Comparison

iBobber vs STRIKER™ Cast

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

Head to head
About

iBobber

This app pairs with a wireless bobber to act as a portable fishfinder. It displays fish locations, depth, and water temperature on your smartphone or smartwatch. Log your catches, map underwater contours, and track your fishing trips.

Highlights
  • Fish detection and depth
  • GPS hotspot tagging
  • Waterbed mapping
  • Trip logging and social sharing
  • Lunar calendar
  • Fish and strike alarms
Features
Read full description

iBobber can now display fish detection and depth info on your Apple Watch! Love at first cast. The fishfinder that 
syncs with your iPhone or iPad. There’s a lot to love about iBobber™. It syncs via Bluetooth® Smart (Bluetooth Low Energy Technology) with your iOS device up to 100’ away from a boat, shore, kayak, or pier, so you have a fishfinder with a solid connection, that won't deplete your phone's battery like wi-fi does, a fishfinder that goes up to 8hrs on a charge, that's half the size and weight— a fishfinder that’s as mobile as you are. The Bluetooth Smart standard is different from the Bluetooth® used in other fishfinders. Bluetooth Smart is designed for short messages from nearby devices such as temperature sensors, proximity sensors, and medical devices such as heart monitors, and now sonar signals. The iBobber app in conjunction with the iBobber bobber (sold separately) enables you to locate fish up to 135’ under water, GPS Tag favorite hotspots, map the contour o waterbeds, and measure water temperature. You’ll love that you can save all your fishing adventures with the Trip Log, and share them all on social media. You’ll also love the Lunar Calendar, Fish Alarm, Strike Alarm, Bobber Beacon, Weather sync, and the app’s stunning graphics. iBobber is for anyone who loves to find fish, and wants to catch more of them.
 Just cast the bobber (sold separately) and Ping! the iBobber app syncs via Bluetooth Smart and displays where the fish are. 

The iBobber app is designed for one-handed use, and can help make fishing more fun 
than it's ever been. Even if you have a boat-mounted fishfinder, iBobber can free
 you from seeing fish only under your boat.  And finding more fish is always a lot
 more fun than just fishing! iBobber App Features: Sonar Screen Locate Fish at Depths up to 135ft Depth Scale Fish Tagged with Depth Sonar Status Dashboard Battery Status (up to 8hrs of charge) Water Temperature Fish Alarm (on/off) Strike Alarm (on/off/adjustable) Bobber Beacon (on/off) Trip Log Just tap any GPS Tag button on any screen and the Date, Time, and Location of your trip auto-loads in Trip Log. Name your trip, then log conditions and the type of fishing. Log lures the fish are hitting on, and species of fish you've caught. Then share it all on social media with your friends who are stuck back in the office. Date Time Location (GPS coordinates) Title Lure Conditions Type of Fishing Fish Caught (type & number) Notes Share: Facebook, Twitter, Mail, Text Waterbed Mapping Map the contour of the bottom up to 100ft. Just cast, tap Begin, get ready 
to a count of 5, then reel the 
iBobber over the area to map, 
tap Stop, and have a look at the waterbed map, and see the contours of the bottom (up to
135' deep). Lunar Calendar Moonrise / moonset Sunrise / sunset
 The monthly lunar calendar will give you the moon phases by day and date. And you can also get the moon rise and set, and the sunrise and set— just tap today's date to see it. Weather iBobber weather is GPS based and provides current temperature, estimated high and low temperature for the day, the percentage chance of rain, wind speed and what direction it's blowing in from, as well as the barometric pressure. Settings Bluetooth Smart Sync Imperial / Metric Sonar Demo. And Waterbed Mapping speed adjustment. Bobber Specs Sonar Depth: Up to 135ft / 41m Bluetooth® Smart Range: Up to 100 ft / 30m Sonar: Single Beam, 90º, 118 kHz Power: Auto-On in water Units: Imperial / Metric Battery: 3.7V Rechargeable Battery Charge: Up to 8 hours Size: 59mm Diameter Weight: 47gm / 1.7oz

About

STRIKER™ Cast

Enhance your fishing trips by wirelessly connecting your mobile device to a portable sonar unit. Visualize fish and underwater structures in real-time, with options for traditional sonar or ice fishing modes. Create custom maps and mark your favorite fishing spots for easier returns.

Highlights
  • Wireless sonar streaming up to 200'
  • Displays fish and structure in detail
  • Traditional 2-D sonar and ice fishing modes
  • Automatic setting adjustments
  • Custom map creation with 1' contours
  • Mark favorite fishing spots
Read full description

Why guess where to find fish? See exactly where they’re hiding with STRIKER™ Cast portable fishfinder and the STRIKER Cast app. This app lets you pair your mobile device with the sonar device and start fishing in minutes. Cast from shore, dock or watercraft, and reel back in to locate and display fish on your iPhone or iPad. With the STRIKER Cast GPS model, you can even create your own custom maps with 1’ contours. This app is not intended to be a standalone fishing or sonar app. • Sonar streams wirelessly from up to 200’ away • Displays fish and structure in crisp, easy-to-interpret detail • Choose from easy-to-understand traditional 2-D sonar and ice fishing flasher modes • Includes automatic setting adjustments for gain, range and more • Access maps with up to 1’ contours from the Garmin Quickdraw™ Community or create your own • Mark your favorite fishing spots so you can easily find your way back Make your first cast a STRIKER Cast. Please note: Continuous use of GPS can shorten battery life.

