Comparison

Happy Prospector vs Patchly

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

Head to head
About

Happy Prospector

Features
Read full description

The Happy Prospector is an offline mapping app specifically built for prospectors in Western Australia. Designed for remote areas, the app lets you download maps and data before you go, then use essential mapping, GPS, tenement, find, track and reporting tools without mobile coverage or WiFi. Use The Happy Prospector to explore WA prospecting data, browse directly to GPS coordinates, save classified field markers, record tracks, draw polygons, measure distances and create reports from your saved information. Key Features β€’ Offline map use after downloads β€’ Standard WA base map β€’ High Resolution Maps β€’ Live and Pending WA Mining Tenements β€’ Mindex Gold locations β€’ Bedrock Geology β€’ Surface and Structures layers β€’ Browse directly to entered GPS coordinates β€’ Optional marker placement at a browsed GPS point β€’ Save Finds and field markers with notes β€’ Marker styles for finds, vehicles, camps and field features β€’ Premium Gate, Windmill, Dam, Dig Hole, Chained, Dryblowing, Pushed Area, Drill Hole, Costean and Mine markers β€’ Colour options for Find markers β€’ Depth and weight recording for applicable finds β€’ Go To navigation to saved Finds β€’ GPS track recording β€’ Track distance recording and live distance display β€’ Saved track distances shown in track lists β€’ Import Tracks from CSV/ZIP files β€’ Measure Distance tool β€’ Draw Polygons on the map β€’ Save, list, show/hide and delete Polygons β€’ 40E Report generation β€’ Finds Report generation β€’ Select a saved polygon or Live tenement as the report area β€’ Filter reports by date, exact area and marker type β€’ Report measured Finds or include all field markers β€’ Automatic tenement ID, lease and holder details where available β€’ Editable permit, lease, mineral, recovery and cost information β€’ Remembered prospector and permit-holder names β€’ Tools Settings menu β€’ GPS button mode settings β€’ Orientation lock settings β€’ Tap-map or centre-crosshair Measure mode Free Version The Free Version provides a practical way to get started. Included in Free: β€’ Standard base map β€’ High Resolution Maps up to zoom level 16 β€’ Live WA Mining Tenements display β€’ Mindex Gold locations β€’ Unlimited saved Finds, with the newest three available for selection β€’ Default, Car and Camp marker styles β€’ Browse to GPS Point β€’ Go To navigation to selectable Finds β€’ Save and reload the latest Tracks β€’ Track distance recording β€’ Draw Polygons from the Tools menu Lite Version Lite adds the main prospecting and tenement tools. Included in Lite: β€’ Everything in Free β€’ Full High Resolution Map zoom range β€’ Live and Pending WA Mining Tenements β€’ Tenement identify, query and detail results β€’ Tenement highlighting on the map β€’ Yellow Find marker style β€’ Full saved Find selection β€’ Full saved Track loading β€’ Track pause and follow controls Premium Version Premium includes the complete Happy Prospector toolkit. Included in Premium: β€’ Everything in Lite β€’ Gate, Windmill and Dam marker styles β€’ Dig Hole, Chained, Dryblowing, Pushed Area, Drill Hole, Costean and Mine marker styles β€’ Additional Find marker colours β€’ Drop Marker Pin β€’ Optional marker placement after browsing to a GPS point β€’ Measure Distance tool β€’ Saved Polygon management β€’ List, show/hide and delete saved Polygons β€’ 40E Report generation β€’ Finds Report generation β€’ Saved-polygon and Live-tenement report areas β€’ Measured-Finds or All-Markers report selection β€’ Track import from CSV/ZIP files β€’ Find import/export β€’ Track export β€’ Bedrock Geology β€’ Surface layer β€’ Structures layer β€’ Tools Settings β€’ GPS button mode settings β€’ Orientation lock settings β€’ Measure mode settings The Happy Prospector is designed to be simple, practical and reliable in the field. Download your maps and data before heading out, then use the app offline wherever your next Western Australian prospecting trip takes you. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Patchly

This app helps gold prospectors and metal detectorists explore and understand goldfields with detailed maps and offline capabilities. It records your activity, classifies finds, and allows for private data management. Navigate to locations and track your findings with detailed logs.

