The Best Side-Scanning Fishfinders for 2026: Humminbird’s Apex is King of the Hill

Essentially, the Elite FS is the HDS Live without the advanced connectivity features, making it a great option for anglers who don’t want or need that capability. 

This isn't Lowrance’s flagship, obviously, and the lack of advanced networking features is not something I’d consider were I earning my livelihood on the water. But for weekend fishermen looking for a solid fishfinder that won’t leave their wallets empty, the Elite FS is a great choice with amazing tech in its own right.

And despite its relatively inexpensive price tag, the Elite FS is capable of Active Target imaging, which is nothing short of game-changing. Active target is live video produced by Sonar, allowing you to watch moving images of the fish you're after, as well as your lure.

The only downside to this tech is that it’s harder to see in direct sun than the standard imaging.

Lowrance supplies the Elite FS with the Simrad Active Imaging 3-in-1 Transom Mount Transducer. You read that right - the same transducer at the heart of the HDS series. As a result, the Elite FS enjoys the same image quality, target separation, and range as its much more expensive cousin.

Moreover, Lowrance includes the same excellent mapping, course charting, and GPS software, making this a very full-featured option for every serious fisherman to consider. And with access to the C-Map Genesis website - where you’ll be able to download tens of thousands of accurate topo maps of water near you - well, that’s a game-changer!

When you put that all together, if you can live without networking features and a high-end screen, the Elite FS 9 is simply an awesome cheapest side imaging fish finder.

Display Size: 9”
Resolution: 800 x 480
Frequencies: CHIRP (50/83/200kHz) as well as traditional 455/800kHz
Side Scanning: Yes, 150’
Maximum Depth: CHIRP 1,000’; DownScan 300’
Transducer Angle: ?
Target Separation: ?
GPS: Yes
Maps: Yes

PROS:

• Awesome price!
• Excellent screen and image quality
• Good depth and range
• CHIRP and standard sonar options
• Powerful GPS and maps
• Now with Active Target!
• Lake mapping feature
• Pairs with your mobile

CONS:

• Can’t compete with the high-end tech of the HDS Live, HDS PRO, Solix, or Apex series

The best of the Solix series is, in our view, the Solix 12 CHIRP MEGA SI+ G3 Fish Finder/GPS Chartplotter. The king of the Humminbird hill only a year or so ago, the Solix’s only external competition is Lowrance’s excellent HDS Live series.

As the Solix has proven on the water, screen quality, and image sharpness matter. Its 12.1-inch screen offers excellent resolution, comparable to the best Lowrance and Garmin have to offer, but falling short of the amazing new tech in the Apex. 

1280 x 800-pixel resolution, very bright backlighting, and great legibility from extreme angles make the Solix an outstanding choice, and it’s hard to find an angler who isn’t impressed by what they see.

With the MEGA upgrades, which provide fine-grained, very high-frequency detail at the cost of some range, you’ll get image quality that probably edges out Lowrance’s HDS Live series, if only by a slender margin.

Side-scanning range is excellent on the Solix - a full 200’ - but it’s totally eclipsed by the Apex. The SI+ side-scanning system makes use of very high frequencies to produce crisp, detailed images.

Just take a look:

The Solix’s transducer angles are varied and specific to its applications, including a sweeping feature called “Mega 360” that provides side-scanning in 360 degrees while sitting still! That’s simply amazing tech with clear utility.

Finally, like the Apex, the Solix series comes pre-loaded with extensive charts and maps, as well as the software to enable your own custom mapping through AutoChart Live. 

Its networking capabilities are powerful as well, offering access to Hummibird’s Minn Kota compatible One-Boat Network and i-Pilot. Easy control over your position, as well as access to the additional transducers, makes a huge difference in the real world, and this tech was once reserved for pros.

Now it can be yours at a pretty steep discount.

Finally, in contrast to the keypad-only models from Humminbird the Solix’s touchscreen dramatically improves the user interface, making it simple and intuitive for smartphone users.

In short, this is an amazing system well worth what you pay for it.

Display Size: 12.1”
Resolution: 1280 X 800
Frequencies: Dual Spectrum CHIRP, MEGA Down Imaging+, MEGA Side Imaging+; Full Mode (28-75 kHz), Narrow Mode (75-155 kHz), Optional Deepwater (28-250 kHz), Wide Mode (130-250 kHz)
Side Scanning: Yes (up to 200’)
Maximum Depth: 200’MEGA Down Imaging+; 1,200’ CHIRP (3,500’ with an optional 50 kHz transducer)
Transducer Angles: 20°, 42°, 60°, (2) 86° & (2) 55° @ -10dB
Target Separation:  no greater than 2.5”
GPS: Yes
Maps: Yes

PROS:

• Awesome screen and image quality
• Fantastic depth and range
• CHIRP and standard sonar options
• No greater than 2.5” target separation
• Powerful GPS, maps, chartplotting, and autopilot features
• Lake mapping feature
• Pairs with your mobile

CONS:

• Still expensive!

