# iSailGPS : NOAA USA RNC Charts — user reviews > 70 indexed App Store user reviews of iSailGPS by James Associates Inc., rated 3.90/5 from 72 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/isailgps-noaa-usa-rnc-charts/id433950540/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/isailgps-noaa-usa-rnc-charts/id433950540.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 47 · 4★ 5 · 3★ 2 · 2★ 5 · 1★ 13 ## What do users think of iSailGPS? Overall sentiment: mostly positive **Pros** - 👍 Great app for sailing - 🗺️ Accurate NOAA charts - 🚀 Fast and efficient - 💰 Excellent value for price - 🧭 Reliable GPS tracking - ✅ Simple and clear interface - 💡 Good for planning and backup - 🛠️ Excellent customer support - 🔋 Battery friendly (mentioned by one user) - 🔄 Seamless chart updates - 📱 Useful on iPhone/iPad - 🌟 Highly recommended by many - 🆓 Free chart downloads - 🛄 Easy waypoint and route creation - 📈 Accurate speed and course tracking - 🗄️ Good for storing routes/waypoints **Cons** - ⚠️ Chart management issues - ❌ Limited to NOAA charts (no international) - 🐌 Slow response when zooming/panning - 📉 Poor battery life (mentioned by one user) - 🚫 No auto-routing feature - 🗄️ Chart stitching problems - 🗺️ Charts can be blurry when zoomed - 🤔 Not intuitive for some users - 📍 Waypoint placement can be off - ❓ Difficulty finding specific charts - 🧭 Compass heading issues - 🎛️ Map rotation issues - 🚫 No inland water navigation markings - 🔠 Layout can be confusing - 📏 Not detailed enough for some - 🖨️ Limited export options - 🎛️ No course-up feature - 🛄 Chart download method is quirky - ⚠️ Can be a battery hog in track mode - ❌ Useless for Canadian waters (mentioned by multiple users) - ❌ Useless for some inland lakes - 🐛 App hangs up/crashes - ❌ Not suitable for advanced users seeking modern features **Commonly reported bugs** - HDG and COG issues - Compass heading is dangerous - Map compass locked, cannot be rotated - App hangs up during update - Updated app on iPad no longer works on iPhone - App crashes - Slow response when zooming/panning - Tracking line is hit-or-miss - Server problems when downloading charts - Unworkable map loading **Most requested features** - Ability to stitch charts seamlessly - Automatic chart detail selection - Disable compass heading - Course on ground always on and efficient - Download chart kits, not individual charts - Use current map focal point to load local chart - Add 'use map' to 'add waypoints' screen - Sort charts by number - Apple Watch app with basic stats - Float plan sending with waypoints - Export to a computer version - Set up borders on chart with vibration/tone - Download additional waypoint icons - Dark mode option - Instrument panel page with big numerals - More advanced charting capabilities (shading, safety zones, depth levels) - Show all NOAA charts in one color, downloaded charts in another ## Newest reviews (15 of 70) ### 3/5 — I like it! *2025-07-31* I Haven’t used it much but it just pleases me. High res Raster charts, to the point, fast, reminds me of GPSNavX that I still use today. Many thanks! Ok, problem with HDG and COG. Compass heading is terribly dangerous, we should be able to disable it. Course on ground should be always on and efficient. Down to three stars for me, sad! ### 3/5 — Poor chart management *2024-03-26* The main problem for me is the inability to stitch together a see less chart and being able to get the best detail for the area automatically. I’ve been playing with app for awhile now and when I get to the chart boundary I can often get the next chart to show by double tapping the white area outside of it. And sometimes, I think, it seems to have successfully stitched together into a single, larger chart. But, it may not have the sufficient detail I need for a particular port. At that point I’m forced to go to my downloaded charts and find it. Not so simple as I now have a long list of charts. This can be impractical to do on the water unless you have a dedicated navigator. When approaching a busy area I don’t want to take my eyes off the water and be scrolling through a list of charts trying to find the appropriate detail. Maybe I’m missing something but for me other apps with paid subscriptions work a lot better. There’s just no chart management needed, and you can find them for as little as $5/year (at least for my area - eastern US coast). ### 5/5 — Can’t beat it *2021-10-29* I have used this app on my phone to navigate my sailboat at night from San Diego to Catalina and arrived at Avalon dead on the mark and within five minutes of the predicted ETA. While it’s less convenient than a dedicated chart plotter, it gets the job for a fraction of the price. ### 5/5 — Great app! *2021-10-05* I love this app! It gives me exactly the info I need when racing or just sailing. I’ve set waypoints for all the government and private buoys we use to set our race course. Then all I have to do is create a route by choosing the waypoints to be used for that day’s race. Then I have SOG and bearing and VMG to each mark and more. Amazing! The learning curve is a bit steep, but well worth it. And if I have questions, the developer is super-quick to respond. Highly recommended. ### 5/5 — Great Little App *2021-04-07* I just wanted an app that I could use for viewing NOAA raster charts. This does the job plus so much more. I like that you can download the charts right to your phone so they are always available