Best Dive Log Apps in 2026, Compared Straight
Dive Logging Apps Compared: 2026
A disclosure before anything else: I build Currents, one of the five apps below. I'm not a neutral third party. Every section below, including my own app's, names specific tradeoffs you could screenshot. Judge for yourself whether that holds up.
Why Keep a Dive Log at All
Beyond certification requirements (most agencies want proof of logged dives for advanced training), a log is the only record you'll have of which gear configurations worked, which sites are worth a repeat visit, and whether your air consumption is improving or you just think it is. Paper logs still do this fine. Digital ones do it with less manual math and a search function once you have fifty-plus dives logged.
Digital vs. Paper
Paper is simple, doesn't need charging, and some divers prefer the stamps-and-signatures ritual. Digital apps add automatic depth/time/SAC-rate calculations, searchable history, and backup that doesn't depend on one physical notebook surviving. Neither is objectively correct. Plenty of experienced divers run both: paper for the ritual of dive shop stamps, an app for the data underneath it.
Current Solutions
Let's examine the most notable dive logging options available in 2026:
PADI App
Price: Free
PADI on the App Store
The PADI app's popularity stems primarily from necessity rather than features. Most PADI instructors require students to log their training dives through this app to meet certification requirements, which explains its widespread use in the diving community.
The app provides basic logging functionality and integrates with PADI's certification system, but that's about where its capabilities end. You can't import dive logs from computers or other apps, and the feature set is notably basic compared to other solutions. While it serves its purpose for certification documentation, active divers will quickly find themselves wanting more.
Its limitations become even more apparent with regular use. The lack of offline functionality is particularly problematic for liveaboard trips or remote diving locations. If you're planning to dive regularly, you'll likely want to look at a more capable app once you've completed your certification requirements.
Subsurface
Price: Free (Open Source)
Subsurface-mobile on the App Store
Subsurface has been a community favorite for years, and in 2026 it remains a powerful option, particularly for technical divers. One standout advantage is its true cross-platform support - it's one of the few dive logging solutions that runs natively on Windows, Mac, and Linux. This platform flexibility, combined with its extensive dive computer support and detailed data analysis capabilities, makes it an impressive package maintained by an active open-source community.
However, the interface hasn't seen significant modernization. The desktop version has a wide feature set and reliable performance across all three operating systems, but the mobile experience has notable limitations. You can't import UDDF or FIT files directly through the mobile app, that still requires the desktop version. Bluetooth connectivity can be inconsistent, sometimes requiring multiple attempts to sync devices.
Despite these quirks, Subsurface remains one of the most capable logging solutions available. The desktop application particularly shines with its extensive import options, detailed analysis tools, and robust data management. Being open-source, free, and available on virtually any desktop platform, it continues to serve as a reliable choice for divers who prioritize functionality and platform flexibility over interface polish.
Dive Log by Greg McLaughlin
Price: $14.99 (one-time purchase, plus a separate $2.99 in-app purchase per dive computer brand for direct Bluetooth import)
Dive Log on the App Store
Dive Log is one of the oldest dive logging apps on iOS, and unlike some longtime competitors, it's still being actively developed - it picked up a full redesign for iOS 26's Liquid Glass, plus new dive profile and statistics tools, just weeks before this guide was published. That kind of active maintenance matters when you're trusting an app with years of dive history.
The app excels at the fundamentals: capture dive site details and GPS coordinates while they're fresh on the boat, pull dive profiles in via Bluetooth from a wide range of supported computers, and log buddies straight from your iPhone Contacts. On Windows, it syncs directly with Diving Log 6.0 for divers who split their time between desktop and mobile.
There's no social layer and no dive site database here - it's a focused, no-frills logbook rather than a community platform. But for divers who just want a reliable, long-lived home for their dive history without worrying about the app disappearing, that focus is the point.
