The Ultimate Hunting App Comparison Guide

Over the last several years I've probably downloaded just about every hunting app there is. Some of 'em stayed on my phone. Some of 'em got deleted before the season was even over. A few impressed me. A few left me wondering what all the hype was about.

If you're anything like me, you work hard for your money. Fifty bucks here...a hundred bucks there...before you know it you've got several subscriptions quietly renewing every year. I finally got to the point where I started asking myself one simple question.

"Which ones are actually earning their keep?"

That turned into a little project.

Instead of listening to YouTube influencers or Facebook experts that swear one app is the greatest thing since sliced bread, I started using them myself. I wanted to know what each one actually did well, where each one fell short, and whether I'd pull my wallet out again when renewal time rolled around.

Boy...did I learn something.

The biggest thing I learned was this...

Most hunters compare these apps completely wrong.

They'll argue all day long over which one is "the best," but after spending time with every one of them, I don't think that's the right question anymore.

The better question is...

"Best at what?"

Because these companies aren't all trying to solve the same problem.

• Some help you find places to hunt.
• Some help you avoid crossing property lines.
• Some help you organize trail cameras.
• Some help you predict deer movement.
• Some are built almost entirely around western hunting.

Then there's HuntIQ...

And honestly...

I don't think HuntIQ is trying to compete with any of them.

We'll get to that in a little while.

First, let's talk about what you're really paying for.

Before You Spend A Dime...

I'll admit it...

When I first started comparing these apps I mostly looked at the monthly price.

Big mistake.

Fourteen dollars a month doesn't sound like much until you multiply it by twelve.

Next thing you know you've spent close to two hundred bucks on one subscription.

That got me thinking...

Value matters a whole lot more than price.

I'd gladly spend a hundred dollars on an app I use every single hunt.

I hate spending twenty dollars on one I never open.

Here's a quick look at what these subscriptions currently cost.

One thing you'll notice pretty quick...

There's quite a spread in price.

Some hunters don't mind paying for every feature under the sun.

Others just want one app that solves one specific problem.

Neither one is wrong.

It all depends on the way you hunt.

Hunting App Comparison At A Glance

If you're in a hurry, here's probably the easiest way I can explain it.

Notice something...

HuntIQ isn't listed beside any of the mapping apps.

That's intentional.

Because after spending time with all of them, I don't think HuntIQ belongs in the same category.

It's trying to solve a completely different problem.

And that's exactly why I think so many people misunderstand it.

Let's Start With onX Hunt

Pricing

• Premium (1 State): $34.99/year
• Premium (2 States): $49.99/year
• Elite: $99.99/year
• Elite Monthly: $14.99/month
• Seven-day free trial

If somebody called me tonight and said,

"Hey...I just got permission on a thousand acres you've never hunted before. Be there at four-thirty in the morning."

The first app I'd probably open is onX.

And I don't think I'm alone.

I've got buddies that won't even unload their four-wheeler until they've looked at onX.

That's because property ownership is where onX has built its reputation.

If you hunt unfamiliar public land...

Travel to different states...

Or lease several different properties...

It's hard not to appreciate what they've built.

One of my biggest fears has always been dragging a nice buck across a fence and finding out later I crossed onto somebody else's property because I guessed wrong.

onX helps eliminate a whole lot of that guessing.

What I Like

• ✔ Excellent property ownership information.
• ✔ Outstanding public land layers.
• ✔ Reliable GPS navigation.
• ✔ Offline maps.
• ✔ Great satellite imagery.
• ✔ Easy to mark stand locations.
• ✔ Simple enough that just about anybody can learn it.

What I Don't Use Much

Truth be told...

There are features inside onX I rarely fool with.

Not because they're bad.

They just don't fit the way I hunt.

If you're a public-land hunter, though...

You'll probably use every bit of it.

That's one thing I've learned writing this article.

Different hunters value different things.

And that's okay.

HuntStand

Pricing

• Free Version Available
• Pro: $34.99/year
• Ultimate: $69.99/year

Now let's talk about HuntStand.

I've got several buddies that use HuntStand, and every one of 'em seems to love it for a different reason.

One guy uses it almost entirely for his trail cameras.

