Honest comparison
GilledIt vs Fishbuddy
Which UK Fishing App Should You Use?
Last updated: August 2026
Fishbuddy is the most established UK-focused fishing app, with 1M+ EU spots, UK sea marks, AI species identification and a paid Premium tier. GilledIt is the newer challenger built on Flutter, with the escrow-backed marketplace Fishbuddy doesn't have, verified photo + GPS leaderboards Fishbuddy doesn't run, and modern polish. We're matching them on AI species ID (ships Q3 2026). Below is an honest, feature-by-feature comparison for anyone weighing the two.
Feature by feature
Side-by-Side Comparison
How GilledIt and Fishbuddy compare across every feature that matters to UK anglers.
| Feature | GilledIt | Fishbuddy |
|---|---|---|
| UK Fishery Coverage | Yes | Yes |
| UK Sea Marks | Partial | Yes |
| European Spots (1M+) | Partial | Yes |
| AI Species ID | Coming Q3 | Yes |
| 3D Satellite Maps | Yes | Yes |
| Catch Logging | Yes | Yes |
| Marketplace (Escrow) | Yes | No |
| Verified Leaderboards (photo + GPS) | Yes | No |
| Push Notifications + Deep Links | Yes | Partial |
| Social Feed Depth | Yes | Partial |
| Flutter Mobile Polish | Yes | Partial |
| Weekly Challenges + Badges | Yes | Partial |
| Free Core Features | Yes | Partial |
| Price | Free | Free + paid Premium |
Competitor pricing and claims checked August 2026 against: Fishbuddy Premium pricing. GilledIt feature data comes from our own app.
Advantages
Where GilledIt Wins
The Marketplace Fishbuddy Doesn't Have
Fishbuddy has no peer-to-peer gear marketplace. GilledIt's marketplace is Stripe Connect–backed with full escrow: buyer pays up front, funds hold until delivery is confirmed, small platform fee. No more posting tackle in Facebook groups and chasing PayPal Friends-and-Family scams. Browse listings on the GilledIt website, buy and sell securely in the app.
Verified Leaderboards (Not the Honour System)
Fishbuddy's leaderboards rely on self-reported catches. GilledIt requires a verified photo plus GPS location to qualify for any weekly leaderboard. Cheating gets filtered automatically. For competitive UK match anglers and specimen hunters, this is the difference between a leaderboard worth caring about and one that's not.
Modern Flutter Polish
Fishbuddy's TestFlight and App Store reviews regularly cite bugs, slow loading, and UX inconsistencies. GilledIt is built on Flutter 3 / Dart with the full mobile-app conveniences UK anglers expect in 2026: instant offline catch logging, deep-link push notifications that open the right screen, smooth map interactions, and a feed that doesn't lock up. Polish isn't a feature, but it's why people open one app daily and uninstall the other.
Free Core
Fishbuddy paywalls features behind its paid Premium tier (a free trial converts to a paid plan; current pricing is on fishbuddy.app, checked August 2026). GilledIt's core is free to use, catch logging, social feed, marketplace browsing and selling, messaging, push, basic stats. GilledIt Pro is optional (£7.99/month or £49.99/year, with a 7 day free trial) and only unlocks unlimited catch logging and a Pro angler badge.
Built for the UK Angling Community
GilledIt is partnering with UK day-ticket fisheries (Linear, RK Leisure, Linch Hill, Drayton) to deliver fishery-branded leaderboards, official-app badges, and premium feeds for season-ticket holders. Fishbuddy is a European generalist, broad but shallow on the specifics that matter to UK carp, sea and match anglers.
Being honest
Where Fishbuddy Wins
We believe in honest comparisons. Here is where the competition has an edge.
Established UK + EU Spot Database
Fishbuddy has 1M+ spots across Europe with strong UK sea-mark coverage built up over years. GilledIt's directory currently lists 3,318 named, deduplicated UK venues (Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, all 9 English regions). We're catching up via partnerships and OSM-cross-referenced data.
AI Species ID Is Live Today
Fishbuddy already has photo-based species recognition. GilledIt's photo-based species ID ships Q3 2026. If AI ID is your hard requirement before Q3, Fishbuddy ships sooner, though we'll match feature-for-feature once it lands.
Three Years of UK User Reviews
Fishbuddy has been live since 2022 with thousands of UK App Store reviews. GilledIt only just launched, so its review history is starting from zero. If you want a long review history before committing, Fishbuddy has more public data.
The verdict
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Fishbuddy if:
Choose Fishbuddy if you need AI species ID today, your fishing is heavily sea-mark dependent across multiple EU countries, or you want a mature app with three years of user-review history.
Choose GilledIt if:
Choose GilledIt if you want the marketplace Fishbuddy doesn't have, verified leaderboards that filter out cheating, a more polished mobile experience, and free core features (no Premium paywall on the core). AI species ID lands Q3 to close the gap.
Fishbuddy is the established UK player. GilledIt is the newer challenger with the marketplace, the polish, and the verified leaderboards Fishbuddy doesn't run. If you fish UK waters, both are credible, the question is whether you want where Fishbuddy is today or where GilledIt is heading.
FAQ: GilledIt vs Fishbuddy
GilledIt wins on marketplace (escrow-backed peer-to-peer gear sales. Fishbuddy has none), verified leaderboards (photo + GPS required vs Fishbuddy's honour system), and modern Flutter polish. Fishbuddy wins today on AI species ID and an established 1M+ spot database; GilledIt's photo-based species ID ships Q3 2026.
No. Fishbuddy has no peer-to-peer marketplace for buying and selling fishing tackle. GilledIt is the only UK-focused fishing app with an escrow-backed Stripe Connect marketplace (small platform fee, buyer protection, public shareable listing URLs).
Yes. Fishbuddy ships photo-based AI species ID today. GilledIt's photo-based AI species ID is coming for a Q3 2026 release. Until then, GilledIt logs species via manual selection.
Fishbuddy has a free tier with key features paywalled behind Fishbuddy Premium; a free trial converts to a paid plan (current pricing is listed on fishbuddy.app, checked August 2026). GilledIt's core (catch logging, social, marketplace, messaging, basic stats) is free to use. GilledIt Pro (£7.99/month or £49.99/year, with a 7 day free trial) unlocks unlimited catch logging and a Pro angler badge.
Yes. UK sea marks are one of Fishbuddy's strongest data sets. GilledIt's UK sea-mark coverage is currently limited; the bulk of our 3,318 UK venues are freshwater (coarse, game, carp). Sea-mark expansion is on the roadmap.
Yes. Fishbuddy lets you export your data via GDPR data download (JSON). GilledIt's Fishbuddy importer parses it and maps your catches across, species, date, photos, GPS where present. Switching takes about 30 seconds.
GilledIt is built on Flutter 3 with deep-linked push notifications, offline-first catch logging, and verified-photo leaderboards. Fishbuddy's App Store and TestFlight reviews cite recurring bugs and UX issues. Polish is the most-cited reason switchers give for choosing GilledIt.
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