Highlights
  • 90+ curated prospecting layers
  • Offline map and search functionality
  • Field recording and smart classification
  • Off-road navigation to finds
  • Stash for tracking gold and value
  • Automatic cloud backup
Read full description

Know the ground you're working. Patchly is the all-in-one gold prospecting and metal detecting app for exploring and understanding the goldfields. It puts the layers that matter on one map and records where you have been and which detector you used. PRIVACY Patchly asks for no account, runs no server that stores or processes your field history, and does not track you. Your sessions, finds, photos and Stash live in a plain database on your phone that you can export any time. Optional backups and exports go only to storage you choose. Map and content downloads still use network services. MAPS AND RESEARCH β€’ 100+ curated layers and growing: geology, geochemistry, tenements, land access, terrain, historic activity and more, chosen for prospecting β€’ Tenements refresh nightly, so leases, applications and expiries are current before you drive out β€’ Bare-earth LiDAR relief for New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania, with Victoria as a separate add-on β€’ Stacks: build your own layer setups, reorder them, and switch between saved maps in a tap β€’ Layer controls: every layer has its own settings, filters and thresholds β€’ 3D terrain: tilt, rotate and exaggerate the ground to read its shape β€’ Section 40E permit builder for Western Australia, with Form 1A export β€’ Offline search for places and watercourses, with no reception β€’ Light and dark, for the hour you are in FIELD RECORDING AND NAVIGATION β€’ Smart classification: Patchly works out which parts of a session were travelling, detecting or stopped β€’ Logbook+ draws detecting as lines or as Coverage, the honeycomb showing how hard a patch has been worked β€’ Record a session and see where you detected, and which detector was active for that section β€’ Off-road go-to: navigate to any find, pin or map point by bearing, distance and ETA β€’ Multi-stop routes: build an ordered route and work through it β€’ Classify finds by type, size and condition, each with its own symbol β€’ Pins that mean something: a colour dot, or an icon for camps, vehicles, water and hazards β€’ Draw and save lines and areas for boundaries and plans RECORDS AND GOLD β€’ Logbook: filter and sort every session, inspect it, and return to the exact ground β€’ Stash: track nuggets, specimens, bars and coins in a simple or purity-aware mode, valued against the live gold price β€’ Overview and Calendar: totals, value, categories, daily hauls and season statistics β€’ Add photos to finds and pins, and link a find to its Stash item OFFLINE, BACKUP AND PORTABILITY β€’ Offline regions: pick an area, download its satellite and layers, and the map keeps working out of range β€’ Automatic backup of records, photos, Stash, detectors and Stacks to your own cloud β€’ Guided import wizards for Trilobite CSV, Detector Maps KML and Gaia GPS exports, step by step β€’ Generic GPX, KML and KMZ import for everything else β€’ Share .patchly files for Stacks, sessions, finds, pins and shapes PATCHLY FREE Free is a real field tool, not a trial. The offline map, the land-access and place-name layers, full session recording, your Logbook, finds, pins, Stash and cloud backup. Free tracks up to one troy ounce in Stash and allows one active detector. PATCHLY PRO Patchly Pro adds the deeper curated Library including LiDAR relief, Logbook+ classified travelling and detecting sections, the Coverage honeycomb drawn over the ground you have already searched, and offline region downloads. Unlimited Stash and detectors. β€’ Patchly Pro annual: A$79.99 per year (first year A$23.99) β€’ Patchly Pro monthly: A$13.49 per month β€’ Victoria LiDAR relief add-on: A$59.99 per year, requires Patchly Pro Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the current period ends. Manage or cancel it in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://patchly.gold/terms Privacy Policy: https://patchly.gold/privacy Patchly is made in Australia by Patchly Labs Pty Ltd.

Screenshots

Happy Prospector4 screens
Patchly4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Patchly at none against Happy Prospector's 2. Patchly also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Happy Prospector sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per year. Patchly asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Happy Prospector ships an update every 2 weeks, Patchly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 6 level
Happy Prospector versus Patchly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHappy ProspectorPatchly
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviewsβ€”100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
Monetizationβ€”Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.5 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size67 MB92 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBlueprint Industries Pty LtdPatchly Labs Pty Ltd

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Happy Prospector

Subscriptions2
  • Happy Prospector Lite$7.991 Year
  • Happy Prospector Premium$9.991 Year
None

Patchly

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Happy Prospector free?
Happy Prospector is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Patchly free?
Patchly is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Happy Prospector or Patchly have ads?
Neither Happy Prospector nor Patchly shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Happy Prospector or Patchly?
Happy Prospector ships an update every 2 weeks, and Patchly weekly. Most recently, Happy Prospector was updated on October 6, 2026 and Patchly on October 13, 2026.

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