How anglers identify, measure and record fishUpdated
Best Fish IdentificationA Global Fishing League referenceGet the free app ↗
Method

How we chose

Answer in brief

We picked the app that best meets five criteria: it names the fish from your own photo, covers the waters you fish, measures the fish, keeps your catch locations private and keeps your own catches free. We checked each app's own published features and prices, and ran a blind identification test against Fishbrain.

The criteria

  1. Names the fish from the angler's own photo, with the scientific name and a way to correct it.
  2. Covers freshwater, inshore and offshore species.
  3. Measures the fish's length, not only its name.
  4. Keeps catch locations private from other users by default.
  5. Keeps the angler's own catches, photos and conditions free to see.

The criteria are explained for anglers in choosing an app.

What we checked

Each app's official site, feature pages and store listings, on the dates each entry gives. Competitor facts are quoted from the company's own pages. Each entry lists its sources.

The accuracy test

On 300 catch photos the model never trained on, with no location on either side, the species model in Global Fishing League's test builds named 252 right first time and Fishbrain 144. The scoring rules were written down, and Global Fishing League's answers sealed, before scoring. See the full method and its limits.

What we do not claim

  • The accuracy test was run by Global Fishing League, not an independent lab.
  • We did not test measurement accuracy against other apps, and we quote no measurement accuracy figure.
  • We do not rank every fish identification app. We name a pick and compare it with two well-known apps.
  • Nothing here replaces your local fishing regulations.

Our conflict of interest

Global Fishing League publishes this reference and makes the app it picks. We chose criteria we think matter to anglers, and Global Fishing League is built around them. Weigh the pick with that in mind, and follow the sources.

Corrections

If a fact here is wrong or out of date, including about another company's app, email admin@globalfishingleague.com and we will check it and correct the entry.

Cite this entry

Global Fishing League. “How we chose.” Best Fish Identification, updated 9 November 2026.https://bestfishidentification.com/methodology/