Another guy couldn't live without all the stand locations he's saved over the years.

Then I know another fellow that manages several hundred acres, and he keeps everything organized inside HuntStand.

That's really where I think HuntStand shines.

Organization.

If onX is the guy that gets you to the property...

HuntStand is the guy that keeps everything on the property organized.

• Food plots.
• Trail cameras.
• Stand locations.
• Blinds.
• Access trails.
• Weather.
• Notes.
• Pictures.

It's all right there.

I also found HuntStand to be one of the easier apps to learn.

That's important.

Not everybody wants to watch three hours of YouTube videos just to figure out where the buttons are.

Some folks just want to open the app and go hunting.

What I Like

• ✔ Easy to learn.
• ✔ Great property organization.
• ✔ Trail camera management.
• ✔ Weather information.
• ✔ Stand management.
• ✔ Nice mapping.

My Thoughts

If I owned several hundred acres or managed a hunting lease...

I'd probably have HuntStand on my phone.

It does that job really well.

Spartan Forge

Pricing

• $12.99/month
• $79.99/year

Spartan Forge was probably the hardest app for me to judge.

Not because it's bad.

Quite the opposite.

There's a tremendous amount of technology packed into it.

• Terrain analysis.
• Travel corridors.
• Movement prediction.
• Scouting tools.

It's obvious these folks have spent a lot of time trying to help hunters understand how deer use the landscape.

Now...

I'll admit something.

I'm a little old school.

I still believe there's no substitute for putting boots on the ground.

• Fresh tracks.
• Fresh rubs.
• Fresh scrapes.
• A big white oak raining acorns.

That stuff still means something to me.

So while I appreciate all the technology...

I also know deer don't always read the same computer models we do.

(Laughing.)

That's not a knock on Spartan Forge.

It's just me.

If you're the kind of hunter that loves studying maps during the off-season...

You'll probably enjoy Spartan Forge.

What I Like

• ✔ Excellent terrain analysis.
• ✔ Strong scouting tools.
• ✔ AI-assisted deer movement.
• ✔ Good satellite imagery.
• ✔ Continues to improve every year.

My Thoughts

Some hunters absolutely swear by it.

Others probably won't use half the information available.

Know yourself before subscribing.

HuntWise

Pricing

Pro Membership

• Approximately $59.88/year

Elite Membership

• Approximately $119.88/year

I've always looked at HuntWise as a planning app.

It helps answer questions before you ever climb into your stand.

• What's the weather?
• What's the wind?
• How are conditions shaping up?
• Should I hunt this afternoon?
• Or wait until tomorrow?

I know hunters that won't leave the house until they check HuntWise.

Then I know hunters that say...

"I already looked out the kitchen window."

(Laughing.)

Truth probably falls somewhere in the middle.

Weather matters.

Wind matters.

Cold fronts matter.

But deer don't always read weather forecasts either.

I've killed bucks when everything said I shouldn't.

And I've sat through "perfect" forecast days without seeing a squirrel.

That's hunting.

What I Like

• ✔ Weather.
• ✔ Hunting forecasts.
• ✔ Wind information.
• ✔ Mapping.
• ✔ Educational content.

My Thoughts

If you're serious about planning hunts around conditions...

HuntWise deserves a look.

BaseMap

Pricing

• Pro: $39.99/year
• Pro Advantage: $69.99/year
• Pro Ultimate: $99.99/year

I'll tell you what surprised me about BaseMap.

How clean it feels.

No clutter.

No confusion.

Just good solid mapping.

Sometimes simple is exactly what hunters want.

One thing I've noticed over the years...

Some apps try so hard to include every possible feature that they become overwhelming.

BaseMap doesn't feel that way.

It knows what it is.

And it sticks to it.

• Navigation.
• Maps.
• Property information.
• GPS.
• Done.

I respect that.

What I Like

• ✔ Excellent maps.
• ✔ Public land.
• ✔ Property ownership.
• ✔ GPS.
• ✔ Easy navigation.

My Thoughts

If mapping is your number one priority...

BaseMap deserves to be on your short list.

GOHUNT

Pricing

• Insider Membership: Approximately $168/year

Now I'm fixing to make some western hunters happy.

