Reef2Reef vs Gather Communities
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Reef2Reef
Connect with a global community of saltwater and reef aquarium enthusiasts. Share tank progress, ask questions, and exchange expert advice. Discover resources for all levels of reefkeeping, including a marketplace and product reviews.
- Share tank photos
- Ask detailed questions
- Swap expert advice
- In-depth build threads
- Marketplace for corals, fish, and gear
- Product reviews
- Giveaways
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Reef2Reef is the largest online community for saltwater and reef aquarium hobbyists, connecting thousands of reef keepers worldwide. Share tank photos, ask detailed questions, and swap expert advice on everything from nano tanks to advanced SPS systems. With in-depth build threads, a trusted marketplace for corals, fish, and gear, detailed product reviews, and regular giveaways, Reef2Reef offers valuable resources for beginners and seasoned reefers alike. We developed this app to give you all the perks of using a mobile platform—fast access to your favorite forums, real-time alerts, private messaging, and easy photo sharing—all tailored for reef aquarium lovers. Join today to learn, trade, and grow within the most supportive reefkeeping community online.
Gather Communities
Consolidate all your online communities into a single, streamlined application. Browse, post, and follow discussions across multiple platforms with one account. Easily create and manage your own community spaces without technical hurdles.
- Unified community access
- Browse, post, and follow discussions
- Single account for all communities
- Easy community creation
- Privacy-focused design
- No algorithms or data harvesting
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Stop juggling dozens of forum apps and browser tabs. Gather brings thousands of communities together in one fast, beautiful app. Browse, post, and follow the conversations you care about across all your Gatherings with a single account. Want to build your own community? Create a Gathering in minutes. No technical setup. No licensing fees. Just a place for your people to connect. Gather is privacy-focused by design. No algorithms deciding what you see. No data harvesting. Just real conversations. Bring your people home. Terms of Service: https://gather.forum/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://gather.forum/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Reef2Reef at none against Gather Communities's 4. Gather Communities's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly) and ratings volume (201 vs 43). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. Gather Communities sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $30.00 per year. Reef2Reef asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Reef2Reef against 4.7 for Gather Communities. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 43 and 201 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 94% of Reef2Reef's written reviews are positive against 96% of Gather Communities's.
Reef2Reef ships an update fortnightly, Gather Communities every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Reef2Reef | Gather Communities |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (43 ratings) | 4.7 (201 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 93.5% of reviews | 95.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 43 | 201 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 34 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Forumly LLC | GCS Publishing, Inc |
Customer experience
Reef2Reef
Gather Communities
Bugs and requests
Reef2Reef
Reported bugs
1 issue- Occasional crashes or freezes
Requested features
2 requests- Dark mode option
- Improved navigation and browsing experience
Gather Communities
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Reef2Reef
No in-app purchases
Gather Communities
- Bronze Membership$30.001 Year
- Silver Membership$60.001 Year
- Gold Membership$119.991 Year
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- Platinum Membership$200.001 Year
Questions
Is Reef2Reef free?
Is Gather Communities free?
Which has better reviews, Reef2Reef or Gather Communities?
Do Reef2Reef or Gather Communities have ads?
Which is updated more often, Reef2Reef or Gather Communities?
Other comparisons
