Quick answer
If you just want a deep single-purpose ICP and parameter logger, and you are fine with $134.99 for the lifetime unlock or $4.29 per month for as long as you reef, AquaticLog is a defensible pick with a long track record.
If you want everything in one app (parameters, PAR Map, expense tracking with Receipt Scan Assist, home-screen widgets, controller imports, a marketplace, AI exports) and you would rather pay once for $9.99 than feed a subscription for the next five years, Reef Trak is the better fit.
Feature comparison
| Capability | Reef Trak | AquaticLog |
|---|---|---|
| Parameters | 55+ incl. trace elements | 50+ parameters incl. trace elements |
| ICP test imports | 7 labs: Aquaforest, ATI, Fauna Marin, Reef Moonshiner, Reef Zlements, Triton, Tropic Marin | 4 labs: Oceamo, Fauna Marin, Triton, ReefLabs |
| Controller imports | 5 vendors (Apex Fusion, HYDROS, Alkatronic, Mastertronic, AquaWiz), read-only | No |
| Dosing logs | Yes | Yes |
| Livestock catalog | 1,800+ species built-in | Yes |
| Equipment records | Yes | Yes |
| Maintenance scheduling | Yes, custom intervals incl. yearly | Yes |
| PAR Map | Yes | No |
| Expense tracking + Receipt Scan | Yes | No |
| Home-screen widgets | Yes | Yes |
| Marketplace / product search | ReefDock (BRS, Amazon, Saltwaterfish, Petco + hobbyist) | No |
| AI approach | TrakAI: bring your own engine | No AI |
| Web Portal | Yes (reeftrak.com) | Yes |
| Pricing | Free + $9.99 lifetime | Free + $4.29/mo, $45.99/yr, or $134.99 lifetime |
| Platforms | iOS + Android + Web Portal | iOS + Android + Web |
The pricing math
Run the numbers on a tank you plan to keep for five years.
AquaticLog: $134.99 if you pay lifetime up front. $45.99 per year times five is $229.95. $4.29 per month times sixty months is $257.40. Lifetime is the best deal they offer at $134.99.
Reef Trak: $9.99 once. That is the whole bill, forever.
Reef Trak lifetime is roughly thirteen times cheaper than AquaticLog lifetime, and more than twenty-five times cheaper than the AquaticLog annual sub over five years.
Where AquaticLog still has an edge
Thirteen years of history is not nothing. For a tank you intend to keep going for a long time, knowing the app survived multiple iOS and Android rewrites already is worth something. AquaticLog is still actively developed, and its ICP integrations with Oceamo and ReefLabs are two integrations Reef Trak does not currently match. Reef Trak supports Aquaforest, ATI, Fauna Marin, Reef Moonshiner, Reef Zlements, Triton, and Tropic Marin. Seven labs, just a different list.
If your ICP routine runs through Oceamo or ReefLabs, AquaticLog is the better tool on that one dimension. Everywhere else, Reef Trak covers more ground.
Where Reef Trak wins on substance
Reef Trak ships features AquaticLog has no equivalent for:
- PAR Map for reef lighting analysis with photo overlay and per-fixture mapping.
- Receipt Scan Assist that turns paper receipts into structured expense entries with line-item categorization.
- Controller imports from five vendors (Apex Fusion, HYDROS, Alkatronic, Mastertronic, AquaWiz), all read-only and safe.
- TrakAI bring-your-own-AI exports that work with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or any AI engine you trust.
- ReefDock marketplace and retail aggregator that searches BRS, Amazon, Saltwaterfish, and Petco alongside hobbyist listings.
- A one-time $9.99 lifetime unlock instead of a subscription that keeps billing over the multi-year life of a reef tank.
Switching from AquaticLog to Reef Trak
Reef Trak supports CSV import for parameter history. If you have years of AquaticLog data, the parameter side is portable. Livestock and equipment records currently need manual setup, but with the species and equipment catalogs built in, most entries are a tap rather than a typing exercise.
Most reefers who switch keep AquaticLog running in parallel for the first few weeks, just until they trust Reef Trak is logging everything correctly, then phase out the duplicate entry.