The Hunting App vs Patchly
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
| Parameter | The Hunting App | Patchly |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 15.5 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 154 MB | 92 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | MAP BASED APPS PTY LTD | Patchly Labs Pty Ltd |
Customer experience
The Hunting App
Patchly
In-app purchases
The Hunting App
- The Hunting App Plus14 Days trial$44.991 Year
Patchly
No in-app purchases








