Fish Hawk vs Mercury Diagnostic App
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
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.
- View live SmartCraft® engine data
- Create custom data lists
- Obtain active faults
- View runtime history
- Enter maintenance records
- Wireless communication via Bluetooth
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Fish Hawk ships an update every 22 months, Mercury Diagnostic App every 11 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Fish Hawk | Mercury Diagnostic App |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 3.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 22 months | Every 11 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 10.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 73 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Grayden Outdoors LLC | Mercury Marine LLC |
Customer experience
Fish Hawk
Mercury Diagnostic App
In-app purchases
Fish Hawk
No in-app purchases
Mercury Diagnostic App
No in-app purchases