GOHUNT isn't really built for the kind of hunting I do.

And I think that's important to admit.

Could I review it?

Sure.

Could I honestly tell you I've spent twenty years chasing elk in Colorado?

Absolutely not.

That's somebody else's story.

But here's what I can tell you.

If somebody called me tomorrow and said,

"Congratulations...you drew that once-in-a-lifetime elk tag."

I'd probably subscribe to GOHUNT before I started buying gear.

That's their world.

• Draw odds.
• Units.
• Western planning.
• Application strategies.
• Research.

That's what they're famous for.

Trying to compare GOHUNT to a Florida whitetail app honestly isn't fair.

Different game.

Different hunters.

Different mission.

DeerCast

Pricing

• Free Version Available
• Elite: $29.99/year

I've heard hunters argue over DeerCast more than just about any hunting app.

Some folks absolutely swear by it.

Others say they don't pay much attention to deer movement forecasts.

Me?

I think it's another useful tool.

Notice I said tool.

Not crystal ball.

No app knows exactly what that old buck is fixing to do.

But DeerCast gives you another piece of the puzzle.

• Educational videos.
• Forecasts.
• Tips.
• Movement predictions.

There's definitely value there.

What I Like

• ✔ Deer movement forecasts.
• ✔ Educational videos.
• ✔ Great information for newer hunters.
• ✔ Very affordable.

My Thoughts

If you're the type that enjoys studying deer behavior before a hunt...

You'll probably enjoy DeerCast.

Then Something Finally Hit Me...

After spending all this time fooling with these apps...

One evening I was sitting on the tailgate cleaning mud off my boots when it finally clicked.

Every single app I'd just talked about had something in common.

Every one of them was helping me...

Before the shot.

• Maps.
• Property lines.
• Weather.
• Forecasts.
• Scouting.
• Navigation.
• Planning.

They're all really good at it too.

Then I started thinking back over the deer I've recovered during the last thirty-something years.

The ones I remember the most...

The ones that kept me awake at night...

The ones that had me crawling around on my hands and knees with a flashlight...

None of those stories started with...

"Boy, I wish I had another map."

They started with...

"Where in the world did that buck go?"

That's when I realized something.

I'd spent years buying apps that helped me get to the shot...

But I hadn't really found one built around helping me after the shot.

And that's where HuntIQ completely changed the conversation.

The Part Nobody Likes to Talk About

I've killed enough deer over the years to learn one thing.

Pulling the trigger...

Or turning loose of an arrow...

Is usually the easiest part of the whole hunt.

The hardest part?

It starts when you climb down out of your stand.

Every experienced deer hunter reading this knows exactly what I'm talking about.

That thirty minutes...

Sometimes an hour...

Between the shot and when you finally put your hands on that deer can feel longer than the entire season.

It doesn't matter if you've killed five deer...

Or five hundred.

That feeling never really goes away.

You replay the shot over and over in your head.

• "Did I hold too far back?"
• "Did he duck?"
• "Did I hear him crash?"
• "Should I climb down?"
• "Should I wait another thirty minutes?"
• "Did I just make the biggest mistake of the season?"

I've asked every one of those questions.

Probably more than once.

Matter of fact...

If you've never second-guessed yourself after shooting a deer...

You probably haven't hunted very long.

A Hunt I'll Never Forget

Several years ago, a buddy of mine made what looked like a perfect shot on a mature buck.

The deer kicked high.

Ran hard.

Disappeared into a wall of palmettos.

We looked at each other and grinned.

"He's dead."

Or so we thought.

We gave him some time.

Climbed down.

Walked over to where he'd been standing.

There was blood.

Bright red.

We all felt good.

For about fifty yards.

Then...

Nothing.

One little drop here.

Another little speck there.

Then it just...

Petered out.

If you've ever hunted Florida palmettos, you know how frustrating that can be.

Everything starts looking the same.

• Palmetto stems.
• Dead leaves.
• Little red berries.
• Brown pine straw.
• Shadows.

Your flashlight starts playing tricks on your eyes.

You begin wondering whether you're following blood...

Or just convincing yourself you're following blood.

That night ended well.

We eventually found him.

But I'll never forget something one of the guys said while we were tracking.