Screenshots

iBobber4 screens
STRIKER™ Cast4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: STRIKER™ Cast at 4.6 against iBobber's 4.0. STRIKER™ Cast also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 47%). iBobber's advantage is update cadence (every 5 months vs every 15 months). On price, ratings volume, ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

STRIKER™ Cast holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 254 and 176 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of iBobber's written reviews are positive against 79% of STRIKER™ Cast's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iBobber ships an update every 5 months, STRIKER™ Cast every 15 months. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
iBobber versus STRIKER™ Cast: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriBobberSTRIKER™ Cast
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (254 ratings)4.6 (176 ratings) — better
Positive reviews47.2% of reviews79.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings254 — better176
Update frequencyEvery 5 months — betterEvery 15 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.116.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size96 MB151 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperReelSonar, Inc.Garmin

Customer experience

iBobber

All ratings254 ratings
Positive74.8%
Neutral4.3%
Negative20.9%
Written reviews72 reviews
Positive47.2%
Neutral9.7%
Negative43.1%

STRIKER™ Cast

All ratings176 ratings
Positive92.0%
Neutral3.4%
Negative4.5%
Written reviews92 reviews
Positive79.3%
Neutral7.6%
Negative13.0%

User reviews

iBobber

From 254 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🎣 Good for dock fishing
  • 💡 Innovative product
  • 💰 Great value for price
  • 🗺️ Mapping feature works well

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent disconnections
  • 🐛 App crashes often
  • 🐛 Inconsistent connectivity
  • 🐛 False readings/inaccurate data
  • 🐛 Annoying pop-ups (purchase date)

STRIKER™ Cast

From 176 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎣 Accurate fish and depth detection
  • 💰 Affordable price point
  • 📱 Easy to use app interface
  • 🗺️ Excellent mapping functionality
  • 🔋 Long battery life

Room to improve

  • 🔌 Proprietary charging connector
  • 📵 Requires cell service/internet connection
  • 🐛 Occasional connectivity issues
  • 📱 Small text for depth/temp readouts
  • ⚠️ Device durability concerns

Bugs and requests

iBobber

Reported bugs

39 issues
  • Screen auto-locks during waterbed mapping
  • App crashes upon connecting
  • iBobber disconnects frequently
  • False readings (fish in swimming pool, incorrect depth)
  • Purchase date pop-up appears repeatedly
Show 34 more
  • Cannot register for an account (server problem)
  • Device stops supporting phone after purchase
  • App closes when connecting
  • iBobber not connected after app reopens
  • Device only connects indoors, weak signal outdoors
  • Depth readings are inaccurate
  • Shows ghost fish
  • Shows ledges that don't exist
  • iBobber won't connect to phone
  • Connection lasts only for a second
  • App crashes all the time
  • Does not give audible 'ping' when fish is located
  • Screen doesn't update often
  • Marks fish at multiple depths simultaneously
  • Tries to sell Netfish on app start
  • Apple Watch app requires phone
  • Connection issues
  • Latest app update resolved previous issues
  • App doesn't fill iPhone X screen
  • Bluetooth connection uses lots of phone battery
  • Cannot update firmware from iOS
  • App won't let user update to new version
  • Display issues on iPhone X
  • Fish setting (beeps) does not come back on after disconnect
  • Bobber light difficult to turn back on after reconnect
  • Firmware won't update
  • iBobber won't connect
  • Trip logs disappeared after new update
  • Long screen update delays
  • Requests to update firmware repeatedly
  • Firmware update hangs
  • Won't connect to iPhone
  • Device won't charge or work after first use
  • iPhone 4s not Bluetooth LE ready

Requested features

15 requests
  • Keep screen from auto-locking during mapping
  • Toggle sensitivity and range for flasher mode
  • Add more fish types to log (walleye, crappie, trout)
  • Allow editing of trip log entries (date, time, weight, etc.)
  • Add a 'don't ask again' option for purchase date prompt
Show 10 more
  • Improve Bluetooth connection stability
  • Add audible 'ping' for fish detection
  • Allow offline profile creation/skip profile step
  • Add a trouble section/PDF manual
  • Alert when device is fully charged
  • Add three categories for fish sizes (small, medium, large)
  • Different color for different fish sizes
  • Depth reader starting at 1 ft
  • Different color for s/m/l fish
  • Raw sonar mode availability

STRIKER™ Cast

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • App won't connect to Garmin server after restart
  • Connectivity drops within 30 meters
  • App requires login even in areas with no cell service
  • Device won't reconnect after disconnecting
  • App freezes on certain phone models
Show 4 more
  • Offline functionality unavailable
  • Account creation failures
  • Accuracy degradation over time
  • Requires frequent app restarts

Requested features

14 requests
  • Fish alarm audio notification
  • Split screen sonar and map view
  • Fish size estimation capability
  • Fish species identification
  • Offline map downloading
Show 9 more
  • Integration with Navionics app
  • Regular app updates and improvements
  • Satellite imagery layer for maps
  • Device location tracking if lost
  • Replaceable battery option
  • USB-C charging connector
  • 3D sonar visualization
  • Larger depth and temperature display
  • Lake name identification

In-app purchases

None

iBobber

No in-app purchases

None

STRIKER™ Cast

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iBobber free?
iBobber is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is STRIKER™ Cast free?
STRIKER™ Cast is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iBobber or STRIKER™ Cast?
STRIKER™ Cast is rated higher. iBobber averages 4.0 out of 5 from 254 ratings, while STRIKER™ Cast averages 4.6 from 176 ratings.
Do iBobber or STRIKER™ Cast have ads?
Neither iBobber nor STRIKER™ Cast shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iBobber or STRIKER™ Cast?
iBobber ships an update every 5 months, and STRIKER™ Cast every 15 months. Most recently, iBobber was updated on September 15, 2026 and STRIKER™ Cast on September 23, 2026.

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