# Dogskin vs ActiveCaptain®

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Dogskin at 100% against ActiveCaptain®'s 56%. Dogskin also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 18). ActiveCaptain®'s advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 84 months) and ratings volume (5.2K vs 7). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ActiveCaptain® sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $74.99 per year. Dogskin asks for nothing beyond the download.

Dogskin holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ActiveCaptain® has 5.2K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Dogskin's written reviews are positive against 56% of ActiveCaptain®'s.

Dogskin ships an update every 84 months, ActiveCaptain® every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dogskin | ActiveCaptain® |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dogskin/id944113939/reviews)** | [4.0 (5.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/activecaptain/id1116089313/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 7 | **5.2K** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 56.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 84 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#33** |
| Size | 68 MB | 196 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.5** | 18.5 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [NVISION TECHNOLGY LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/944113938) | [Garmin](https://appshunter.io/developer/411046952) |

## What reviewers say

### Dogskin

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dogskin/id944113939)

Navigate and log fishing trips on Dogskin Lake with detailed bathymetric maps and offline functionality. Track catches, view weather forecasts, and utilize solunar feeding predictions. Integrates with Apple Watch and Siri for hands-free logging.

**Highlights:** Offline bathymetric depth contours, Live depth and weather readout, Solunar feeding forecast, One-tap catch logging, Photo capture with location/depth, Waypoint creation and sharing, Apple Watch and Siri integration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### ActiveCaptain®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/activecaptain/id1116089313)

**Currently charting:** #33 Top Grossing · Navigation, #162 Top Free · Navigation (US App Store)

This app connects your mobile device to compatible Garmin chartplotters, enabling wireless chart and map transfers, software updates, and route planning. It also provides access to a community of boaters for reviews and information on marinas and points of interest.

**Highlights:** Wireless chart and map transfer, Route and waypoint planning, ActiveCaptain Community for POI reviews, Chartplotter control via Helm feature, Easy software updates, OnDeck system monitoring, Garmin Quickdraw Community map sharing

**In-app purchases (18)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| NSUS007R-U.S. East | $74.99 | per year |
| NSUS006R-U.S. South | $74.99 | per year |
| g4 U.S. Lakes & Rivers Built-i | $99.99 | per year |
| NSUS001L-U.S. & Canada | $99.99 | per year |
| g4 Vision U.S. South | $129.99 | per year |
| g4 Vision U.S. East | $129.99 | per year |
| GN+ US & Coast Canada Built-In | $149.99 | per year |
| U.S. LakeVü Detail Map | $59.99 | one-time |
| US+Great Lakes Detail Map | $99.99 | one-time |
| BlueChart g3+LakeVu g3 Built-I | $99.99 | one-time |
| LUS100F - Download | $149.99 | one-time |
| GN+ U.S. South | $149.99 | one-time |
| GN+ U.S. East | $149.99 | one-time |
| VUS010R - Download | $174.99 | one-time |
| GN+ U.S. & Canada | $199.99 | one-time |
| HXUS604X - Download | $219.99 | one-time |
| GNV+ U.S. East | $249.99 | one-time |
| GNV+ U.S. South | $249.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Seamless integration with Garmin devices
- 💡 Useful for planning trips and managing waypoints
- 🚀 Convenient for updating software and charts
- 👍 Great app for Garmin users

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and connection issues
- 🔍 Limited chart and mapping functionality compared to competitors
- 🤔 Difficult to transfer data between devices
- 🤔 Confusing and not very intuitive user interface
- 💰 Expensive for the features provided

**Reported bugs**

- Charts and maps not loading properly
- Waypoints and routes not syncing correctly
- Constant prompts to purchase additional charts
- Compatibility issues with older Garmin devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to duplicate and edit existing routes
- Sync user data across multiple devices
- Improved chart detail and coverage
- Animated tides and currents
- Better integration with other navigation apps


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Dogskin free?

Dogskin is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ActiveCaptain® free?

ActiveCaptain® is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Dogskin or ActiveCaptain®?

Dogskin is rated higher. Dogskin averages 5.0 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while ActiveCaptain® averages 4.0 from 5.2K ratings.

### Do Dogskin or ActiveCaptain® have ads?

Neither Dogskin nor ActiveCaptain® shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Dogskin or ActiveCaptain®?

Dogskin ships an update every 84 months, and ActiveCaptain® every 3 months. Most recently, Dogskin was updated on September 29, 2026 and ActiveCaptain® on October 16, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*