"Man...I wish there was an app for THIS."

At the time...

There wasn't.

At least not one I'd ever seen.

That's What Makes HuntIQ Different

When I first heard about HuntIQ, I honestly thought...

"Well...here comes another mapping app."

I couldn't have been more wrong.

The more I looked into it...

The more I realized they weren't trying to compete with onX.

They weren't trying to beat HuntStand.

They weren't trying to outdo BaseMap.

Matter of fact...

I don't think they're trying to compete with any of them.

They're solving a problem those apps were never really designed to solve.

The hour after the shot.

Think about it.

By the time you've released an arrow...

Or squeezed the trigger...

You've already used your maps.

You've already checked the weather.

You've already picked your stand.

You've already planned your route.

All those other apps have already done their job.

Now your questions change.

• "How long should I wait?"
• "What does this blood mean?"
• "Did he bed down?"
• "Should I keep tracking?"
• "Should I back out?"
• "How do I get back to this exact spot tomorrow morning?"

That's where HuntIQ begins.

Not before daylight.

Not while you're hanging a stand.

Not while you're looking at property lines.

After the shot.

And to me...

That's what makes it so different.

Blood Tracker

I'll admit...

I was skeptical.

I figured it was probably another one of those features that sounded great in an advertisement.

Then I started reading what people were actually saying.

One review in particular caught my attention.

A hunter from Alabama named Dallas wasn't convinced either.

Instead of trusting the app during deer season...

He decided to test it himself.

He took blood from a butchered steer and made his own blood trail through the woods.

Now that's the kind of fellow I'd probably get along with.

He wasn't looking for marketing.

He wanted proof.

After testing it, he wrote this:

"I set up a blood trail in the woods with some blood from our butchered steer. This dang thing spotted blood I missed. I didn't think this thing would really work, but it did. I'm keeping it. Thanks for the 5-day trial."

— Dallas G., Alabama

I like that review because he wasn't trying to sell anybody anything.

He was trying to prove it wrong.

Instead...

It impressed him.

Now...

Let's be fair.

Blood Tracker isn't magic.

If there isn't any blood...

There isn't any blood.

No app can manufacture something that isn't there.

But if you've ever crawled around on your hands and knees looking for one tiny drop hiding among pine needles or palmetto leaves...

You already understand why another tool might be worth carrying.

Especially when daylight's fading.

Especially when rain's moving in.

Especially when you know you've only got one chance to make the right decision.

Shot Analyzer

Now here's the feature that really made me stop and think.

Every deer hunter has stood over a blood-covered arrow with three buddies, and every one of them had a different opinion.

One guy says...

"That's lung blood."

Another one says...

"Nope...looks like liver."

Then somebody else chimes in...

"I'd give him four hours."

The other guy says...

"I'd go now before the coyotes get him."

Sound familiar?

I've been there more times than I'd like to admit.

Truth is...

When you've got buck fever still pumping through your veins, you're probably not thinking as clearly as you think you are.

That's where I like the idea behind Shot Analyzer.

It doesn't claim to know exactly where your deer was hit.

Nobody can know that.

What it does is let you select where you believe the deer was hit and then gives you guidance based on decades of common deer-recovery knowledge.

Things like:

• Suggested wait time
• Likely deer behavior
• General recovery recommendations
• Estimated recovery outlook

I like that because it doesn't try to replace experience.

It simply helps organize your thoughts during one of the most emotional moments of the hunt.

Sometimes that's exactly what a hunter needs.

Not another opinion...

Just a calm reminder to slow down and think.

Trail Maker

Now here's the feature that surprised me the most.

When I first heard about Trail Maker, I honestly thought...

"Big deal...every app records a GPS trail."

Then I realized I completely missed the point.

Trail Maker isn't trying to record where you've been.

It's trying to help you hunt smarter.

One button records your walk into the woods.

Another button guides you back out using that exact same route.

Now if you've never hunted pressured deer, that may not sound like much.

But if you've hunted mature Southern whitetails...

You know exactly why that's important.

Every unnecessary step through the woods leaves scent.

Every shortcut through bedding cover educates deer.

Every time you wander around looking for your stand, you're teaching deer something about you.

Trail Maker helps eliminate a lot of that.

