Comparison

Fish Hawk vs Mercury Diagnostic App

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

Head to head
About

Fish Hawk

This app provides real-time trolling speed, water temperature, and downrigger depth data directly to your iOS device. It also features a Catch Log for recording fishing details and allows easy sharing of catch information with friends.

Highlights
  • Real-time trolling speed display
  • Water temperature readings
  • True running depth of downrigger weight
  • Catch Log for recording fish details
  • Share catch log information with friends
Features
Read full description

Turn your phone into a powerful on-the-water display with the Fish Hawk app. When paired with a Fish Hawk X4D system or Fish Hawk ONE, you can monitor speed and temperature at the lure, and true downrigger depth, anywhere on your boat—no extra hardware required. The built-in Catch Log makes it easy to record exactly what’s working. Instantly save depth, temperature, and speed at the moment of a catch, along with optional notes, so you can repeat success with confidence. Quickly share your catch data with friends and other boats via text or email, helping everyone stay dialed in and on fish.

About

Mercury Diagnostic App

This app allows Mercury dealer technicians to perform basic diagnostics on SmartCraft® engines. It provides live engine data, fault information, runtime history, and custom data lists. Full functionality requires a license key and a VesselView Mobile module.

Highlights
  • View live SmartCraft® engine data
  • Create custom data lists
  • Obtain active faults
  • View runtime history
  • Enter maintenance records
  • Wireless communication via Bluetooth
Features
Read full description

Mercury Marine’s Diagnostic App (MDA) enables Mercury dealer technicians to easily switch between VesselView Mobile rigged boats (or a module carried with them) throughout the day to do basic diagnostics on SmartCraft® engines with the phone in their pockets. MDA provides the ability to create custom data lists to view live engine data, obtain active faults, view runtime history, create reports, and more. The full functionality of the app is enabled with a license key obtained from Mercury Marine and works in conjunction with the Bluetooth Low Energy VesselView Mobile module. When the app is open and connected to your vessel it requires a continuous connection and therefore may impact the battery life of your device. Features: • View live SmartCraft® engine data and create custom data lists with: RPM, Battery Voltage, Engine Temperature, Engine Hours, Oil Temperature, Oil Pressure, Coolant Temperature, Sea Temperature and more! • View active fault and corresponding descriptive fault information • View engine hours and runtime history • Enter Maintenance records • Communicate wirelessly to SmartCraft® engines through a Bluetooth Low Energy connection and a connected VesselView Mobile module • Allows for normal phone operation – call, text, streaming music, search the web, etc. while connected to a Mercury Marine SmartCraft® engine ************ IMPORTANT INFORMATION ************************* • MDA is limited to use by Mercury Marine Dealers. A software license key is required to use this app. • MDA is designed to work with the VesselView Mobile module that may already be rigged on a boat, or may be purchased through your dealership or through a link inside the app. A firmware update to the VesselView Mobile module may be required to use MDA. *Requires version 1.0.3 firmware or later. • The VesselView Mobile module works with SmartCraft® capable engines built since 2003 (40HP and up). One to four engines can be viewed simultaneously. • The VesselView Mobile module simply connects to a SmartCraft® connector located either at the helm or on the engine. • Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

Screenshots

Mercury Diagnostic App3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Mercury Diagnostic App at 10.0 against Fish Hawk's 17.0. On price, update cadence, 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

Fish Hawk ships an update every 22 months, Mercury Diagnostic App every 11 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Fish Hawk versus Mercury Diagnostic App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFish HawkMercury Diagnostic App
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 22 monthsEvery 11 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.010.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB73 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGrayden Outdoors LLCMercury Marine LLC

Customer experience

Fish Hawk

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%

Mercury Diagnostic App

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Fish Hawk

No in-app purchases

None

Mercury Diagnostic App

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Fish Hawk free?
Fish Hawk is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Mercury Diagnostic App free?
Mercury Diagnostic App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Fish Hawk or Mercury Diagnostic App have ads?
Neither Fish Hawk nor Mercury Diagnostic App shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Fish Hawk or Mercury Diagnostic App?
Fish Hawk ships an update every 22 months, and Mercury Diagnostic App every 11 months. Most recently, Fish Hawk was updated on October 24, 2026 and Mercury Diagnostic App on October 24, 2026.

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