Garmin offers the ECHOMAP Ultra with a 12-inch diagonal screen featuring a vivid color palette and 1280 x 800 resolution. The results are clear images, crisp details, and impressive legibility, even in bright sun. Actie anglers will find that a glance at the screen gives them the info they need, even if they’re not standing directly in front of the control head.

As you’d expect from a company with decades of experience with touchscreen tech, this ECHOMAP is easily controlled via a touchscreen, and Garmin simply nails the user interface. If you've struggled with fishfinders before, this might be the best bet for you, because in terms of ease of use, nothing beats the ECHOMAP Ultra.

Garmin pairs this excellent control head with their GT56UHD transducer, which is justifiably loved for its shallow-water performance. Above 60 feet or so, it offers amazing detail, making it ideal for freshwater and inshore applications.

Image quality at depths most anglers fish is simply amazing, though detail drops off as you get farther from your boat.

Images and detail are first-rate on the ECHOMAP Ultra.

And the GT56UHD transducer is “LiveScope” capable, meaning that it can provide video-like images in real-time. That’s game-changing tech that rivals the HDS Live, and it really can change the way you fish.

SideVü and ClearVü are supported as well, as you’d expect, and we’re pretty impressed with both. Image quality is uniformly excellent.

Networking options for the ECHOMAP Ultra 126sv are extensive. With other ECHOMAP units on board, you'll be able to share information, offering fantastic options for serious anglers. You can also control compatible trolling motors, and access information from many models of Yamaha and Mercury outboards.

Additionally, the ActiveCaptain app unlocks some powerful chartplotting, planning, and navigation options, and is among the best in the business.

Garmin’s top-of-the-line ECHOMAP is also NMEA 2000 compatible, providing you with up-to-date weather information.

Mapping is exceptional with the ECHOMAP Ultra 126sv. Capable of contour mapping in 1-foot intervals, and preloaded with BlueChart and LakeVu maps, offering both salt- and freshwater charts, you’ll have very powerful mapping tech at your fingertips.

Taken together, the features of the ECHOMAP Ultra 126sv are impressive, and there's little question that Garmin has closed the gap with Lowrance and Humminbird.

Display Size: 12”
Resolution: 1280 x 800
Frequencies: 70/83/200 kHz CHIRP; ClearVü and SideVü 260/455/800/1000/1200 kHz
Side Scanning: Yes, 500’
Maximum Depth: Traditional: 800 ft freshwater; ClearVü: 400 ft
Transducer Angles: Traditional CHIRP: 24-16; ClearVü 0.52 x 52 @ 1000 kHz, 0.64 x 35 @ 800 kHz, 1.1 x 52 @ 455 kHz; SideVü 0.52 x 52 @ 1000 kHz, 0.64 x 35 @ 800 kHz, 1.1 x 52 @ 455 kHz
Target Separation: ?
GPS: Yes
Maps: Yes

PROS:

• Awesome screen
• Very easy to use; excellent UI
• Excellent depth and range
• ClearVü and SideVü
• CHIRP and standard sonar options that cover a very wide range of frequencies
• Excellent networking options
• Quickdraw Contours mapping
• Built-in maps and GPS

CONS:

• It simply can’t compete with the Humminbird Apex

The now upgraded HDS PRO is Lowrance’s answer to the Apex, and while I’d own the Lowrance and never look back, it’s not closing in on the Humminbird in any meaningful sense.

Again, that doesn’t make it a bad fishfinder in any sense at all, it’s just not equal to the unbeatable Apex.

Like the HDS Live series, The Lowrance HDS PRO 12 is marketed to professionals. The upgrades allow for greater control of accessories like Power Poles and outboards, creating a networking station that provides tournament-ready control. Many Mercury, Yamaha, Honda, and Suzuki outboards are compatible, and Motor Guide trolling motors can be micromanaged with a touch of the screen. 

Of course that also applies to Lowrance’s own Ghost trolling motors, too.

And the PRO adds sonar overlays for its ActiveTarget Scout Mode and the Ghost 360 trolling motor mode as well, offering easy-to-read info that will get (and keep) you on the fish.

That’s no joke tech, and effortless control through networking can save time and effort that would otherwise be wasted.