You walk in.

You walk out.

Same trail.

Every time.

The more I thought about it...

The more I liked it.

Then I read this review from Travis in Georgia.

"The Trail Maker on this app beats out any other app. I can walk the exact trail every time in and out so I don't spread my scent. Perfect when you hunt the wind."

— Travis L., Georgia

That right there tells me somebody built this feature that actually hunts.

Because that's exactly how experienced whitetail hunters think.

Another review made me grin.

"This app is awesome. Love the Trail Maker."

— Christina B., Florida

Sometimes that's all that needs to be said.

GPS Rut Reports

If you're reading this from somewhere up north...

You probably have a pretty good idea when your rut starts.

Down here?

Not so much.

Florida hunters know exactly what I'm talking about.

You can drive two hours across the state and deer are doing completely different things.

I've hunted places where bucks were chasing does while another county still looked like early season.

That's why I think GPS Rut Reports are actually useful.

Instead of giving everybody one generic rut calendar...

It uses your location.

For Southern hunters...

That's a much bigger deal than people realize.

Hunter Weather

I'll confess something.

I've probably got more weather apps on my phone than I need.

My wife laughs about it.

One says one thing.

Another says something different.

Then I step outside and neither one was right.

(Laughing.)

Hunter Weather isn't trying to replace the National Weather Service.

It's organizing the information hunters actually care about.

• Wind.
• Temperature.
• Conditions.

The stuff we're looking at before daylight while we're drinking coffee and trying to decide which stand to hunt.

Simple.

Useful.

No unnecessary clutter.

Whitetail Atlas

This feature surprised me too.

I figured it'd just be another collection of articles.

Boy, was I wrong.

I found myself reading through topics I'd honestly never spent much time thinking about.

• Tail signals.
• Reading deer body language.
• Shot reactions.
• Calling responses.
• Blood characteristics.
• Different recovery situations.

Even after chasing deer for a lot of years...

I still picked up a few things.

And that's one thing I've learned about hunting.

The day you think you've got it all figured out...

A mature old buck will humble you.

Field to Freezer

I'll tell you something I really appreciate.

Most hunting apps act like the hunt ends when you recover the deer.

Anybody that's ever processed one knows better.

For a first-time hunter...

Sometimes recovering the deer is when the questions really begin.

• Now what?
• How do I field dress it?
• What's the best way to skin it?
• How do I quarter it?
• How do I keep the meat clean?

Field to Freezer walks hunters through those steps.

Experienced hunters may already know most of it.

But remember...

Every experienced hunter was once a beginner.

I wish more companies thought about that.

What Finally Sold Me

Here's what finally changed my opinion.

HuntIQ never once felt like it was trying to convince me to quit using another hunting app.

Matter of fact...

I don't think that's the goal at all.

If I'm hunting unfamiliar public land...

I'm still opening my mapping app.

If I'm planning an elk hunt...

GOHUNT makes perfect sense.

If I'm managing a hunting property...

HuntStand has some great tools.

Those apps do exactly what they were designed to do.

HuntIQ simply picks up where many of them stop.

It focuses on the part of the hunt that keeps deer hunters awake at night.

The recovery.

And honestly...

I think that's a smart lane to stay in.

Instead of trying to become another everything-for-everybody hunting app...

HuntIQ became really good at something almost nobody else was focusing on.

That, more than anything, is why it's earned a permanent place on my phone.

So...If I Could Only Keep One Hunting App...

I've had several buddies ask me this over the last year.

Usually it goes something like this...

"Alright...quit beating around the bush. If somebody took every hunting app off your phone except one...which one are you keeping?"

That's actually a harder question than it sounds.

Because every app in this article does something well.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend onX to somebody hunting unfamiliar public land.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend HuntStand to somebody managing a hunting lease.

If I drew an elk tag tomorrow, GOHUNT would probably get my money before I even started buying camping gear.

If somebody enjoys studying deer movement, DeerCast, Spartan Forge, and HuntWise all have things to offer.

Every one of these companies has built a quality product.

That's one thing I hope you take away from this article.

This isn't about tearing anybody down.

It's about understanding what each company does well.

But If You Made Me Pick Just One...

Truth be told...

