App vs TankLab
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
App
Simulate your aquarium on your phone, complete with live fish and plants. Get instant alerts for water quality issues and receive AI-powered advice for identifying problems and planning solutions. Plan new additions to your tank with compatibility and bioload simulations.
- Virtual aquarium simulation
- AI-powered fish and plant identification
- Water test analysis
- Emergency SOS help
- Tank stocking planner
- Automated care reminders
- CSV export of tank data
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Your real tank, alive on your phone. When the water turns, you'll see it and know what to do. Add your tank, or snap a photo of it, and App-aquatic draws your own fish, plants and wood, swimming and swaying. Test your water and the tank reacts: it clouds over when something is wrong and clears when you fix it. YOUR TANK, ALIVE • Your own fish, shrimp, snails and plants, drawn and moving • Snap a photo of your tank and the app sets it up, down to the sand, rocks and wood • A bad test shows: cloudy water, and algae on the glass when you log it • Beet, your fish companion, warns you early, e.g. when nitrate is heading past 40 ppm • Tap the water to feed your fish, and share your tank as a picture SOS EMERGENCY HELP Fish gasping, sudden deaths, cloudy water, a broken heater? Tap SOS for "do this now" steps based on your latest test. AI FOR A SECOND OPINION • Identify fish and plants from a photo, with signs of illness • Tank health check and AI water test from one photo • Identify algae and follow a step-by-step plan with before and after photos • Fix My Tank: a 7-day recovery plan KNOW BEFORE YOU BUY • What If: see how a new fish changes bioload, water match and compatibility before you buy • Bioload from your real filter, not old inch-per-gallon rules • 800+ fish, shrimp and snails and 175 plants, with tank mates and group sizes • 150 tank models with sizes built in TEST WITH THE KIT YOU ALREADY OWN • Photograph your tubes beside the color card and tap each one: matched in seconds • API Freshwater Master Test Kit built in, plus popular strips from API, Tetra, JBL, sera and more • Another liquid kit? Teach the app its color card once • Log every test, several a day if you need to • Honest: a skipped test shows "not tested", never a fake "safe" zero • A green / amber / red verdict for every reading, judged against your own fish • "Do this first": the one fix that matters most, and how urgent it is CYCLE A NEW TANK • Cycle companion for fishless and fish-in cycles • The exact ammonia dose for your bottle's strength • Spots a stalled cycle (low pH or KH) and how to fix it • A 24-hour test that tells you when your tank is ready for fish CARE THAT ORGANIZES ITSELF • Reminders for water changes and filter, heater and pump care • Ledger: an automatic timeline of every test and event, with CSV export • History and charts for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, GH, KH, temperature, phosphate, TDS and chlorine • Calculators: water change %, tank volume, heater size, CO2, salt dose, hardness • Tap water baseline: chlorine, chloramine and nitrate explained • Several tanks, including quarantine; gallons or liters, °F or °C YOUR 14-DAY PREMIUM TRIAL Open the app and your 14-day Premium trial starts. No sign-up, no card, and nothing is charged unless you pick a plan. Everything above is in your trial: your living tank, AI scans and health checks, Fix My Tank, the daily check-in, the photo journal and care reminders. Aquascape needs a paid plan, and AI features have a monthly allowance. To keep it all after 14 days, choose Premium: • Premium Monthly (1 month, auto-renews) • Premium Yearly (1 year, auto-renews) • Premium Lifetime (one-time purchase) Without Premium you keep: Photo reader · manual entry · history and trends · Cycle companion · SOS · Species Guide · What If preview · Algae guide · calculators · backup Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel any time in your App Store account settings. AI results and water advice are guidance, not a substitute for a vet or aquatic specialist. Privacy: https://app-aquatic.com/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
TankLab
Manage all aspects of your aquarium, from water parameters and livestock to maintenance schedules and expenses. Utilize AI for test strip analysis and personalized advice to keep your aquatic life thriving.
- AI test strip scanner
- AI aquarium advisor
- Water parameter tracking
- Maintenance scheduler
- Livestock manager
- Expense tracker
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TankLab is the all-in-one aquarium management app for freshwater, saltwater, brackish, and planted tanks. Whether you're cycling your first tank or maintaining a mature reef, TankLab keeps everything organized and your fish healthy. AI TEST STRIP SCANNER Snap a photo of your test strip next to the color chart and let AI read the values instantly. Results pre-fill your parameter log, just review and save. Supports API 5-in-1, Tetra 6-in-1, and similar multi-parameter strips. AI AQUARIUM ADVISOR Ask TankLab's AI anything about fishkeeping. It knows your tank's current setup, water parameters, livestock, and maintenance history, so every answer is tailored to your situation. Get help with water chemistry, fish compatibility, disease diagnosis, feeding schedules, plant care, and more. WATER PARAMETER TRACKING Log pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, GH, KH, temperature, salinity, phosphate, calcium, and more. Enter in ppm or degrees, the app auto-converts. View trends over time with interactive charts and get insights when values are out of range. MAINTENANCE SCHEDULER Set up recurring tasks for water changes, filter cleaning, feeding, dosing, and equipment checks. Get notifications when tasks are due. Check them off and build a maintenance streak. LIVESTOCK MANAGER Track every fish, invertebrate, coral, and plant in your tank. Browse species info, check compatibility, and keep a complete record of your aquarium inhabitants. TANK GALLERY & JOURNAL Document your tank's evolution with photos and journal entries. Look back at how far your aquarium has come. EXPENSE TRACKER Keep track of what you spend on equipment, livestock, food, and supplies. Know exactly where your aquarium budget goes. TANKLAB+ SUBSCRIPTION Free users get 1 tank, 5 AI questions per month, and all core tracking features. Upgrade to TankLab+ for unlimited AI questions, test strip scanning, iCloud sync across devices, and expanded tank and livestock limits. Download TankLab and give your aquarium the care it deserves. By using this app, you agree to Apple’s Standard End User License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: App at 17 against TankLab's 2. App also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, 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. App sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and TankLab sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for App against 5.0 for TankLab. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: App has 17 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
| Parameter | App | TankLab |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (17 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 93.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 17 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 63 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | AARON DAVID MINTON | SquatchCraft LLC |
Customer experience
App
TankLab
In-app purchases
App
- Premium Monthly$1.991 Month
- Premium Monthly Subscription$2.991 Month
- Premium Annual$7.991 Year
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- Premium Annual Price$19.991 Year
- Premium Lifetime$79.99
TankLab
- TankLab+$4.991 Month
- Annual subscription$34.991 Year








