Comparison

NextUpReef vs Tanksmith

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

Head to head
About

NextUpReef

This app helps reef tank hobbyists manage their aquarium's health and equipment. It offers AI-powered analysis, parameter logging, smart outlet control, and community insights to optimize tank conditions and simplify maintenance.

Highlights
  • AI Reef Advisor for tank analysis
  • Parameter logging and trend charting
  • Smart outlet control for equipment
  • Neptune Apex integration
  • Tank setup and livestock tracking
  • Smart reminders for maintenance
  • Reef community insights
Features
Read full description

NextUpReef is the reef tank app that keeps your whole system in one place: water chemistry, dosing, equipment, livestock, reminders and AI advice that actually knows your tank. Built for reefers, by a reefer. LOG A FULL TEST IN SECONDS Record alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, nitrate, phosphate, salinity, pH, temperature, ammonia and nitrite. Your last values pre-fill, and every entry is color-coded against your target range as you type. Pick your tank type (mixed reef, SPS, LPS, softie, nano, ULNS and more) for sensible default targets, or set your own. EVERY TREND, TWO SCORES — REEF PULSE See a chart for every parameter with your target range drawn in and water changes marked. Your Reef Score shows how healthy the tank is today; your Stability Score shows how steadily you keep it that way. Tap either score to see exactly what's helping and what's holding it back. REEF AI ADVISOR (PRO) A full analysis of your tank built from your own data: parameters and trends, water changes, livestock, equipment and dosing. See what's working, what needs attention and what to do next, ranked by urgency. Ask Reef AI Chat anything about your reef, check livestock compatibility with the Stocking Advisor, and log results by snapping a photo of your test kit. EVERY DOSE, ONE CHECKLIST The Dosing screen lists everything due today, whether you dose by hand, with your own pump or automatically. Tap Dosed to log it and watch whether alkalinity, calcium and magnesium are holding steady. Choose from 50+ common products with label strengths built in. Pro adds a dose calculator that dials in your daily dose from your own test trend, and a daily dosing reminder at the time you pick. CONTROL YOUR REEF GEAR (PRO) • Neptune Apex: sync temperature, pH, salinity and Trident alkalinity, calcium and magnesium into your logs; switch outlets; run Feed Mode; set heater temperatures; and schedule dosing with a built-in safety shutoff. • Shelly smart plugs: schedules run on the plug, even with no internet. For dosing pumps, each dose is confirmed by power draw and you're alerted if one is missed. • CoralVue HYDROS (early access): cloud-connected readings and control from anywhere. NEVER MISS A WATER CHANGE Schedule water changes and maintenance like filter socks, carbon and RO/DI filters. Reminders arrive inside the notification hours you choose. EVERYTHING IN YOUR TANK — MY REEF Track fish, corals and inverts with care info, plus equipment, lighting schedules, dosing, salt mix, monthly tank photos and what it all cost. NEW TO REEFING? NEW TANK GUIDE Follow six guided phases from setup through cycling, the ugly phase, first fish and first corals to an established reef, with a checklist for each step. LEARN FROM THE BEST TANKS — COMMUNITY Browse the leaderboard and see inside top-ranked tanks: their parameters, salt, lighting, equipment, dosing and water change habits. Compare your tank with others like it. Your tank stays private unless you choose to share it. ON THE BIG SCREEN Pro members can open the web dashboard at portal.nextupreef.com for full-screen charts and a CSV export of their readings. FREE TO START NextUpReef is free to download and use. NextUpReef Pro unlocks AI features, device control, the dose calculator, unlimited tanks and reminders, the web dashboard and more. Every new account gets a 30-day Pro trial with no payment details required. Privacy Policy: https://nextupreef.com/privacy Terms of Service: https://nextupreef.com/terms Questions or ideas: info@nextupreef.com Neptune Systems and Apex are trademarks of Neptune Systems. CoralVue and HYDROS are trademarks of CoralVue, Inc. Shelly is a trademark of Shelly Group. NextUpReef is independent and not affiliated with these companies.

About

Tanksmith

This offline logbook helps reef tank enthusiasts meticulously track water parameters, equipment maintenance, and livestock. It offers detailed logging for various parameters and test kits, with advanced features like dosing intelligence and coral growth timelines available through a one-time purchase.