I'd keep HuntIQ.

Now before you think I've lost my mind...

Hear me out.

It isn't because I think the other apps are bad.

Far from it.

I think they're all good at what they were designed to do.

But here's why I'd still choose HuntIQ.

There are plenty of ways to look at aerial imagery.

There are plenty of weather apps.

There are several excellent mapping apps.

There are multiple places to find public land information and property ownership.

Those tools are important, and I use them.

But I haven't found another app that puts all of these tools together in one place:

• Blood Tracker
• Shot Analyzer
• Trail Maker
• GPS Rut Reports
• Hunter Weather
• Whitetail Atlas
• Field to Freezer

More importantly...

I haven't found another app that's built almost entirely around helping me after the shot.

And if you've hunted long enough...

You already know that's where the real test begins.

The Hour That Matters Most

I've often said...

Anybody can celebrate a good shot.

The hunters I respect the most are the ones that do everything possible to recover the animal afterward.

That's what ethical hunting is all about.

That's why I appreciate what HuntIQ is trying to do.

It isn't promising bigger antlers.

It isn't promising you'll kill more deer.

It isn't trying to replace experience.

It's simply giving hunters another set of tools to help make better decisions during one of the most stressful hours of the hunt.

To me...

That's worth supporting.

A Few Things I Hope Every Hunter Remembers

No matter which app you choose...

Remember this.

No hunting app replaces:

• Woodsmanship.
• Patience.
• Good shot selection.
• Ethical decisions.
• Time spent in the woods.

Those things still matter more than any piece of technology ever will.

An app is just another tool.

Just like a rangefinder.

Or a grunt call.

Or a climbing stand.

Used correctly...

It can make you better.

Used incorrectly...

It won't make much difference.

My Advice Before You Buy

If I could offer one piece of advice after spending time with all these apps...

It'd be this.

Don't buy an app because somebody on Facebook said it's the greatest thing ever.

Don't buy one because a YouTube influencer gets paid to talk about it.

Figure out what kind of hunter you are first.

Ask yourself:

• Do I mostly hunt public land?
• Do I manage my own property?
• Do I hunt western states?
• Do I rely heavily on weather forecasts?
• Do I struggle with deer recovery?
• Do I often hunt alone?
• Do I want something simple or something packed with features?

Once you answer those questions...

The right app usually becomes pretty obvious.

One Last Story...

I'll leave you with this.

Several years ago an older gentleman told me something I'll never forget.

We had just recovered a buck after a long night of tracking.

He looked over at me while we were loading that deer in the truck and said...

"Son...the easy part was pulling the trigger."

I've thought about that a lot over the years.

He was right.

Anybody can get excited when the shot breaks.

The real character of a hunter shows up afterward.

• Do you slow down?
• Do you make good decisions?
• Do you give the deer enough time?
• Do you do everything you can to recover that animal?

That's the part of hunting that deserves more attention.

And in my opinion...

That's exactly where HuntIQ found its place.

Final Thoughts

After spending the last year fooling with just about every hunting app I could get my hands on...

Here's what I honestly believe.

There isn't a single "best" hunting app.

There are simply hunting apps that are better for certain jobs.

If your biggest concern is navigation...

There are excellent choices.

If your biggest concern is property boundaries...

There are excellent choices.

If you're headed west after elk...

There are excellent choices.

But if you're a whitetail hunter...

And you've ever sat on a log wondering whether to wait another hour...

Or crawled around on your hands and knees trying to find one last drop of blood before dark...

Or wished somebody could help you make better decisions after the shot...

Then I honestly believe HuntIQ deserves a place on your phone.

Not because it's trying to replace the other apps.

Because it's solving a problem they were never really designed to solve.

And to me...

That's what makes it different.

That's what makes it valuable.

And that's why...

If I could only keep one...

I'd keep HuntIQ.

Continue Reading

If you enjoyed this guide, these articles go into much more detail about the situations we all hope we never face — but every deer hunter eventually will.

• How Long Should You Wait After Shooting a Deer?
• Deer Shot Placement Guide

The prices and features mentioned in this guide were accurate at the time it was written. Hunting app companies occasionally change subscription plans, features, and pricing, so always check their official websites before purchasing.