The Waterbug App vs FeralScan Pest Mapping
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Waterbug App
Identify freshwater invertebrates found in Australian waterways. Assess the health of rivers, creeks, and wetlands by observing these creatures. Contribute your findings to a national citizen science program.
- Waterbug identification
- River health assessment
- Citizen science contribution
- Data submission
- Australian freshwater invertebrates
Read full descriptionHide full description
Identify waterbugs (freshwater invertebrates) from Australia, assess the health of a river/creek/wetland and submit data to contribute to the citizen science program - The National Waterbug Blitz.
FeralScan Pest Mapping
Record the location and impact of pest animals, along with control actions taken. Your data contributes to a community-driven map to monitor populations and target control efforts effectively.
- Record pest animal locations
- Document pest-related problems
- Log pest control actions
- Contribute to community mapping
- Monitor pest populations
- Target pest control programs
Read full descriptionHide full description
Pest animals cause significant damage to our environment, the economy and society. This App can be used at any time to record the location of pest animals in your local area, record the problems they are causing, and record control actions you undertake. Your records will be submitted to the FeralScan community pest animal mapping website www.feralscan.org.au, to help develop and maintain an up-to-date picture of pest animals throughout your region. This information can be used to monitor populations, and to better target pests through coordinated pest control programs. Future versions of this app will include additional species, and more advanced mapping and data recording features. Please note that continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: The Waterbug App at 88% against FeralScan Pest Mapping's 31%. FeralScan Pest Mapping's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 9 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
The Waterbug App ships an update every 9 months, FeralScan Pest Mapping every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Waterbug App | FeralScan Pest Mapping |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 1.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 87.5% of reviews — better | 30.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 59 MB | 44 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Michael Sharman | Invasive Animals Limited |
Customer experience
The Waterbug App
FeralScan Pest Mapping
In-app purchases
The Waterbug App
No in-app purchases
FeralScan Pest Mapping
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is The Waterbug App free?
Is FeralScan Pest Mapping free?
Do The Waterbug App or FeralScan Pest Mapping have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Waterbug App or FeralScan Pest Mapping?
Other comparisons
