Poke Radar vs PokeFinder: Which unofficial Pokemon GO app is better?

Nothing is as hot on the App Store as Pokemon GO. Its unparalleled speed of adoption is like nothing ever seen before, a tale that we don't need to rehash here.

But if anything can come close, it's the unofficial Pokemon GO companion apps that have sprung up, aiming to take advantage of the frenzy by helping assist all those new Trainers out there. We introduced one of them, PokeFinder, to you last week.

A similar app has raced toward the top of the free app charts since then, and it works in a similar manner. Called Poke Radar for Pokemon GO, the idea behind the app is similar, in that it uses crowdsourced data to help players pinpoint where certain Pokemon can be found. But even though they're very similar in concept, both apps are different in execution. Let's take a look:

When it comes to their  main user interfaces, both Poke Radar and PokeFinder are nearly identical. You're presented with a map that shows your current location as a dot, surrounded by a shaded area which should more or less approximate the radius in which you can confront Pokemon to catch them.

One tap help you re-center the map in either app. Poke Radar appears to have a few more local landmarks and businesses on its map, but neither app shows you nearby PokeStops or Gyms, which would be the most helpful additional info.

Advantage: None Functionality

Like PokeFinder, Poke Radar relies on Pokemon GO players to seed it with location data by voluntarily reporting Pokemon sightings nearby. In this case, you tap on an icon in the lower-right corner that looks like a Pokeball on a pin. You then scroll through a list of Pokemon and tap on the name of the one you want to report.

This is marginally easier than Pokefinder, which requires you to type in the name of the Pokemon. However, this is balanced out by the fact that Pokefinder allows you to tap 'Refresh' and see the latest results updated immediately, whereas Poke Radar simply tells you your report is being added. There's less confidence, then, that you're seeing the most recent data.

Poke Radar also has an additional feature that allows you to filter a search for a particular Pokemon. That could be extremely handy as you advance through the game and have more Pokemon in your collection than ones you still need to find. That gives it the slightest of edges here.

Advantage: Poke Radar User Base

Ultimately, any app that relies on players to self-report Pokemon sightings is only going to be as good as the number and willingness of people using it. Anecdotally, for this user, Pokefinder gets the nod. But it's also been out a little longer, and with Poke Radar so high on the charts, that suggests that it could catch or surpass Pokefinder before long in terms of number of data points -- and in your area, it may already be thus.

Advantage: TBD 

In conclusion, there's not much separating these two Pokemon locator apps. Both do nearly the same thing, with Poke Radar's search function giving it the ever so slightest of edges. The advice here is to download them both -- they're free and take up little space in your phone's memory -- and use whichever one has more users in your area.