# Boat Beacon — AIS Marine Navigation > Internet AIS receiver and transmitter for marine navigation and collision warnings. (iPhone/iPad app by Pocket Mariner Ltd..) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boat-beacon/id494877039 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Pocket Mariner Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/719592131) - Category: Navigation, Sports - Price: $14.99 with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.60/5 from 854 App Store ratings · 183 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 15.6 · 152 MB - Languages: American English, French (France), German (Germany), European Spanish - Released: 2012-02-16 - Data updated: 2026-08-29 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boat-beacon/id494877039/reviews.md ## What is Boat Beacon? Boat Beacon is an internet AIS receiver and transmitter for your iPhone and iPad. It is the only AIS ship tracking app to provide Collision Warnings, share your boat’s position & use real-time AIS data. Connected to the largest network of AIS shore receivers world-wide covering most major ports, harbours and popular coastal areas. “An outstanding app, with great potential. Both interesting to use and very user friendly. This could be a life saver and especially of interest to small boat users. Everyone who goes on the water should have this on and use it!” ***** Sun Dream, App Store Review Boat Beacon is designed for boaters & provides continuous Bearing, Range & Closest Point of Approach (CPA) calculations and alarms in addition to standard AIS information even when in the background. Boat Beacon does not require any external AIS transponder or receiver equipment. Key Features ------------ Over-the-horizon collision avoidance (30 miles radius) using continuous CPA calculations - highlights boats that are on a potential collision course and alerts you with an alarm. Continually transmits and receives position information via the internet and calculates and alarms CPA even when the app is in the background. Shares your position with Internet AIS Systems & apps & other Boat Beacon users in real time. Real time ship map view with North up & Heading up modes so you can look in the direction of the ships on the map to locate them. Nav display showing own boat's speed, course, heading and position. SART Alarm Man Overboard tracking, Anchor watch & Theft alarms (IAP). Apple Watch App included Siri voice commands Export tracks Boat-to-Boat & Group Messaging. Local AIS & GPS via Wifi. Boat Beacon InApp Add-ons:- LiveView - Augmented Reality view with ships, compass & horizon overlaid. Works with FLIROne IR cameras as well to see ships & people in the dark & fog (IAP) "AIS Sharing" to other apps like Navionics & iNavX (IAP subscription) US, UK and IE Marine raster charts (IAP). MOB and Anchor Watch (IAP). Let Friends and Family see where you are and where you're headed to with our free Boat Watch app or on web-based AIS systems like MarineTraffic which have free web viewers available. Arm all the crews in a race with Boat Beacon and have real time updates on the race positions on the water and back in the club house. Keep a watch and in touch with other boats in your flotilla when sailing in a group. Boat Beacon requires internet access to work. Most popular coastal areas have cellular data access extending 12 or more miles out to sea. Subscriptions The "AIS Sharing " subscription is monthly ($5.99) or yearly ($16.49), and will automatically renew at the end of the subscription period unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase, and will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the iTunes account holder and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to Account Settings after purchase. 
No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Terms of Use: http://seanav.net/termsofuse.php Privacy Policy: http://seanav.net/privacy.php Support: help@pocketmariner.com Your position can be shared and seen on all our apps without using an MMSI number. To be seen on Global AIS systems like MarineTraffic you need an MMSI number. In the US you can obtain one by visiting http://www.boatus.com/mmsi or email us for a free internet MMSI number. Please note that continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. NOT FOR NAVIGATION Boat Beacon should only be used for basic navigation reference and should not be solely relied upon to determine precise locations, proximity, distance, or direction. You will not be visible to other ships on VHF only AIS systems. ## Key features - Collision warnings with CPA calculations - Real-time AIS ship tracking - Background operation for continuous alerts - Position sharing with other users - Augmented Reality view (IAP) - Man Overboard and Anchor Watch alarms (IAP) ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: $14.99. **Subscriptions** | Subscription | Price | Period | | --- | --- | --- | | AIS Share | $16.49 | per year | | AIS Share | $5.99 | per month | **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Live View Upgrade | $7.99 | one-time | | NOAA US Marine Charts | $9.99 | one-time | | UK & IE Marine Charts | $12.99 | one-time | | Anchor Watch and Man Overboard | $4.99 | one-time | ## Chart rankings - #47 in Top Paid · Navigation (US App Store) ## What do users think of Boat Beacon? Overall sentiment: neutral **Pros** - 👍 Works great - 🚀 Excellent app - 🔒 Fantastic app - 💡 Useful navigation aid - 👍 Handy app - 👍 Superb app - 👍 Great app - 👍 Awesome app - 👍 Excellent AIS tool - 👍 Best alternative to AIS **Cons** - 🐛 Crashes constantly - 🐛 Unreliable - 🐛 Doesn't work - 🐛 Useless - 🐛 Clunky UI - 🐛 Inaccurate data - 🐛 Limited coverage - 💰 Expensive for features - 🔋 High battery consumption **Commonly reported bugs** - Crashes when panning or changing settings - Phantom ships not disappearing - Inaccurate position data - Compatibility issues with older devices **Most requested features** - Add marine charts - Improve search functionality - Offline mode - Integrate with other navigation apps ## Recent user reviews (10 of 183) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boat-beacon/id494877039/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Mr. *2026-08-10, version 5.1.5* Is it possible to get a trial subscription so so I can see how it works for me in my