Comparison

NextUpReef vs AquaElectron

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

Head to head
About

NextUpReef

Manage your entire reef aquarium system in one app. Track water chemistry, dosing, equipment, and livestock with AI-powered advice tailored to your tank. Includes reminders and a guide for new reefers.

Highlights
  • Water chemistry logging
  • Dosing checklists and calculators
  • Equipment control (Apex, Shelly)
  • Livestock and maintenance tracking
  • AI-powered tank analysis
  • New tank setup guide
  • Community tank comparisons
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

AquaElectron

Manage all aspects of your aquarium hobby, from tracking livestock and water parameters to scheduling maintenance and logging expenses. This app provides a centralized, simple interface for fishkeepers of all levels to monitor their tanks and observe growth over time.

Highlights
  • Log livestock, water parameters, equipment, and expenses
  • Visualize water parameter trends with charts
  • Schedule recurring maintenance tasks with reminders
  • Track livestock growth over time
  • Unified timeline for each aquarium
  • Offline-friendly data caching
Features
Read full description

AquaElectron is the calm, all-in-one home for everything in your aquarium hobby. Whether you keep a single betta or a room full of reef tanks, track livestock, water parameters, equipment, tasks, expenses and a photo journal — all in one beautifully simple app built for ten-second logging. Keep every tank beautifully in balance. — WHY FISHKEEPERS LOVE IT — • One tap to log. A smart create button adapts to the screen you're on, so a new parameter reading, journal note or expense is never more than a tap away. • See the trend, not just the number. Every water parameter becomes a clean chart, so you spot problems before your fish do. • Never miss a water change. Recurring tasks with on-device reminders keep maintenance on schedule — daily, weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. • Watch your livestock grow. Log length, weight and health over time and follow each fish, coral or plant on its own growth timeline. — TRACK EVERYTHING — • Aquariums — Freshwater, saltwater, brackish, planted, shrimp, pond, terrarium and more, with volume, substrate, tags and tank age. • Livestock — Fish, invertebrates, coral, plants, amphibians and reptiles, with species, quantity, notes and a growth tracker. • Equipment — Filters, heaters, lights, pumps, CO2, skimmers, wavemakers, UV sterilizers and test kits, with brand, price and status. • Water parameters — pH, temperature, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, salinity, KH, GH, phosphate, calcium, magnesium, alkalinity, TDS and your own custom parameters. • Tasks — Water changes, feeding, filter cleaning, testing, dosing and more, with priority and reminders. • Expenses — Categorized spending with monthly trends, so you finally know what the hobby really costs. • Journal — Dated notes and photos to capture the story of every tank. — BUILT FOR THE HOBBY — • A unified timeline per aquarium merges livestock, equipment, parameters, expenses and journal entries into one chronological feed. • Offline-friendly — your data is cached on-device, so the app is fast and works even when the wifi doesn't. • Private by design — your tanks are yours. No noise, no clutter, no selling your data. — FREE & PREMIUM — Start free with one aquarium and full tracking — parameters, tasks, expenses and journal included. Go Premium for unlimited aquariums, growth and journal photos, custom tags, data export (CSV/XLSX) and an ad-free experience. Premium is an auto-renewing subscription (monthly or yearly). Payment is charged to your Apple ID, renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the current period ends, and can be managed in your account settings after purchase. Download AquaElectron and keep every tank beautifully in balance. Support: support@leptono.com Website: https://AquaElectron.com Privacy Policy: https://AquaElectron.com/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://AquaElectron.com/terms.html

Screenshots

NextUpReef4 screens
AquaElectron4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: AquaElectron at 5.0 against NextUpReef's 3.7. NextUpReef's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. NextUpReef sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and AquaElectron sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

AquaElectron holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NextUpReef ships an update every 5 days, AquaElectron every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
NextUpReef versus AquaElectron: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNextUpReefAquaElectron
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (3 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB85 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdam WinsteadLeptonO Inc.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

NextUpReef

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

AquaElectron

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly$49.991 Year

Questions

Is NextUpReef free?
NextUpReef is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is AquaElectron free?
AquaElectron is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, NextUpReef or AquaElectron?
AquaElectron is rated higher. NextUpReef averages 3.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while AquaElectron averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do NextUpReef or AquaElectron have ads?
AquaElectron shows ads; NextUpReef does not.
Which is updated more often, NextUpReef or AquaElectron?
NextUpReef ships an update every 5 days, and AquaElectron every 4 days. Most recently, NextUpReef was updated on October 31, 2026 and AquaElectron on October 28, 2026.

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