, DownWind weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
SmartOut versus DownWind: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmartOutDownWind
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.116.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB105 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperSmartout Media Inc.DownWind

In-app purchases

None

SmartOut

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

DownWind

Subscriptions2
  • DownWind Pro$2.991 Month
  • DownWind Pro7 Days trial$13.991 Year

Questions

Is SmartOut free?
SmartOut is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is DownWind free?
DownWind is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SmartOut or DownWind have ads?
Neither SmartOut nor DownWind shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SmartOut or DownWind?
SmartOut ships an update every 2 weeks, and DownWind weekly. Most recently, SmartOut was updated on October 27, 2026 and DownWind on October 28, 2026.

Other comparisons