Like the HDS Live 12, the PRO features a very large screen with awesome resolution. Extremely crisp and clear, it’s easy to read in all conditions. Expect a touch screen augmented by the usual keypad, allowing all-conditions accessibility.

Lowrance pairs the HDS PRO with its always impressive Simrad Active Imaging 3-in-1 Transom Mount Transducer, providing CHIRP, traditional sonar, and side-imaging. It even squeezes past the capable Solix 12 in terms of range with its detailed side- and down-imaging, but falls short of the astounding range of the Apex.

Some specifications are not available from either Lowrance or Simrad Yachting (the same company since 2006), such as transducer beam angle or target separation. Normally, that would give us pause: if you’re proud of a product’s performance, you’re going to offer that info! But real-world performance has demonstrated the Simrad Active Imaging 3-in-1 Transom Mount Transducer is a real winner.

Lowrance’s DownScan and SideScan tech are very-high-frequency modes, roughly analogous to Humminbird’s MEGA system, providing incredible crisp, clear images at the cost of range. Lowrance claims a range of 600 feet from its SideScan, running CHIRP sonar from 100 kHz to 500 kHz. That’s impressive but still eclipsed by the Apex’s performance.

Lowrance’s experience in marine navigation is more than evident when you turn to the map and GPS features that the HDS PRO 12 sports. The excellent C-Map US Inland mapping and US/Canada Navionics+ card make navigation and charting a breeze. Like Humminbird, Lowrance offers a real-time mapping feature called Genesis Live. Capable of creating ½ foot contour maps, it’s an excellent tool for careful study of the locations you fish.

And of course, the HDS PRO is NMEA 2000 compatible, with wireless bluetooth connectivity to pair with your smartphone and other enabled devices.

Probably the second-best fishfinder on the market, usurped only by the new Apex, Lowrance’s HDS PRO 12 is amazing fishing tech ideal for those who make a living on their boats.

Display Size: 12”
Resolution: 1280 X 800
Frequencies: CHIRP (83/200kHz) as well as traditional 455/800kHz; DownScan: 700 kHz and 1200 kHz CHIRP SideScan: 455 kHz and 1075 kHz CHIRP
Side Scanning: Yes, up to 600’
Maximum Depth: CHIRP 1,000’; DownScan 300’
Transducer Angle: ?
Target Separation: ?
GPS: Yes
Maps: Yes

PROS:

• Awesome screen and image quality
• Great depth and range, especially in SideScan
• Awesome CHIRP and standard sonar options
• Powerful GPS and maps
• Lake mapping feature
• Amazing networking features

CONS:

• Just a touch behind the Humminbird Apex

Smaller boats like jons and kayaks need powerful fishing electronics enabled with side-scanning sonar, too, as do anglers whose pockets aren’t deep enough for flagship models.

Enter the Striker Vivid 9sv.

As with all of Garmin’s Vivid series, a bright, legible screen is enhanced by an amazing range of colors that really make images pop. And within the limits of its transducer and screen resolution, the Striker Vivid 9sv delivers performance that will help weekend anglers catch more fish. 

Garmin’s transducers, even when we’re not considering the very high end, are pretty good, especially when CHIRP is enabled and used in down- and side-scanning modes. A rough equivalent of the still-popular Helix, you can expect a wide range of supported frequencies that punch through the water column and deliver details.

But something has to give for the money, and some imaging issues remain. Shadows plague the Vivid’s side-scanning, and its overall image quality can’t rival the Solix, HDS, and ECHOMAP Ultra - or the unbeatable Apex.

Keep in mind, however, that the Striker Vivid 9sv is fully GPS capable, enabling waypointing and marking, and as you’d expect from Garmin, its UI is intuitive, easy-to-use, and a snap to learn.

True, the bells and whistles like powerful networking and “live” video aren’t here, but for weekend anglers, this is definitely a bargain.

Display Size: 9”
Resolution: 800 x 480
Frequencies: 50/77/200 kHz CHIRP (mid and high); ClearVü and SideVü 260/455/800 kHz
Side Scanning: Yes, 500’
Maximum Depth: 800 ft.; ClearVü: 500 ft.
Transducer Angles: Traditional: 24°-16°; ClearVü/SideVü: 2.0°x50° @ 455 kHz and 1.0°x30° @ 800 kHz
Target Separation: ?
GPS: Yes
Maps: No

PROS:

• Awesome price!
• Very easy to use
• Great imaging
• Excellent depth and range
• CHIRP and standard sonar options
• Very nice screen
• GPS

CONS:

• Screen and image quality suffer greatly in comparison with high-end Garmin, Humminbird, and Lowrance
• No maps
• High-tech options are limited