February 10, 2025

Equipped with advanced sonar and mapping technology, Garmin fishfinders and chartplotters have become indispensable tools for anglers worldwide hoping to reel in more fish. Many consider these easy-to-use marine electronics true game-changers.

Whether you’ve dabbled with marine tech or are looking to expand your horizons out on the water, you might be wondering — what is a fishfinder? And what’s a chartplotter? What’s the difference? In this post, we’ll cover that and more.

What Is a Fishfinder?

It’s simple. The purpose is literally in its name — fishfinders help you find fish! And if you’re lucky, lots of fish. They display scans from sonar tech, showing you fish and underwater structures such as trees.

But many of our fishfinder units, including the Garmin STRIKER™ series, are much more than a sonar display. The STRIKER series fishfinders also boast built-in GPS and the Quickdraw Contours feature and are compatible with a variety of sonar options. You can mark waypoints and objects for easy viewing so you can return to your favorite fishing spots. These fishfinders were made to provide an easy-to-use experience for those who stay local in small bodies of water. STRIKER fishfinders come with GPS and can create and store maps manually through the Quickdraw Contours feature and the ActiveCaptain® app.

What Does a Chartplotter Do That a Fishfinder Can’t?

A decent amount, depending on the exact unit. A fishfinder is a great starting point for improving your fishing experience, but Garmin ECHOMAP™ or GPSMAP® chartplotters offer even more. Available in various sizes, these chartplotters allow additional equipment to be added to the boat — including advanced sonars, radar, autopilots, digital switching and more. Select units come with built-in Garmin Navionics+™ mapping, which includes a one-year subscription to daily chart updates and a host of other features. Many of our chartplotters display sonar and more advanced mapping capabilities on a single screen.

Our premium chartplotters offer several features, including expansive displays up to 27” and stunning resolution. Whether it be a GPSMAP or ECHOMAP, Garmin chartplotters provide anglers and boaters with units built to fit their needs for a seamless experience on the water.

Enjoy a touchscreen? You’ll want to go the chartplotter route. How about having a connected boat system? Wireless networking? You’ll need our chartplotters to sync your various marine tech units, including your sonar, trolling motor, cameras, stereos, autopilots and VHF radios. Most of our chartplotters support LiveScope™ live-scanning sonar technology, while the fishfinders are built for simpler sonar technology.

The Main Differentiators

For a lot of anglers and mariners, it comes down to mapping. Many Garmin chartplotters come with built-in mapping or have the capability of supporting it, while our fishfinders do not have in-depth mapping built in. Our premium charts and mapping are second to none with integrated marine content, fishing chart updates, relief shading and more to help people navigate the waters. Another important differentiator is the ability to add LiveScope® sonar, autopilots, radar and more to a chartplotter.

Also of note, others prefer chartplotters for screen size purposes. For example, our GPSMAP® and ECHOMAP™ chartplotters screen sizes range from 6” to 27” to fit your needs. Meanwhile, a fishfinder maxes out at 9”. As for screen resolution, experience as clear as 4K resolution on our chartplotters.

When it’s all said and done — it’s all about you, your boat and your preference.

So, what’s it going to be? Fishfinder or chartplotter? Find out for yourself.