Comparison

The Hunting App vs Patchly

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

Head to head
About

The Hunting App

This offline GPS and mapping application is designed for hunters. It allows users to download maps for use in areas without mobile service and import various file formats. Mark important locations with custom symbols and record your routes for later review.

Highlights
  • Offline topographic, satellite, and hybrid maps
  • Downloadable map tiles for offline use
  • Import KMZ, KML, GPX, GeoJSON, GeoPDF, and TIFF files
  • Mark and label waypoints with category-specific symbols
  • Record, pause, resume, and export GPS tracks
  • Field Lock Mode for glove use or poor conditions
Features
Read full description

The Hunting App is a GPS and mapping app built for hunters. It works offline, so it keeps working in country with no mobile coverage. INCLUDED FOR FREE Maps Topographic, satellite and hybrid base maps. Download map areas before a trip and use them offline. Waypoints Mark and label camps, vehicles, stands, sightings, kills and gear. Category symbols, custom colours, and photos or video attached to any waypoint. Tracking Record your route with device GPS. Pause and resume, watch your trail build on the map, and export it when you get home. File import Open KMZ, KML, GPX, GeoJSON, CSV, GeoPDF and TIFF files from your device or shared in from another app. Bring in a georeferenced PDF map, or drop a set of boundaries in as its own map layer. Library Keep maps, collections, waypoints and tracks in folders. Search and sort the lot, and restore anything you delete for up to 14 days. Field Lock Mode A stripped-back interface with larger touch targets, for use with gloves on or in bad weather. PLUS SUBSCRIPTION Cloud backup and sync Sign in once and your maps, waypoints, tracks, collections and licences back up and sync across your devices. Everything is end-to-end encrypted, so only you can read it. Lose your phone and your data is safe. Hunting groups Start a group, invite your mates with a link, and plan together. Group chat with photos, voice messages and shared waypoints, plus live location while a hunt is on. Hunt planning Set up a hunt with dates and RSVPs, then draw zones, mark stands, check shooting lanes and lines of sight, measure distance and read elevation profiles before you leave home. Premium map layers Curated hunting overlays such as contours, public land and hunting area boundaries, water and vehicle tracks, styled to stay readable in the field. Weather and 3D terrain Wind, forecast, sunrise, sunset and moon phase for any point on the map. Tilt into 3D to read ridgelines, gullies and dead ground. Gear checklists Build a packing list for a hunt and tick it off as you load up. Everyone in the group keeps their own. Audio navigation Spoken bearing and distance to your target so you can keep your head up and your phone in your pocket. Harvest and gallery Keep the photos and video from a hunt with the hunt itself, and choose whether the group sees them. Desktop mapping Plan on the big screen at thehuntingapp.com.au and it syncs straight to your phone. Licence vault Store licences and permits behind a vault password. They are encrypted on your device before they ever leave it. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Plus is an auto-renewing subscription. The price and billing period are shown in the app before you confirm, and payment is charged to your Apple ID account. Your subscription renews automatically unless it is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel your subscription in your account settings after purchase. Terms of use: https://thehuntingapp.com.au/terms Privacy policy: https://thehuntingapp.com.au/privacy SUPPORT Website: https://thehuntingapp.com.au Email: hunt@thehuntingapp.com.au

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 • 100+ curated layers and growing: geology, geochemistry, tenements, land access, terrain, historic activity and more, chosen for prospecting • Tenements refresh nightly, so leases, applications and expiries are current before you drive out • Bare-earth LiDAR relief for New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania, with Victoria as a separate add-on • Stacks: build your own layer setups, reorder them, and switch between saved maps in a tap • Layer controls: every layer has its own settings, filters and thresholds • 3D terrain: tilt, rotate and exaggerate the ground to read its shape • Section 40E permit builder for Western Australia, with Form 1A export • Offline search for places and watercourses, with no reception • Light and dark, for the hour you are in FIELD RECORDING AND NAVIGATION • Smart classification: Patchly works out which parts of a session were travelling, detecting or stopped • Logbook+ draws detecting as lines or as Coverage, the honeycomb showing how hard a patch has been worked • Record a session and see where you detected, and which detector was active for that section • Off-road go-to: navigate to any find, pin or map point by bearing, distance and ETA • Multi-stop routes: build an ordered route and work through it • Classify finds by type, size and condition, each with its own symbol • Pins that mean something: a colour dot, or an icon for camps, vehicles, water and hazards • Draw and save lines and areas for boundaries and plans RECORDS AND GOLD • Logbook: filter and sort every session, inspect it, and return to the exact ground • Stash: track nuggets, specimens, bars and coins in a simple or purity-aware mode, valued against the live gold price • Overview and Calendar: totals, value, categories, daily hauls and season statistics • Add photos to finds and pins, and link a find to its Stash item OFFLINE, BACKUP AND PORTABILITY • Offline regions: pick an area, download its satellite and layers, and the map keeps working out of range • Automatic backup of records, photos, Stash, detectors and Stacks to your own cloud • Guided import wizards for Trilobite CSV, Detector Maps KML and Gaia GPS exports, step by step • Generic GPX, KML and KMZ import for everything else • 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. • Patchly Pro annual: A$79.99 per year (first year A$23.99) • Patchly Pro monthly: A$13.49 per month • 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

The Hunting App4 screens
Patchly4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Patchly at none against The Hunting App's 1. On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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. The Hunting App sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $44.99 per year. Patchly asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Hunting App ships an update every 5 days, Patchly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
The Hunting App versus Patchly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Hunting AppPatchly
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.415.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size154 MB92 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMAP BASED APPS PTY LTDPatchly Labs Pty Ltd

Customer experience

The Hunting App

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Patchly

Written reviews11 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

The Hunting App

Subscriptions1
  • The Hunting App Plus14 Days trial$44.991 Year
None

Patchly

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Hunting App free?
The Hunting App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Patchly free?
Patchly is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do The Hunting App or Patchly have ads?
Neither The Hunting App nor Patchly shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Hunting App or Patchly?
The Hunting App ships an update every 5 days, and Patchly weekly. Most recently, The Hunting App was updated on October 21, 2026 and Patchly on October 13, 2026.

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