Comparison

TankDiary vs Aquarium Manager

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

Head to head
About

TankDiary

Easily track aquarium water parameters, schedule maintenance, and monitor your tank's health. This app helps you understand your tank's cycling stage and provides reliable reminders for water changes and other tasks. It offers detailed logging and historical charts for long-term trend analysis.

Highlights
  • Log water test results (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, etc.)
  • Identify aquarium cycle stage
  • Schedule maintenance reminders (water changes, dosing)
  • Water change calculator
  • Livestock and photo journal
  • Offline functionality
  • Interactive historical charts
Features
Read full description

Know when your new tank is safe for fish — TankDiary reads your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate tests and names the cycle stage you're in. Log a water test by tapping the color that matches your test tube. No account, no cloud, nothing leaves your phone. TRACK WHAT MATTERS Log temperature, pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, GH, KH, TDS and more in one quick sheet. Color-coded safe ranges tell you at a glance if something's drifting. Interactive charts show trends over weeks or years — with the safe zone drawn right on the graph and touch-to-read values on every point. KNOW WHEN SOMETHING'S WRONG The home screen flags out-of-range parameters and overdue maintenance across all your tanks the moment you open the app — no drilling in required. NEVER MISS A WATER CHANGE Set schedules for water changes, filter cleans, dosing and trimming, with reliable local reminders at the time you choose. The built-in water change calculator tells you how much to pull, how much conditioner to add, and — the part nobody else answers — what the change will actually do to your nitrate, including the floor set by nitrate in your own tap water. YOUR WHOLE TANK, REMEMBERED Livestock list with photos — fish, inverts, plants — searchable by species. A photo journal for milestones, rescapes and diary notes, with full-screen pinch-to-zoom. Everything works offline. SPEAKS YOUR LANGUAGE Fully translated into German, Japanese and Brazilian Portuguese, with the terms hobbyists actually use. Units follow your region and can be changed anytime. HONEST PRICING Free forever: 1 tank, working reminders, 30 days of history, the full cycle tracker, the color chart and the calculator. TankDiary Pro unlocks unlimited tanks and full history as a one-time purchase — pay once, own it forever. There's a cheap yearly option too, but we think you'll prefer to just own it. No account. No cloud lock-in. No selling your data — there's nothing to sell; it never leaves your device. Made by a hobbyist who got tired of spreadsheet water logs. Privacy Policy: https://tankdiary.com/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Aquarium Manager

Features
Read full description

Aquarium Manager turns fishkeeping guesswork into a simple daily routine. Log every tank, track water test results over time, and let a built-in cycling coach tell you exactly when it's safe to add new fish — all from your phone, whether you run one small fish tank or a whole fish room. Water chemistry is where most tanks go wrong. Aquarium Manager reads your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings and turns them into a clear trend line instead of a page of numbers, so you always know whether your nitrogen cycle is stable, spiking, or still establishing. Most new tanks fail for the same reason: fish go in before the tank finishes cycling. Aquarium Manager exists to make that mistake much harder to make. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Track every tank you own — freshwater, saltwater, planted, or reef, each with its own livestock and history • Log water test results — ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, and more, charted over time so trends jump out • Cycling coach — a step-by-step read of your nitrogen cycle that tells you when it's actually safe to stock • Compatibility check — see if a new species fits your existing tank before you buy it, not after • Disease photo ID — snap a photo of a sick fish for informational guidance on what might be wrong • AI diagnosis — describe symptoms and get hobby-level troubleshooting for common tank problems • Species guide — care sheets for popular aquarium species, from tank size to feeding to temperament • Maintenance schedule — water changes, filter cleans, and test reminders so nothing slips • Stock log and audit — a running inventory of every fish, plant, and invertebrate in every tank, so you always know exactly what's living where • Tank history — look back weeks or months to spot slow chemistry drift long before it turns into an algae bloom or a stressed, sick fish WHY AQUARIUM MANAGER • Built for real fishkeeping — the cycling coach and water test log solve the two things new hobbyists get wrong most • One place for every tank — no more scattered notes, spreadsheets, or sticky notes on the stand • Photo-based help — disease ID and AI diagnosis give you a starting point before you call an aquatic vet • Reminders that stick — maintenance tasks are scheduled, not just remembered • Works for beginners and veterans — a single freshwater community tank or a multi-tank fish room • Species-first buying — check compatibility before checkout instead of researching an incompatibility after the fish is already home WHO IT'S FOR • New hobbyists cycling their very first fish tank and unsure when it's safe to add fish • Experienced keepers juggling multiple tanks who want water test history in one place • Reef and planted tank owners who need to catch chemistry drift before it becomes a crash • Anyone who has lost fish to an uncycled tank and wants that to never happen again Aquarium Manager is informational hobby guidance, not a substitute for a veterinarian — for a sick or valuable animal, always consult an aquatic vet. For everyday tank care, it's the log, the cycling coach, and the compatibility check that keep your fish tank healthy between water changes. Download Aquarium Manager and give every tank the tracking it deserves. Terms of Use https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy https://coddykit.com/terms/privacy-policy

Screenshots

TankDiary4 screens
Aquarium Manager4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: TankDiary at none against Aquarium Manager's shown. Aquarium Manager's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 11 days) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and in-app purchases 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. TankDiary sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year and Aquarium Manager sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TankDiary ships an update every 11 days, Aquarium Manager every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
TankDiary versus Aquarium Manager: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTankDiaryAquarium Manager
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 11 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTOBY M BERGERMEHMET CANKER (TR)

In-app purchases

2 purchases

TankDiary

Subscriptions1
  • TankDiary Pro — Yearly$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • TankDiary Pro — Lifetime$24.99
2 purchases

Aquarium Manager

Subscriptions2
  • Aquarium Manager Pro monthly3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Aquarium Manager Pro annual3 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is TankDiary free?
TankDiary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Aquarium Manager free?
Aquarium Manager is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do TankDiary or Aquarium Manager have ads?
Aquarium Manager shows ads; TankDiary does not.
Which is updated more often, TankDiary or Aquarium Manager?
TankDiary ships an update every 11 days, and Aquarium Manager every 4 days. Most recently, TankDiary was updated on October 31, 2026 and Aquarium Manager on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons