Honest comparison
GilledIt vs Catches
Which UK Fishing App Does More?
Last updated: March 2026
Catches (Go Catch Fish) is a solid UK fishing app. It does peg booking, catch logging, and fishery discovery well. But it stops there. GilledIt is the complete platform: everything Catches does for logging and venue discovery, plus a social feed, messaging, tackle marketplace, weekly challenges, and leaderboards. If you want to book a peg and log a catch, Catches works. If you want a fishing community in your pocket, GilledIt is the app.
Feature by feature
Side-by-Side Comparison
How GilledIt and Catches compare across every feature that matters to UK anglers.
| Feature | GilledIt | Catches |
|---|---|---|
| Catch Logging | ||
| UK Species Database | ||
| AI Species ID | Planned | |
| Social Feed | ||
| Marketplace | ||
| Challenges & Badges | ||
| Peg Booking | Planned | |
| Fishery Partnerships | Growing | |
| Interactive Map | ||
| Messaging | ||
| Weather / Moon / Tidal Data | Planned | |
| Offline Mode | ||
| UK Focus | ||
| Free Core Features | ||
| Price | Free + Premium | Free–£3/mo |
Advantages
Where GilledIt Wins
Social Feed and Community: Instagram Meets Fishing
Catches has no social feed. It is a utility app: you log, you book, you leave. GilledIt is a fishing community. An algorithmic For You feed surfaces catches from anglers you should follow. Stories let you share session highlights. Likes, comments, and @mentions create genuine connections between anglers.
Built-In Marketplace for Catches and Tackle
No other UK fishing app offers an integrated marketplace. Buy and sell catches and tackle directly within the app. Stripe-powered payments, an offer system, and seller dashboards replace scattered Facebook groups and Gumtree listings.
Gamification: Challenges, Leaderboards, and Badges
Weekly challenges (biggest catch, most species, most sessions), leaderboards, 30+ badges across seven categories, and an XP-based levelling system. Catches has no competitive or achievement features. Friendly competition keeps you engaged between sessions.
Free Core Features with No Booking Fees
Catches charges booking fees of £0.75 to £2.49 per booking for non-subscribers. Its Lite tier is £1.99/month just to remove those fees. GilledIt’s core features (logging, feed, map, messaging, challenges) are free. No hidden fees, no paywall on community features.
Being honest
Where Catches Wins
We believe in honest comparisons. Here is where the competition has an edge.
Peg Booking System: Book Your Exact Swim
Catches’ standout feature is peg booking. You can see available swims at partnered fisheries, book your exact peg in advance, and avoid the dawn rush. This is genuinely useful for popular commercial fisheries. GilledIt offers venue discovery but does not yet have integrated peg booking.
Fishery Partnerships (South West Lakes Trust and Others)
Catches has signed partnerships with fisheries including South West Lakes Trust. These institutional relationships give it a booking inventory that GilledIt does not yet match.
The verdict
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Catches if:
Peg booking is your primary need. You fish mainly at commercial fisheries with Catches partnerships, and you do not need social features or a marketplace.
Choose GilledIt if:
You want the complete package. Catch logging, social community, marketplace, challenges, and messaging in one app. You fish canals, rivers, and lakes as well as commercials, and you want to connect with other UK anglers.
Catches is a well-built booking and logging tool. GilledIt is the complete platform: everything Catches does plus social, marketplace, and gamification. It is the difference between a tool and a community.
FAQ: GilledIt vs Catches
Catches (also known as Go Catch Fish) is a UK fishing app for booking pegs at fisheries and logging catches. It includes AI species identification, weather data, and fishery partnerships. It launched in March 2024 and expanded to the US in June 2025.
Catches is stronger for peg booking at partnered fisheries. GilledIt is the more complete platform, offering social feed, marketplace, messaging, weekly challenges, and leaderboards alongside catch logging. If you want a fishing community as well as a logging tool, GilledIt offers more.
Catches offers three tiers: Free (with booking fees of £0.75–£2.49 per booking), Lite (£1.99/month, no booking fees), and Pro (£3.00/month or £30/year, all features). GilledIt’s core features are free with no booking fees.
Catches does not have a social feed or community features comparable to social media. It is primarily a booking and logging utility. GilledIt includes an algorithmic social feed, stories, likes, comments, @mentions, and messaging for connecting with other anglers.
No, Catches does not have a marketplace feature. GilledIt includes a built-in marketplace where anglers can buy and sell catches and tackle with Stripe-powered payments.
GilledIt offers core features free for UK anglers, including catch logging, social feed, interactive map, messaging, and weekly challenges. Catches has a free tier but charges booking fees (£0.75–£2.49 per booking) for non-subscribers.
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