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 β€’ Tenements refresh nightly, so leases, applications and expiries are current 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 with per-layer filters, and switch between saved maps in a tap β€’ Custom layers: bring your own GeoTIFFs and map services into a Stack β€’ 3D terrain: tilt 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 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 of 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 and multi-stop routes, by bearing, distance and ETA β€’ Finds by type, size and condition, and pins with icons for camps, vehicles, water and hazards β€’ Logbook Editor: edit tracks, finds, pins and shapes on the map, draw lines and areas, and reclassify travelling, detecting or stopped by hand β€’ Recording setup checklist: keep a session running all day β€’ Nametag: sign on to the Palmerville camp board from your phone, no more trips to the office 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 at 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 SYNC β€’ Offline regions: download an area's satellite and layers, and keep working out of range β€’ Automatic backup of records, photos, Stash, detectors and Stacks to your own iCloud Drive or Google Drive β€’ Sync your Logbook between your phones and tablets, through your cloud or straight over Wi-Fi β€’ Guided imports for Trilobite CSV, Detector Maps KML and Gaia GPS, plus generic GPX, KML and KMZ 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 over 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 update cadence: Patchly at weekly against Happy Prospector's every 2 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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 and Patchly sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Happy Prospector ships an update every 2 weeks, Patchly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 7 level
Happy Prospector versus Patchly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHappy ProspectorPatchly
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviewsβ€”92.3% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetizationβ€”Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.5 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size67 MB105 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
3 purchases

Patchly

Subscriptions3
  • Patchly Pro$8.991 Month
  • Victoria LiDAR Relief$39.991 Year
  • Patchly Pro1 Year trial$49.991 Year

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 in-app purchases available.
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 31, 2026 and Patchly on November 10, 2026.

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