Two Good Apps That Do Completely Different Things
onX Fish has been making moves. In just the last few months, they've expanded from 2 states to 12, added a premium tier at $34.99/year, and built out an impressive lake discovery and mapping platform backed by onX's deep resources and DNR data partnerships.
If you're comparing onX Fish to FishSmart Pro, you're in the right place. I built FishSmart Pro, so I'm obviously not neutral — but I'll give you an honest breakdown because these two apps are designed for fundamentally different jobs. Understanding that difference will tell you which one you actually need.
Here's the short version: onX Fish helps you find a lake. FishSmart Pro tells you if the fish will bite when you get there. They're complementary tools, not direct substitutes.
Let me explain why.
What onX Fish Does Well
onX Fish is built on the same foundation that made onX Hunt and onX Backcountry successful: detailed mapping, property data, and offline GPS navigation. For fishing, that translates into:
| Feature | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Lake Finder | Filter thousands of lakes by species, trophy potential, and access type. Uses DNR data for species distribution and stocking history. |
| Offline maps + 3D | Full GPS navigation with 3D terrain and underwater structure visualization. |
| Recent satellite imagery | Up-to-date satellite views to scout water from home. |
| Apple CarPlay | Navigation integration for boat anglers with modern electronics. |
| State-specific insights | Regulations, fishery details, and access info pulled from state wildlife agencies. |
For an angler who wants to discover new water, plan a trip to an unfamiliar lake, or navigate on the boat with GPS — onX Fish is genuinely strong. The DNR data integration is something no other fishing app offers at this depth.
What FishSmart Pro Does Differently
FishSmart Pro doesn't do mapping. It doesn't have lake contour charts, satellite imagery, or GPS navigation. If that's what you need, onX Fish or Navionics is the right tool.
What FishSmart Pro does is answer a different question entirely: will the fish bite when I get to the lake?
| Feature | What It Does |
|---|---|
| 10+ factor science engine | Calculates a bite score (0-100) from barometric pressure trends, live USGS water temperature, dissolved oxygen, thermocline depth, spawning cycle, lunar phase, photoperiod, wind, cloud cover, and clarity. |
| Transparent reasoning | Every score shows you the factor-by-factor breakdown. You see exactly which conditions help or hurt the bite. |
| 12-hour activity forecast | Hour-by-hour prediction of peak feeding windows for your location and species. |
| AI lure recommendations | Engine-matched and AI-suggested lures, merged, ranked, and source-tagged. You know if a pick came from biology or AI. |
| Live USGS water temp | Real monitoring station data — not estimates. Station name and distance shown. |
| 25 freshwater species | Each with its own biological profile. The engine models how each species responds to conditions differently. |
| Zero social, zero spot burning | No feed, no catch sharing, no crowdsourced data. Your spots stay yours. |
Head-to-Head: onX Fish vs FishSmart Pro
| Feature | onX Fish ($34.99/yr) | FishSmart Pro ($29.99/yr) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Lake discovery + GPS mapping | Fishing forecast + bite prediction |
| Lake maps / contours | ✅ Yes (3D, offline, satellite) | ❌ No |
| Lake Finder / discovery | ✅ Yes (DNR data, species filters) | ❌ No |
| Bite score / forecast | ❌ No | ✅ 10+ factor deterministic engine |
| Transparent reasoning | ❌ N/A | ✅ Factor-by-factor breakdown |
| AI lure recommendations | ❌ No | ✅ Source-tagged (engine + AI) |
| Live USGS water temp | ❌ No | ✅ Real station data |
| 12-hour activity forecast | ❌ No | ✅ Hourly feeding windows |
| Species-specific modeling | Species distribution data | ✅ 25 species with biological profiles |
| GPS navigation | ✅ Yes (offline + CarPlay) | ❌ No |
| Social feed | ❌ No | ❌ No (by design) |
| Spot burning risk | None (no sharing) | None (no sharing) |
| Free tier | Free download (limited) | 3 full forecasts/session |
| Price | $34.99/yr | $29.99/yr |
The Key Difference: Discovery vs Prediction
Here's the simplest way to think about it:
onX Fish answers: "Where should I go fishing?"
- Which lakes have the species I want?
- How do I navigate this water?
- What does the structure look like underwater?
- What are the regulations here?
FishSmart Pro answers: "Will the fish bite when I get there?"
- Is the pressure trend triggering feeding?
- What's the actual water temperature from USGS data?
- Is dissolved oxygen adequate at the thermocline?
- What lure does the science match to these conditions?
- When are the peak feeding windows today?
These are two different stages of the fishing trip planning process. You use onX Fish to find the lake. You use FishSmart Pro to time your trip and choose your lure.
Honest Assessment: onX Fish's Strengths and Weaknesses
I want to be fair here because onX Fish is a well-built product:
Genuine strengths:
- The Lake Finder with DNR data is genuinely useful — no other app offers species/size/abundance filtering from state agencies at this depth.
- Offline 3D mapping is excellent for boaters who need GPS navigation.
- CarPlay integration is a real advantage for anglers with modern boat electronics.
- The 12-state coverage is growing rapidly and covers a huge chunk of the Midwest.
What it doesn't do:
- No bite prediction. No forecasting engine. No science-based activity score.
- No lure recommendations.
- No live water temperature integration.
- No transparent reasoning — you get data, but not analysis.
- No 12-hour feeding window prediction.
If you want to know whether it's worth driving to the lake right now, onX Fish can't tell you. It can tell you the lake exists and has your target species — but not whether conditions favor a bite today.
The Price Comparison
| App | Annual Price | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| onX Fish | $34.99/yr | Lake discovery, 3D mapping, GPS navigation, DNR data |
| FishSmart Pro | $29.99/yr | 10+ factor bite engine, AI lure recs, USGS water temp, 12-hour forecast |
| Both together | $64.98/yr | Full lake discovery + full fishing intelligence |
Here's the interesting comparison: both apps together cost less than Fishbrain alone ($79.99/yr). If you want the best mapping tool AND the best forecasting tool, you can have both for less than the price of one social fishing app.
Who Should Use What?
| You Want... | Best Choice |
|---|---|
| To discover new lakes and navigate on the water | onX Fish |
| To know if the fish will bite today and why | FishSmart Pro |
| GPS mapping + offline navigation | onX Fish |
| Transparent bite scoring with factor breakdowns | FishSmart Pro |
| AI lure recommendations with source transparency | FishSmart Pro |
| Live USGS water temperature data | FishSmart Pro |
| DNR species data and stocking history | onX Fish |
| To protect your fishing spots (no social feed) | Either (both are privacy-respecting) |
| The best combo: mapping + forecasting | onX Fish + FishSmart Pro ($64.98/yr total) |
How to Try Both for Free
onX Fish offers a free download with limited features — you can explore the Lake Finder and basic mapping before committing to $34.99/yr.
FishSmart Pro gives you 3 free full-power forecasts per session — every feature unlocked, no credit card, no crippled demo. You see the bite score, the factor breakdown, the lure recommendations, and the 12-hour activity forecast. If the science works for your waters, Pro is $29.99/yr.
If you're already using onX Fish for mapping, add FishSmart Pro as your forecasting layer. If you're using FishSmart Pro for forecasts, add onX Fish for lake discovery. They're better together than either is alone.
Want to see what a real science-engine forecast looks like? Grab your 3 free FishSmart Pro forecasts — enter your location, pick your species, and check the transparent factor breakdown. You'll see exactly why the bite score is what it is.