Comparison

ReefDrift vs Aquarium Care Log

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

Head to head
About

ReefDrift

Features
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Log every reef parameter in seconds. ReefDrift calculates a Tank Stability Score โ€” Stable, Watch, or Danger โ€” the instant you save a reading. Catch a 0.3 dKH swing before it costs $500 in coral. No account. No cloud. Just your tank data, on your device. LOG THE BIG THREE AND EVERYTHING ELSE Alkalinity (dKH), Calcium, Magnesium โ€” the parameters reef keepers obsess over. Plus Nitrate, Phosphate, pH, Salinity, Temperature, Ammonia, and Nitrite. Last values pre-fill automatically so a full test set takes under ten seconds, not one screen per parameter. TANK STABILITY SCORE ReefDrift calculates a Stable, Watch, or Danger score the instant you save a reading. The score weights every parameter against your target band and flags drift between sessions. A single alk swing from 8.4 to 7.1 dKH registers as Danger before you wonder why a frag is pale. Out-of-range chips light up on the dashboard immediately โ€” no digging, no scrolling. DOSING CALCULATOR โ€” WIRED TO YOUR TANK BRS 2-part, ESV B-Ionic, Red Sea Foundation, Aquaforest KH Coralline, and custom products. Enter tank volume and current reading; ReefDrift gives you the exact dose to hit your target. Works for alk, cal, mag, NO3, and PO4. The math uses your real tank volume, not a generic estimate. TREND CHARTS WITH TARGET-RANGE BANDS Every reading plotted on a line chart with your target band overlaid. See whether alkalinity is riding the top of the band, drifting toward the floor, or cycling after a large dose. Adjust the time window from 7 days to 12 months. MAINTENANCE LOG Record water changes, GFO swaps, ATO top-offs, carbon additions, and frag-tank moves. Cross-reference maintenance events against parameter charts to see what actually moved the needle. TEST REMINDERS Set a reminder per parameter or per task. ReefDrift sends a local notification on schedule โ€” no server required. Never miss a Friday alk test again. HOME SCREEN WIDGET Your last three parameters and next task on your iPhone home screen or lock screen. See your tank status without opening the app. BUILT BY REEF HOBBYISTS We run SPS-dominant systems. We have watched a two-week alk drift destroy a $2,000 Acropora collection. We built ReefDrift because every existing option was either abandoned, clunky, cloud-first, or a bloated social network with a parameter logger bolted on. ReefDrift is ruthlessly focused: fast log, honest score, useful calculator. Nothing else. PRIVACY โ€” YOUR DATA STAYS ON YOUR DEVICE No account. No cloud. No login. All readings are stored locally on your iPhone and never leave your device unless you export them as CSV. Nothing to hack, nothing to lose in a server outage. ReefDrift Pro: Monthly $3.99 ยท Yearly $19.99 (save 58%) ยท Lifetime $59.99 โ€” unlimited tanks, no ads, home screen widget, advanced charts, dosing correlation, and PDF reports. Supports: dKH, meq/L, ppm ยท SG, ppt ยท ยฐC, ยฐF Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://lid-web-privacy.web.app/reefdrift-privacy-policy-ios.html

About

Aquarium Care Log

Features
Read full description

Keeping an aquarium healthy requires tracking a variety of details. Aquarium Care Log makes it simple to manage your tank's health, monitor essential water parameters, record water changes, log maintenance tasks, and calculate precise salt dosages. Whether you are a freshwater aquarist performing routine quarantine, treating fish diseases like Ich, or a marine reef enthusiast monitoring specific gravity, this app is your complete offline helper. Features: 1. Easy Aquarium Care Logs - Water Changes: Record the date and percentage of water replaced during maintenance. - Water Parameters: Log and track critical variables including temperature (Fahrenheit), pH, salinity (Specific Gravity), ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels. - Maintenance Tasks: Keep notes on filter sponge cleaning, media replacements, and other equipment upkeep. 2. Precision Salt Calculator - Instant Dosage Calculations: Input your water volume (in liters or gallons) and target concentration (e.g. 0.3% quarantine, 0.5% parasite treatment) to get the exact weight of salt needed in grams. - Kitchen Spoon Conversion: No scale on hand? Automatically convert gram weights into practical kitchen spoonfuls (coarse salt or marine mix). - Tank Volume Estimator: Easily calculate water volume for rectangular, cylindrical, or irregular tanks by entering physical dimensions. 3. Local Dashboard & History - Quick Actions: Access calculations, logs, and maintenance tracking from a streamlined dashboard. - Dosing & Care History: Keep a comprehensive chronological timeline of all activities to prevent double-dosing and monitor environmental trends. 4. 100% Offline & Private - All data is stored locally in the application's secure storage. - No accounts, cloud dependencies, or internet connections are required. Please Note: This application is a logging and calculation utility intended for personal pattern analysis and daily wellness support. It is not a veterinary or medical tool and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any severe medical condition. Please consult an aquarium professional or veterinarian for specific aquatic life advice.

Screenshots

ReefDrift4 screens
Aquarium Care Log4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Aquarium Care Log at none against ReefDrift's shown. ReefDrift's advantage is iOS requirement (18.2 vs 26.1). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. ReefDrift sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Aquarium Care Log sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
ReefDrift versus Aquarium Care Log: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReefDriftAquarium Care Log
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksโ€”
AdsYesNo โ€” better
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.2 โ€” better26.1
Further details โ€” not scored
Size16 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMuge AkalinShenzhen Fu Kang Heng Development Co., Ltd.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

ReefDrift

Subscriptions2
  • ReefDrift Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • ReefDrift Pro Yearly$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • ReefDrift Pro Lifetime$59.99
1 purchases

Aquarium Care Log

One-time1
  • Premium Unlock$1.99

Questions

Is ReefDrift free?
ReefDrift is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Aquarium Care Log free?
Aquarium Care Log is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ReefDrift or Aquarium Care Log have ads?
ReefDrift shows ads; Aquarium Care Log does not.

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