Comparison

SharkSmart vs SLSA eLearning

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

Head to head
About

SharkSmart

Stay informed about shark activity in NSW before you swim. Get real-time alerts on tagged shark detections and drone sightings. Understand shark behavior and assess your personal risk for a safer beach experience.

Highlights
  • Real-time shark alerts
  • Drone and tagged shark detections
  • Interactive risk assessment
  • Shark and marine animal identification
  • Beach mitigation gear locations
  • Smartwatch compatibility
Features
Read full description

Enjoy NSW beaches. Be SharkSmart. The NSW Government’s SharkSmart app helps you stay informed before you hit the water in NSW. The app is part of the NSW Government’s Shark Management Program implemented by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD). Check the latest shark alerts, Surf Life Saving NSW drone patrol observations, and tagged shark detections to better understand shark activity along the NSW coast. With greater awareness and knowledge of sharks and their behaviour, everyone can enjoy NSW beaches while reducing the risk of a shark encounter. The SharkSmart app provides real-time alerts, beach conditions, species information and helpful resources to keep you informed at NSW beaches. Stay SharkSmart with our App. Alerts & Notifications Receive alerts for tagged shark detections, shark sightings, Surf Life Saving NSW and Surfing NSW drone patrol observations, beach closures and other safety incidents. Customise notifications for alerts around you, by region, by time, or for your favourite beaches. New beach arrival notifications remind you when you are near the coast, with a quick link to today’s conditions and safety information. Daily Updates give you a snapshot of shark activity and alerts across NSW, or focused on beaches around you and your favourited beaches. Beach Status Check conditions before you go with beach status and at-a-glance information for beaches near you or in your favourites. See weather, water quality, patrol information, safety advice, and other local conditions to help you plan your visit. My Beaches Save your favourite NSW beaches and get updates and alerts for the places you visit most. Manage your list, view beach details, daily conditions and recent shark alerts for each location. Tagged Sharks When a tagged shark is detected, tap through for richer detail than ever before, including when and where it was tagged, species information, recent detections, and the path the indicative shark has taken along the NSW coast. Data may include contributions from DPIRD and research partners. Ask SharkSmart Have a question about sharks, beach safety or the latest conditions at a particular beach? Ask SharkSmart is your AI assistant for SharkSmart-related questions. Get clear, helpful answers in a conversation-style experience, with links to relevant alerts, beaches and species where available. Species There are over 180 species of sharks in Australia, and the majority are relatively harmless. In terms of shark-human interactions, the three species responsible for almost all serious and fatal interactions are the white, bull, and tiger sharks, collectively referred to in NSW as the ‘target’ species of our Shark Management Program. Browse images and information on these target sharks, as well as non-target sharks and other marine animals that sting or bite, for education and identification. Apple Watch Compatible If you have an Apple Watch, the SharkSmart app includes a companion watch app that lets you receive SharkSmart alerts on your wrist. View alerts around you or set up notifications for a region, by time or for favourite beaches. For more information visit: sharksmart.nsw.gov.au

About

SLSA eLearning

Access, track, and complete online training courses from your mobile device. The app allows you to learn at your own pace, fitting lessons into short breaks throughout your day. You can also browse and purchase new courses directly within the application.

Highlights
  • Access online training
  • Track course progress
  • Complete training modules
  • Browse available courses
  • Purchase courses in-app
Features
Read full description

The etrainu app is a simple way to access, track, and complete all your online training in our LMS, all from your phone or tablet. Only have 20 minutes before bed? 15 minutes on the train home? 10 minutes stalling in the foyer after lunch? (We won’t tell anyone...) No matter where you are or what you’re up to, you can jump into whichever courses you’re working through and chip away as much as you want — with the ability to track your progress in the app all the while. Once you’re done, you can even browse our suite of available courses and make the purchase right there on your phone. So download the etrainu app today and get learnin'!

Screenshots

SharkSmart4 screens
SLSA eLearning3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: SharkSmart at weekly against SLSA eLearning's every 11 months. SLSA eLearning's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (11.4 vs 18.6). On price, review sentiment, 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SharkSmart ships an update weekly, SLSA eLearning every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
SharkSmart versus SLSA eLearning: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSharkSmartSLSA eLearning
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (282 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews27.0% of reviews — better25.0% of reviews
Number of ratings282 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 11 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS18.611.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size49 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNSW Department of Primary IndustriesEtrainu Pty. Ltd.

Customer experience

SharkSmart

All ratings282 ratings
Positive80.1%
Neutral6.7%
Negative13.1%
Written reviews100 reviews
Positive27.0%
Neutral16.0%
Negative57.0%

SLSA eLearning

Written reviews4 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

SharkSmart

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App crashes on startup or when opening alerts
  • Favorite beaches not saving or reverting to all beaches
  • Search function not listing available beaches
  • Map hanging when opening away from beaches
  • Notifications not respecting location radius settings
Show 5 more
  • Inconsistent data between map view and list view
  • Add beach feature not working on iOS
  • Settings menu freezing with spinning wheel
  • Notifications continuing after app deletion
  • Gallery tab crashing on iPhone 12

Requested features

11 requests
  • Ability to name individual tracked sharks
  • Shark size and weight information at tagging
  • Historical shark movement patterns and migration data
  • Deep links from notifications to specific beaches
  • Time-series reporting for shark activity
Show 6 more
  • Apple Watch app improvements and alerts
  • Expand coverage to rivers and harbors
  • Better filtering by event type instead of notification source
  • Expand geographic coverage beyond NSW
  • More receiver stations in underserved areas
  • Clearer messaging about beaches without receivers

SLSA eLearning

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

SharkSmart

No in-app purchases

None

SLSA eLearning

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SharkSmart free?
SharkSmart is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SLSA eLearning free?
SLSA eLearning is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do SharkSmart or SLSA eLearning have ads?
Neither SharkSmart nor SLSA eLearning shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SharkSmart or SLSA eLearning?
SharkSmart ships an update weekly, and SLSA eLearning every 11 months. Most recently, SharkSmart was updated on October 14, 2026 and SLSA eLearning on October 9, 2026.

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