whether you have cell phone service or not. The app itself doesn’t take up much space on your phone which is another plus. For under $10 you can’t go wrong with this app folks. ### 5/5 — Great Chart Plotter! *2021-01-03* Any of the negative reviews, and there are only a few, cleary just downloaded the app and didn’t bother to learn it. This app is amazing! I do wish I could figure out how to download additional waypoint icons though. Anchorage, bouy, ramp, hoist, pump out, etc. it may be possible but I can’t figure out. Still tho, great map. One tip, when creating waypoints, make sure to use in insets or zoom way in because, initially, when I was creating them, I learned that they were way off! ### 5/5 — iSail GPS *2020-11-24* Replaces a basic chart plotter. I run in the dark quite a bit, and this app has been very accurate for me. I’m always impressed - basic functions, but it performs very well. ### 2/5 — No longer compares to better hi tech (free) charts *2020-07-29* Used to love this app. Excellent customer support, excellent updates. HOWEVER, since getting the Simrad/C-Map app, the technological behind the times issues in the iSail app have become unfortunately glaringly evident. The biggest issue is of course the ability (or lack there of) to auto route. You just hold your finger on a point in the Simrad/C-map app and it creates all the waypoints and the entire route automatically for you. No more having to mark waypoint after waypoint in order to create a route which is an incredibly slow and inefficient way of doing business now. The crazy way that iSailForces you to mark a spot in order to create a waypoint as opposed to just holding your finger down is like using MS-DOS compared to Windows 10. Finally, given the new dynamic mapping capabilities which is free technology, the Raster maps are really old school. This is quite evident if you use a chart plotter and compare your ability to shade, create safety zones, colorize and customize different depth levels compared to the limited, and inflexible raster maps. The Simrad/C-map app uses the dynamic chart which, while not as sophisticated as the chartplotter obviously, still allows for more flexibility than the Raster chart (for instance, when you zoom to a very small area, the raster chart loses resolution and becomes blurry. This does not happen with the dynamic chart). With all that said, I still keep this app as my backup in case for some reason my Simrad app crashes along with my chartplotter. It will get you there and back. It used to be the best but now, it needs a serious complete technological renovation in order to keep up with the competition. **Developer response:** Simrad gives you free charts only when you have an Internet connection. To have USA charts when you are not within range of a cell tower, you must pay an in-app purchase fee of $25.99 per year. iSailGPS gives you full access to your charts always with no cost beyond the original purchase price. Holding your finger on a chart to create a waypoint at the place you are touching is not very accurate, as your finger covers up the very point you are trying to mark, causing typical errors of 20 pixels or more. The method iSailGPS uses to mark waypoints is consistently accurate to the nearest pixel. ### 5/5 — Great AID ! *2020-07-05, version 9.0.5* Puget Sound, Strait of Juan de Fuca, US San Juan islands to Blaine. iPhone is now a plotter in my pocket. iPad to iPhone chart downloads, waypoints, routes: do work on one and text to the other instant redundancy. Stitching charts keeps me from “ falling off the edge of the world”. Tip: download high resolution AND wide area charts as well as harbor charts. Ability to sort charts by number would be helpful. For $8.00 I’m impressed and satisfied. ### 4/5 — this app *2020-04-02* I have to give 4stars to put my review in as 1 star gets rejected!!! Don’t buy this app, if you can’t draw a straight line on a chart for way points then you may need this. This app suggests that I take my boat (using way points) through houses and hills. This is just an $8.00 novelty. ### 2/5 — SFBay *2019-09-14, version 8.3.0* No inland water navigation markings- useless for inland bay waters ### 5/5 — App is amazing *2019-06-20* I use this all the time to track speed, location and get a solid feel for the area before going to new locations. I few suggestions First would be an apple watch app that maybe includes basic stats such as speed direction, ETA( if using waypoints) distance traveled. Second would be to offer the ability to set up float plan sending with way points Third ability to export to a computer version for sharing purposes. Lastly the option to set up borders on the chart that maybe vibrates/plays a tone on the device. This could be used to mark under water structures to stay away from or even stay on course with out watching the screen the whole time. ### 5/5 — Great for the San Francisco Bay! *2019-04-26, version 8.2.6* Works great. I prefer it to my chart plotter on the boat. It automatically loads the charts. Love it! ### 5/5 — Excellent support *2019-03-13* I downloaded iSailGPS Yesterday, aiming to use a Dual XGPS170 Bluetooth device (not typical). Initially some confusion, but email from Larry James cleared things up right away. Support is first-rate. Love the app, but will wait for real-world experience. However, the developer is as responsive as can be. Rarely see such excellent support. Thanks Larry James! ### 5/5 — Excellent App *2019-02-06* I’ve been using this app for about a year and I’m extremely happy with it. I can set waypoints and routes right on the app just like I would on a chart. Then follow the route, and even reverse it on my iPad or iPhone. I can send a route from my iPad to my iPhone and it brings the waypoints with it. You can take a screenshot of the route and print it out, so you can check off each waypoint as you pass it. They even added the latitude and longitude of each waypoint to the route screen. They’re very responsive and I highly recommend this app. