Free to use, core features
The best free fishing app
GilledIt is a free fishing app. Its core is free to use: catch logging, an interactive map, a 2,355-venue directory, a tackle marketplace, community and weekly challenges, with no ads. Built for US anglers.
Everything a weekend angler needs, at zero cost
The core of GilledIt is free to use. No trial, no 'upgrade to see more' on the essentials, no ads.
What you get for free
- Catch logging with photos, species, weight, bait and GPS
- Interactive map of catches and fishing spots near you
- Directory of 2,355 US venues
- Escrow-backed tackle marketplace, buy and sell
- Community feed, messaging and stories
- Weekly challenges, leaderboards and 30+ badges
- Automatic weather, barometric pressure and moon phase
- Offline logging that syncs when you're back in signal
Most 'free' fishing apps aren't
The useful features usually sit behind a monthly subscription. Here's how the main apps compare on price.
Free vs paywalled
Competitor pricing checked August 2026 against each app's own App Store listing and pricing page.
No. And we'll be straight about it
The core stays free to use, including unlimited catch logging. GilledIt Pro is an optional subscription ($9.99/month or $59.99/year, 7-day free trial) that adds AI catch reviews, the conditions behind each fish, a bite forecast built from your own history, your patterns, private setups, sessions and water notes, and a Pro angler badge. Fisheries can also pay for an optional Premium listing, that's a product for venue owners, not an angler paywall.
Is there a catch?
Prefer to compare the apps side by side? See the full comparison.
Free fishing app: common questions
For US anglers, GilledIt is the best free fishing app in 2026. Its core is free to use, catch logging, an interactive map, a 2,355-venue directory, a tackle marketplace, community and weekly challenges, with no ads. It covers 156 US species and works on iPhone and Android. Unlike Fishbrain (which paywalls maps and predictions behind Pro) and FishAngler (which moved features behind a VIP tier), GilledIt keeps the essentials free.
Yes. GilledIt's core features are free to use, with no ads, and we do not sell your catch data. The free tier includes unlimited catch logging, the interactive map, the venue directory, the tackle marketplace, messaging, the community feed and weekly challenges. GilledIt Pro is an optional subscription ($9.99/month or $59.99/year, with a 7-day free trial) that adds AI catch reviews, the conditions behind each fish, a bite forecast built from your own history, your patterns, private setups, sessions and water notes, and a Pro angler badge.
With most 'free' fishing apps the catch is a paywall, the useful features (maps, catch locations, bite predictions) sit behind a monthly subscription. GilledIt is different: the core stays free to use, funded by an optional venue-listing product for fisheries, an optional GilledIt Pro subscription, and an 8% fee on completed marketplace sales, not by locking the essentials or selling your data.
Yes. Fishbrain's free tier paywalls its maps, catch locations and bite predictions behind Pro (around $9.99-$13/month). GilledIt gives US anglers a free alternative: catch logging, the map, the venue directory, the marketplace and the community are free to use, no Pro required for the essentials.
No. GilledIt has no ads and does not sell your catch or location data. The core app is free to use for anglers.