Highlights
  • Offline parameter logging
  • Test kit & salt batch tracking
  • Equipment service tracker
  • Livestock list with photos
  • Dosing intelligence
  • Coral photo timeline & lineage
  • Tank Report PDF generation
Features
Read full description

Tanksmith is the offline reef tank logbook built for serious reefers, the people who test their water at 7 AM, dose 2-part by hand, and obsess over coral growth photos. Everything happens on your device. No account. No cloud sync. No subscription. No ads. No analytics. Your tank's history is yours alone. WHAT YOU GET (FREE) Parameter logging Track Alkalinity, Calcium, Magnesium, Nitrate, Phosphate, Salinity, Temperature, pH, ORP, Ammonia, and Nitrite. Each reading plots against the recommended target band for your tank type: Mixed Reef, SPS-Dominant, LPS-Dominant, Softie, FOWLR, or Quarantine. Test kit & salt batch tracking Record your Salifert, Hanna, Red Sea, Triton, Tropic Marin, and other kits with lot numbers and expiry dates. Track which salt bucket you're using. When a batch is reported bad on the forums, you'll know if you used it. Equipment service tracker Skimmer cleaning, RODI cartridge changes, return pump service, powerhead maintenance. Set intervals, see what's overdue at a glance. Livestock list Record your corals, fish, and inverts with a photo, source, and placement notes. Free tier includes one tank, forty parameter readings, and three livestock entries per tank, plenty to evaluate whether Tanksmith fits the way you keep reef. UNLOCK TANKSMITH PRO ($9.99 ONE-TIME) Multi-tank support Display, frag, and quarantine tanks all in one place. Unlimited parameter readings and livestock No caps. Log every test, track every coral. Dosing intelligence Tanksmith works out your alkalinity and calcium consumption from your reading history and tells you how many milliliters a day to add on top of what you already dose. It covers Randy Recipe #1, BRS 2-Part, ESV B-Ionic, Aquaforest Component 1+/2+, Tropic Marin All-For-Reef, and Red Sea Foundation A/B/C, each using the manufacturer's published strength. When the trend changes, you'll see it. Coral photo timeline + lineage Add dated photos of every coral. Tap two thumbnails to see them side-by-side and watch growth over months. Track frag lineage: this colony was cut from that mother, and that frag went to Mike at the local club. Tank Report PDF Generate a clean two-page PDF of your tank's recent parameter trends, livestock roster, and equipment service status. Share it with one tap when you're asking the forum for help. WHY OFFLINE MATTERS The cloud goes down. Subscriptions get more expensive. Companies pivot. Your tank doesn't care about any of that. Tanksmith puts your tank's complete history on the same device that's already in your pocket, and keeps it there. ONE-TIME PURCHASE Pro is $9.99. Forever. No subscription nag screens, no premium tier above Pro, no consumable IAPs. PRIVACY Tanksmith does not collect, transmit, or share any data. There are no third-party SDKs. The only system permission requested is Photos access, and only when you choose to attach a coral photo, which is then stored on your device. Built by reefers, for reefers.

Screenshots

NextUpReef4 screens
Tanksmith4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Tanksmith at 5.0 against NextUpReef's 3.7. NextUpReef's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. NextUpReef sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Tanksmith sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tanksmith holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NextUpReef ships an update every 4 days, Tanksmith every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 13, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
NextUpReef versus Tanksmith: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNextUpReefTanksmith
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (3 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB3 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperAdam WinsteadOMAR DANIEL GRAZIANO

Customer experience

NextUpReef

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Tanksmith

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

NextUpReef

Subscriptions2
  • NextUpReef Pro$4.991 Month
  • NextUpReef Pro$39.991 Year
1 purchases

Tanksmith

One-time1
  • Tanksmith Pro$9.99

Questions

Is NextUpReef free?
NextUpReef is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tanksmith free?
Tanksmith is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, NextUpReef or Tanksmith?
Tanksmith is rated higher. NextUpReef averages 3.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Tanksmith averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do NextUpReef or Tanksmith have ads?
Neither NextUpReef nor Tanksmith shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NextUpReef or Tanksmith?
NextUpReef ships an update every 4 days, and Tanksmith every 3 weeks. Most recently, NextUpReef was updated on October 13, 2026 and Tanksmith on October 13, 2026.

Other comparisons