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Thought this would work for lakes in my area but wrong!! *2021-07-16, version 9.2.5* I bought this to use on lakes that I boat on but to my dismay none of the lakes have charts that I could find so this app is totally worthless to me. I guess it’s only for boating on the ocean or coastal areas. ### 1/5 — Maps compass locked *2020-10-28, version 9.1.0* The maps are locked to north and can’t be rotated. So you have to remove your iPad from the mount, lock rotation and turn it to read the text on a chart. As this makes the app useless to me, it gets a 1 star. In the help, the author say he listens. I emailed, but got no response. ### 1/5 — Not detailed *2019-07-15, version 8.2.8* This app is not detailed at all. The layout is horrible and confusing. The charts are not detailed enough. I don’t recommend you get this app. ### 1/5 — Disappointed *2019-04-18, version 8.2.6* This app does not allow you to zoom in far enough. I can understand if it was just a chart app but with GPS in your phone allowing zoom to several feet the chart should also be able to do it. Don’t waste your money. ### 1/5 — Tons of individual charts you have to deal with *2019-02-14, version 8.2.4* Nothing about this app is easy. If you just want to measure distances or plan a multi-day trip there is just too much chart confusion. ### 1/5 — Don’t waste your money *2018-08-17, version 8.1.9* Useless, doesn’t load charts , really a total waste ### 1/5 — Says chart for lakes. Nope *2018-04-21, version 8.1.3* I think we should be able to get our money back when the app developer misleads customers. It states clearly that there are charts for lakes. NOT for the biggest lake in the country. Lake Texoma. I know their are charts, this app just can’t access them. Buyer be ware. ### 1/5 — App hangs up *2018-03-30, version 8.1.1* Updated app on iPad. No longer works on iPhone. Hangs up during update. Delete, reinstall, won’t reinstall. But fix caused new bugsz ### 1/5 — Server problems *2016-07-11, version 6.2.2* Constantly fails when downloading charts. Do not buy! ### 1/5 — Doesn't work for me *2016-07-10, version 6.2.2* There are no maps for the Tennessee River, I want my money back. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — E Norm *2025-09-01* Great App! Had it about 6 years now and it’s awesome, nothing better available in its class! ### 5/5 — Simple accurate actual charts *2024-07-27* I miss charts. This is by far my favorite app for sailing. No distractions, just clear accurate markings on a proper chart! ### 5/5 — I like it! *2024-07-22, version 9.4.9* I Haven’t used it much but it just pleases me. High res Raster charts, to the point, fast, reminds me of GPSNavX that I still use today. Many thanks! ### 5/5 — Finestkind! *2024-01-02, version 9.4.3* Tracking and data viewing and export are excellent. NOAA chart integration is perfect. Highly recommended. ### 5/5 — The Perfect Combo *2023-11-22* iSail is the perfect combination of gps tracking tech and time honored and trusted NOAA charts. Easy interface allows for quick waypoint and route creation, and accurate speed over ground, course over ground, and location tracking over time. Adding new charts and their upclose inserts from all over the US is quick and intuitive. Highly recommended for day sails and multi-waypoint long distance trips. ### 5/5 — Works great *2023-11-04, version 9.4.3* I have been using it for 8 years. Tracked to Bermuda BVI and Florida to Baltimore. Charts are free mine has no subscription ### 5/5 — Always Impressed *2023-05-22* After investing a little time to understand this app, I found it to be extremely valuable and accurate. I was won over, when we used it to navigate across the Chesapeake Bay at night. The waypoint marker we were heading to was supposed to be a flashing light but the light was out and we were a little uncertain that we were on course. When we suspected we should be at our destination marker we turned on our spot light and found ourselves perched with the marker on our port quarter. Can’t believe this app is only $7.99. ### 5/5 — Good simple program *2022-11-15* Have tried several programs - this program seems to be the most battery friendly and is a good backup program. Very stable. Main limitation seems to be the app only works w NOAA charts so no international use. ### 5/5 — Great customer service *2022-06-05* I couldn’t find the specific chart for the area , Friday Harbor, San Juan islands, Wa. I left a message and he called me back on Sunday afternoon and helped download the chart I needed. Thanks ### 5/5 — Solid app, and reliable as a backup plotter *2022-04-25* I like how this app uses the straight NOAA raster charts. Also don’t have the login and in app purchase issues that I’ve had with competitors. --- *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 2026-08-26.*