Comparison

CMonster vs Inshore Bite

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

Head to head
About

CMonster

Control your Power-Pole Shallow Water Anchor with this app via Bluetooth LE. It offers advanced boat control for sport fishing. Requires ownership of compatible Power-Pole devices.

Highlights
  • Bluetooth LE control
  • Power-Pole device operation
  • Advanced boat control
  • Sport fishing enhancement
Features
Read full description

Over the past decade the Power-Pole Shallow Water Anchor has changed the world of sport fishing by offering the most technologically advanced boat control system ever invented. The C-Monster application is designed exclusively for controlling the operations of Power-Pole devices using Bluetooth LE connection. You must own Power-Pole devices to use this application. Currently, the iOS app is only compatible with Power-Pole hydraulic models built late January 2015 or after. This can be confirmed if the serial number ends in “AC” for the 8’ Blade or “AA” for any other hydraulic model. An add-on iOS module will soon be available to allow existing C-Monster equipped Power-Pole models not matching the criteria listed to utilize this app.

About

Inshore Bite

Features
Read full description

Inshore Bite is the local fishing brain for Florida's Gulf Coast — Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor, Sarasota, and Naples. It tells you when the bite turns on and where to be when it does: 1,000+ charted inshore spots scored hour by hour by the live bite, plus a guide's report every morning. THE HOTSPOT CHART — 1,000+ CHARTED SPOTS A live chart of the Gulf Coast's inshore water — flats, passes, bridges, piers, and reefs with real boundaries, scored hour by hour from live NOAA tides, wind, weather, solunar periods, and what's in season. Scrub the hour strip and watch your bay light up where the bite is strongest. Real FWC seagrass and oyster beds, artificial reefs on the chart, and NOAA tide stations with full curves. Mark your home waters and the map makes them yours. A GUIDE'S REPORT, EVERY MORNING Open the app to a plain-English read of your water: the tide story, today's best window, what's in season — snook, redfish, trout, tarpon, and more — and what to throw. Live NWS marine advisories before you launch. YOUR LOG MAKES IT SMARTER Snap a photo and AI identifies the species. Every catch pins to the water it came from and back-fills the tide, weather, and moon for that moment. Track trips, boats, and gear; earn badges for the waters you learn. The more you fish, the more every forecast bends toward how YOU fish. NO BOAT? YOU'RE COVERED Bridges, piers, jetties, and shorelines are charted too — spots for the shorebound angler, not just the skiff. FREE FOR 7 DAYS — NO CREDIT CARD New accounts get a week of full Pro access, no payment info required. After that, keep Pro with a subscription (30-day money-back guarantee) or stay on the free plan — the daily bite window is always free. Built in St. Petersburg by a Tampa Bay angler. No ads. Your data is yours — delete it anytime. Tide and weather data from NOAA and Open-Meteo; habitat from FWC. Always follow FWC regulations and check official conditions — Inshore Bite is a guide, not a safety or navigation device. Privacy Policy: https://inshorebite.app/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

CMonster4 screens
Inshore Bite4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CMonster at none against Inshore Bite's 2. CMonster also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.4). Inshore Bite's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 months). On price, ads and device support 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. Inshore Bite sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. CMonster asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CMonster ships an update every 3 months, Inshore Bite every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
CMonster versus Inshore Bite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCMonsterInshore Bite
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.1 (101 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews13.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings101 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB100 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperJL Marine SystemsMclean Gas Company LLC

Bugs and requests

CMonster

Reported bugs

53 issues
  • Cannot connect to server
  • App crashes constantly
  • App does not find the micro anchor
  • App does not work with micro power pole on IOS
  • App will not stay linked up with iPhone
Show 48 more
  • App randomly stopped working
  • App crashes when adjusting speed
  • App connects then crashes
  • App recognizes only one of the two poles
  • App cannot find pole via Bluetooth
  • App only found one of my two poles
  • Both poles can not be found
  • Cannot get the app to pair with the charge
  • App does not show charge direction arrows
  • App won't show charge direction arrows
  • Firmware update issues
  • Cannot connect to server
  • No such settings to allow battery info input
  • App crashes constantly
  • App crashes when adjusting speed
  • App connects to power poles then crashes
  • App does not find the micro anchor
  • App does not work with micro power pole on IOS
  • App will not stay linked up with iPhone
  • App randomly stopped working
  • App does not show charge direction arrows
  • App won't show charge direction arrows
  • App is super glitchy
  • App won't connect
  • App doesn't show why it won't pair
  • App is unreliable
  • App is useless
  • App is junk
  • App does not work with micro anchor
  • App does not read right for the charge
  • App stopped working
  • Bluetooth connectivity issues
  • Cannot get it to connect to poles
  • Not connecting to one pole
  • Cannot get out of demo mode (ISO)
  • Cannot get the app to pair with the charge
  • App/phone no longer recognizes poles
  • Will not pair at all
  • Recognizes only one pole
  • App on iOS does no good for Micro
  • Does not work with micro power pole
  • Does not find the micro anchor
  • Doesn’t work anymore
  • App crashes constantly
  • App crashes when adjusting speed
  • App connects then crashes
  • App doesn't see the powerpoles
  • App doesn't connect

Requested features

6 requests
  • Improve Bluetooth connectivity
  • App compatibility for Micro anchor
  • Fix ISO version issues
  • Add battery information settings
  • Improve app compatibility for iOS
Show 1 more
  • Update app to fix bugs

Inshore Bite

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

CMonster

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Inshore Bite

Subscriptions2
  • Inshore Bite Pro — Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Inshore Bite Pro — Annual$59.991 Year

Questions

Is CMonster free?
CMonster is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Inshore Bite free?
Inshore Bite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do CMonster or Inshore Bite have ads?
Neither CMonster nor Inshore Bite shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CMonster or Inshore Bite?
CMonster ships an update every 3 months, and Inshore Bite every 9 days. Most recently, CMonster was updated on October 20, 2026 and Inshore Bite on October 15, 2026.

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