FishNerd vs ANGLR: two apps that log for you, one is free (2026)
ANGLR and FishNerd share an idea most fishing apps do not: the angler should not have to type. ANGLR's answer is to record the whole trip — GPS track, conditions, waypoints — as you fish, with a watch app and an optional Bluetooth button called the Bullseye that marks a catch in one press. FishNerd's answer is to record the catch itself from one photo: species identified by AI, weather, pressure trend, moon, solunar window and tide attached automatically.
So this is a comparison between two kinds of automatic. One captures where you went and what the day was like; the other captures what you caught and what the moment was like. Pricing, ratings and the honest gaps on each side are below, taken from the store listings and anglr.com on the date shown.
Side by side
| Feature | FishNerd | ANGLR |
|---|---|---|
| No in-app purchases at all | Yes | No |
| Catch log | Yes | Yes |
| AI species identification | Yes | — |
| Conditions attached to each catch automatically | Yes | Yes |
| Tides | Yes | Paid tier |
| Solunar / bite windows | Yes | — |
| Bite forecast / activity score | No | — |
| Local regulations per catch | Yes | — |
| Private groups with a shared feed | Yes | Partial |
| Public community feed | No | Partial |
| WhatsApp catch cards | Yes | No |
| Tackle box with barcode scan | Yes | — |
| GPS trip track recorded automatically | No | Yes |
| Smartwatch app | No | Yes |
| Depth / bathymetric charts | No | Paid tier |
| Offline maps | No | — |
Yes / No / Paid tier / Partial / — = not stated on the store listing
What it costs · FishNerd
No in-app purchases
What it costs · ANGLR
- ANGLR Pro (anglr.com) — $29.99 / year
- ANGLR PRO (App Store) — $39.99 / year
- ANGLR MEMBER (App Store) — $2.99 / $29.99 / year
What ANGLR does well
Recording the trip. The listing is built around automatic capture: conditions and a GPS track logged as you fish, waypoints, a watch app, and the Bullseye — a physical Bluetooth button that marks a catch without touching the phone. For a boat angler with wet hands, that button is a genuinely good idea and nothing else in this comparison has one.
If what you want at the end of the day is a map of where you were and what the conditions did, ANGLR is the one built to produce it.
What Pro costs, and why two numbers
ANGLR lists its price two ways. anglr.com shows ANGLR Pro at $29.99 a year, which it describes as $2.50 a month billed annually. The US App Store lists ANGLR PRO at $39.99 alongside MEMBER tiers at $2.99 and $29.99. We report both rather than pick one; check which applies where you buy. Maps and water-gauge data are the Pro features.
The review base is also worth knowing: 4.2 stars across 635 ratings on the US App Store — by far the smallest in this comparison, and a mixed score. That is a smaller, more specialized app than Fishbrain or Fishing Points, not a worse one, but it is a different bet.
What FishNerd does differently
FishNerd records the catch, not the track. One photo identifies the species by AI — ANGLR's listing does not say whether it identifies fish, so the table marks that unknown rather than guessing — and attaches the conditions at that moment. No button to buy, no trip to start: the photo is the trigger.
It also shares in a way ANGLR's listing describes only partially: private groups with a shared feed, map, album and leaderboard, joined by code, link or QR, mirrored into WhatsApp as catch cards. A barcode-scanning tackle box, local regulations on each catch, English, Portuguese and Spanish. And no Pro: no subscription, no in-app purchases, free forever as stated on the homepage.
What FishNerd does not have
No GPS track of the trip, no waypoints, no watch app, and no Bullseye button. If the thing you want is the route you fished drawn on a map, ANGLR does that and FishNerd does not.
No depth maps and no water-gauge data. Those are ANGLR Pro features, and FishNerd has no equivalent, paid or otherwise.
Who should pick which
Pick ANGLR if you fish from a boat, want the trip recorded hands-free, and will buy the button. It is the only app here designed around that, and Pro is reasonably priced whichever number applies.
Pick FishNerd if the moment you care about is the catch — what it was and what the conditions were — and you want that logged from a photo, shared with your own group, for free.
The honest verdict
Both apps take the typing out of the log; they just disagree about what the log is. ANGLR says it is the trip, and records it with a button. FishNerd says it is the catch, and records it with a photo. If you want the track, ANGLR is worth its Pro price. If you want the catch, FishNerd does that with no price at all.
Related comparisons
- FishNerd vs Fishbrain: which one is actually free? (2026)5 Fishbrain alternatives in 2026 — one of them is actually free
- FishNerd vs FishAngler: the free one and the almost-free one (2026)5 FishAngler alternatives in 2026 — including one with no VIP tier
- FishNerd vs Fishing Points: forecast app or catch log? (2026)5 Fishing Points alternatives in 2026 — free options included
- FishNerd vs Fishbox: forecasts and bathymetry vs a free catch log (2026)5 Fishbox alternatives in 2026 — including a free one in Portuguese
- FishNerd vs every fishing app, feature by feature
- Best free fishing apps in 2026, honestly compared
