Comparison
A Fishbrain alternative that keeps your logbook private
Fishing Codex is a free fishing logbook that fills in the conditions behind every catch and keeps your fishing to yourself unless you choose to publish. Here is how it compares with Fishbrain, checked against Fishbrain's own pages, including where Fishbrain does more.
The short answer
Fishbrain is a fishing app built around a large community. Its own pages describe over 20 million anglers, exact catch locations shared by that community, depth maps and local regulations.
Fishing Codex is built around your own logbook. It stays private unless you publish, the public map only ever shows a wide area, and the days ahead are read against the conditions of catches you have already made.
Side by side
| Topic | Fishing Codex | Fishbrain |
|---|---|---|
| Your catch locations | Fishing CodexPrivate. Your logbook is yours alone, and nothing appears in public unless you publish an entry. | FishbrainYou choose for each catch: share the exact location, share only the water's name, or keep it private. |
| Seeing where others fish | Fishing CodexThe public map shows only a glow over a wide area, about 10 km across. The exact location is never public unless intentionally published, and it goes only to the person who claims or unlocks that entry. | FishbrainFishbrain Pro shows exact catch locations that other anglers have shared publicly, as pins on the map. |
| Conditions on each catch | Fishing CodexThe moon, the tide on sea water, the weather and the air pressure are filled in for every entry, including old photos you import, worked out for the day and hour each one was taken. | FishbrainThe logbook records conditions such as time of day, weather, air pressure and temperature, and can fill in the weather and location for you. |
| Looking ahead | Fishing CodexReads each coming day against the conditions of one of your own catches and says how closely it lines up: a resemblance, never a prediction. Today is free; the next 14 days come with App Pro. | FishbrainBiteTime predicts the most active times of day for a species, and Fishbrain Pro shows forecasts days in advance, with tide and moon phase in the same view. |
| No signal | Fishing CodexWorks fully with no signal once you have signed in once. Entries save on the phone first and back up when you are back in range. | FishbrainNot covered on the Fishbrain pages we read. |
| Bringing in your history | Fishing CodexImport years of catch photos, plus GPX, KML and CSV files. Photos that carry a location become private entries with their conditions filled in. | FishbrainUpload catch photos in bulk, and species recognition identifies each fish. |
| What is free | Fishing CodexThe logbook, maps, tides, moon, a one-day weather and sea forecast and basic best fishing times, with no card. App Pro is an optional subscription for the full forecast and fishing intelligence. | FishbrainThe free version gives entry-level information about fishing waters and a preview of fishing times, baits and weather. Fishbrain Pro is a subscription, with a 3-day free trial when we checked. |
| Community | Fishing CodexCrews, events (including a free monthly Species Slam open worldwide) and anglers who publish entries and Local Intel. The community is still small. | FishbrainOver 20 million anglers by Fishbrain's own count, with groups, a feed, and following by species or by water. |
| Depth maps and regulations | Fishing CodexNo depth maps. Fishing Tips link to the official catch rules for your region where Fishing Codex has them. | FishbrainDepth maps from Garmin for the US and Canada with Fishbrain Pro, and local fishing regulations. |
| Sharing what you know | Fishing CodexAnglers can publish entries and Local Intel, free or paid. Anything paid is bought on the website. | FishbrainShare catches to the community feed and to groups. |
Neither app's prices are listed here: store prices differ by country and change over time. Your app store shows the current price in your currency.
Where Fishbrain does more
Fishbrain offers more of these today:
- A far larger community: over 20 million anglers, by Fishbrain's own count.
- Depth maps from Garmin for the US and Canada.
- Local fishing regulations in the app.
- Bait and lure recommendations drawn from its catch data.
- Species recognition from a catch photo.
Which suits you
Fishbrain suits you if you want a very large community and a map of where other anglers have caught fish.
Fishing Codex suits you if you want a private logbook of your own fishing, with the conditions behind every catch (old photos included) and the days ahead read against catches you have already made.
Bringing your history across
Fishing Codex imports catch photos and GPX, KML and CSV files. The switching guide shows how, step by step.
Fishing Codex is not connected with Fishbrain. Fishbrain is a trademark of its owner.
Try the free logbook
Free to download, with no card needed for the logbook. Sign in once, and it works with no signal.