Currents
Price: Free basic version, $4.99/month for Pro or $29.99 for lifetime access
Currents on the App Store
This is the app I build, so read the rest of this section with that in mind. What I built it for: a modern iOS interface, offline-first logging that still syncs a community/social layer when you're online, and Bluetooth sync from 15+ dive computer brands, alongside UDDF and FIT import so a log built somewhere else isn't locked out.
Where I'm behind the field: Currents is iOS-only, with no Android, Windows, or Linux app. If you need Subsurface's platform coverage, I don't have an answer for that. My supported dive computer list, while it covers the popular brands, is nowhere near Subsurface's 200+ models across 28 brands; if you're diving something unusual or older, check my compatibility list before assuming I'll support it. And unlike Subsurface, Currents isn't free. The basic version covers manual logging and community features, but automatic sync, advanced stats, and export beyond UDDF sit behind Pro ($4.99/month or $29.99 lifetime).
The pitch is narrower than "best overall": if you want a modern interface with a social layer and don't mind paying for the automation, Currents is a strong fit. If platform coverage, device support breadth, or paying nothing matters more to you than interface polish, Subsurface is the more capable tool.
Garmin Dive
Price: Free with Garmin dive computers
Garmin Dive on the App Store
Garmin Dive stands out in 2026 for its data presentation and streamlined user experience. The app excels at presenting detailed dive information without overwhelming users, and the recent addition of gear logging and certification management makes it a more complete solution.
The major limitation is its closed ecosystem. The app works exclusively with Garmin dive computers. You can manually log dives, but you can't import data from other manufacturers' devices or third-party apps. This restriction aside, Garmin Dive offers one of the most polished experiences for tracking and analyzing your diving activity.
Which One Fits You
PADI's app is close to mandatory during certification, and worth dropping the moment you're certified. The lack of import options is the dealbreaker for anyone logging more than a handful of dives.
Past that, it depends on what you're optimizing for, not a single "best" answer:
- You want the most platform coverage and the most dive computers supported, for free, forever: Subsurface. Nothing else here matches 200+ computers across 28 brands and native Windows/Mac/Linux apps at zero cost. The tradeoff is a denser, more technical interface than the paid options.
- You want a dedicated, no-frills logbook with a one-time cost and no social layer: Dive Log. It's been actively maintained for years, syncs a wide range of computers, and doesn't try to be anything more than a logbook. Budget for the $14.99 app plus a $2.99 per-brand Bluetooth add-on.
- You're already committed to Garmin hardware: Garmin Dive is well-built within that ecosystem and not useful outside it, it won't import from anything else.
- You want a modern interface and a social/community layer alongside the logbook, and don't mind paying for automation: this is the case I built Currents for. It's the narrowest recommendation on this list, not the default one.
Regardless of which you pick, what matters is whether you can get your data back out in a format another app can read. Check UDDF or CSV export before you commit, not after.
The Bottom Line
There isn't a single best dive logging app in 2026. There's a best app for what you specifically need, and the apps above split that space in different directions rather than competing head-on. Subsurface wins on cost and coverage. Dive Log wins on focus. Garmin wins if you're already in that ecosystem. I think Currents wins on interface and community, for the divers who want that. Pick based on which tradeoff you mind least.
A note about data security: I often hear concerns, particularly from experienced divers, about digital logs being "less secure" than physical logbooks. All forms of data storage carry risks. Paper logbooks can be lost, damaged by water, or destroyed in accidents. Digital data can face technical issues or service discontinuation. What matters is making sure whatever you use can export, not picking the one storage method that never fails, because none of them are that.
The advantage of modern diving apps is that they typically offer multiple backup options. Look for solutions that:
- Allow data export in standard formats (UDDF, CSV)
- Provide offline backup capabilities
- Sync across multiple devices
- Let you generate PDF copies of your logs
The best backup system in the world won't help if you never use it. Keeping both digital and physical copies of your most important dive records is a reasonable habit, since your logged dives are the only record you'll have of them ten years from now.