area Thanks Kurt ### 1/5 — Confusing *2026-07-05, version 5.1.4* Not recommended ### 5/5 — Mr. *2026-06-22* Is it possible to get a trial subscription so so I can see how it works for me in my area Thanks Kurt **Developer response:** Hi, thanks for your interest in BoatBeacon. You can get an idea of coverage for your area using our free BoatWatch app or email us your location and we can send you some screenshots Best regards The PocketMariner crew ### 5/5 — Great app *2026-05-29, version 5.1.2* Works really well, means our friends and family can track us using and AIS app/website provided we have mobile signal. ### 5/5 — Amazing app *2026-05-16, version 5.1* Such a brilliant app for staying safe in a kayak around shipping. Using this down the Danube next week. Great helpful developers, too. ### 5/5 — To Support *2026-05-07* Steve is really responding very swift! Thank you **Developer response:** Thank you. Glad to help track your trans-Atlantic crossing. Fair winds and tides. Steve ### 1/5 — Disappointed in Boat Beacon *2026-04-21, version 5.1* Did not show boats that appeared on a comparable app, such as Marine Traffic. Wish I could get a refund. ### 3/5 — Difficult to share on Navionics *2025-11-19, version 5.0.12* Spending hours trying to share/display info navionics. ### 4/5 — Works Great! *2025-09-17, version 5.0.11* Especially like the anchor alarm. I like that it now feeds AIS info into my Navionics Boating App ### 1/5 — Can’t find my family. *2025-08-26, version 5.0.11* I paid for app and I know where they are but it only came up once since last week when they left. It keeps telling me they are docked at home. ## Frequently asked questions about Boat Beacon ### What does Boat Beacon do? Boat Beacon is an internet-based AIS receiver and transmitter for iPhones and iPads. It provides real-time ship tracking, collision warnings, and allows you to share your boat's position with others. It connects to a global network of AIS shore receivers to provide comprehensive coverage. ### What are the key features of Boat Beacon? Key features include over-the-horizon collision avoidance with continuous CPA calculations and alarms, real-time ship map view, navigation display, SART alarms, and Man Overboard/Anchor Watch alarms (available via in-app purchase). It also includes an Apple Watch app and Siri voice commands. ### How much does Boat Beacon cost? The base app is free, but it offers various in-app purchases (IAP) for additional features like LiveView augmented reality, AIS Sharing subscriptions, and marine raster charts. The AIS Sharing subscription has monthly and yearly options. ### What are the compatibility requirements for Boat Beacon? Boat Beacon is available for iPhone and iPad. It requires internet access to function, as it relies on cellular data access for most coastal areas. It also offers an Apple Watch app for extended functionality. ### Who would benefit from using Boat Beacon? Boat Beacon is ideal for any boater who wants to enhance their safety and situational awareness on the water. This includes recreational boaters, small boat users, participants in boat races, and those sailing in groups or flotillas who need to track other vessels and receive collision alerts. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 5.1.5 — 2026-07-16 Stability improvements ### 5.1.4 — 2026-06-30 Critical alert support option added - Boat Beacon can now sound a Critical Alert for Anchor Alarms and Collision (CPA) warnings even when your phone is on Silent or Do Not Disturb — ensuring you never miss a safety-critical alarm. Improved watch race countdown timer New MMSI country codes for Malta, Greece, Panama and China added ### 5.1.2 — 2026-05-20 Photo upload now updating immediately ### 5.1 — 2026-03-30 UI Update for iOS26 Ignore SART TEST alarms option in Advanced Settings added ### 5.0.12 — 2025-10-01 UI Improvements for Head Up Display. iPad now displays full screen in landscape mode. FLIR camera support updated for latest versions. ## Apps similar to Boat Beacon | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [iNavX: Marine Navigation](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/inavx-marine-navigation/id286616280) | 4.8 (21,564) | Free | Navigation | | [Boating Logbook: Skipper](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boating-logbook-skipper/id671764434) | 4.6 (35) | Free | Navigation | | [Aqua Map Boating](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aqua-map-boating/id919552329) | 4.7 (13,587) | Free | Navigation | | [Navionics® Boating](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/navionics-boating/id744920098) | 2.9 (2,321) | Free | Navigation | | [iSailGPS : NOAA USA RNC Charts](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/isailgps-noaa-usa-rnc-charts/id433950540) | 3.9 (72) | $7.99 | Navigation | | [PRO CHARTS - Marine Navigation](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pro-charts-marine-navigation/id451093694) | 4.5 (8,499) | Free | Navigation | ## More apps by Pocket Mariner Ltd. - [Compass Eye Bearing Compass](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/compass-eye-bearing-compass/id472314819) - [SeaNav US](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/seanav-us/id632635827) - [SeaNav UK & Ireland](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/seanav-uk-and-ireland/id632692250) - [Boat Watch - Ship Tracking](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boat-watch-ship-tracking/id669023760) - [Boat Watch Pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boat-watch-pro/id721609826) All apps by Pocket Mariner Ltd.: https://appshunter.io/developer/719592131 ## Related topics [beacon boat](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/beacon-boat) · [nke marine electronics](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/nke-marine-electronics) · [beacon pro bo](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/beacon-pro-bo) · [ais marine](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ais-marine) · [befaring pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/befaring-pro) · [yacht logic pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/yacht-logic-pro) · [navionics marine](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/navionics-marine) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-29.*