# KnowWake — Friendly Waterway Navigation > Free marine navigation platform with waterfront destinations and real-time waterway reports. (iPhone/iPad app by Application Generation, Inc.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/knowwake/id688017646 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Application Generation, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/571709068) - Category: Navigation, Travel - Price: Free - Rating: 4.10/5 from 250 App Store ratings · 103 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 13.0 · 123 MB - Languages: American English, Arabic, French (France), German (Germany), Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Chinese (Simplified, China) and 3 more - Released: 2013-08-20 - Data updated: 2026-09-10 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/knowwake/id688017646/reviews.md ## What is KnowWake? KnowWake is a FREE marine navigation platform packed with waterfront destinations in the United States, Canada, Caribbean, Mexico, South Africa, United Kingdom, parts of Europe, Arabian Peninsula and NOW all of Australia and New Zealand!! Salt and freshwater points of interest include 50,000+ VERIFIED: restaurants, marinas, fuel docks, yacht clubs, lodging, vessel services, dive shops, boat ramps, dive & snorkel areas, bridges, locks, popular spots, town docks, anchorages, inlets and more! KnowWake also uses real-time waterway reports from the community to see and share things like hazards, marine life, police and other important information. Features include: · Wake zones - Simplified, color-coded waterways · Marine Weather Suite - Current and forecasted marine conditions · NAVAIDS - Navigation Channel Markers, Buoys & Beacons · Anchor Alarm - Get notified if your vessel moves outside of a predetermined area · Virtual Dive Flag - Alert other vessels of swimmers in the water · Routing - Point to point waterway routing with distance to location · Depth - See depth based on current NOAA bathymetry charts · Location sharing - Share location with a single person, group or everyone · Vessel Tracks - Leave tracks along the way to see or share later · Offline mode - Use KnowWake anywhere, even with bad network service · Augmented Reality - See what's ahead including all KnowWake points of interest · Safety First - An SOS button, Safety Checklists and Float Plan generator Sharing with friends is easier than ever. Simply click the share button on any point, route or favorite location and choose who you want to share it with - This feature is perfect to retrace steps, show friends how to get somewhere or just share your adventures. Adding to the chart helps everyone. Whether posting a waterway report, adding a missing point or updating an existing one, you can help keep the chart current with local knowledge. Thank you to everyone helping keep the chart updated and we'll see you on the water soon!! ## Key features - Waterfront destinations - Real-time waterway reports - Wake zone indicators - Marine weather forecasts - Anchor alarm - Location sharing - Offline mode ## What do users think of KnowWake? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 🗺️ Comprehensive wake zone and speed restriction information - 👍 User-friendly and intuitive interface - 🆓 Free app with valuable features - 📍 Accurate location data for marinas, restaurants, and fuel docks - 🚤 Essential tool for boaters and water sports enthusiasts - 📡 Real-time location tracking and route planning - 🌍 Works across multiple regions (Florida, Alaska, coastal areas) - 🔄 Frequently updated with current information - ⚡ Fast response to location changes - 💬 Responsive customer service (mentioned in some reviews) **Cons** - 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing issues - ⏱️ App becomes unstable after 30 seconds of use - 🔌 Constant stability problems across multiple iOS versions - ❌ Routing functionality frequently fails - 🗺️ Limited coverage for certain regions (Great Lakes, some Florida lakes) - 🎯 Non-intuitive icon system requiring trial and error - 📵 Login and registration issues - 🔧 Incomplete features with 'coming soon' placeholders - 💔 Poor customer support responsiveness - 🐛 Depth chart feature returns errors **Commonly reported bugs** - App crashes immediately upon opening - App freezes after 30 seconds of use - Login/registration fails or times out indefinitely - Routing returns error messages and crashes - Tapping on location icons does nothing or crashes app - Filtering options don't work (removed items still appear) - Depth chart feature returns 'error tap on water area' message - Freshwater/saltwater detection incorrect - NOAA overlay charts work once then fail - Vessel picture change causes symbol display issues - Buoy recognition inconsistent (only recognizes one random buoy) - Contact form CAPTCHA rejects valid input - App won't load or appear in app list after download - Force closing and random shutdowns **Most requested features** - Improved stability and crash prevention - Course-up/heading-up map orientation option - Depth layer integration for navigation safety - NOAA raster charts availability - Better routing algorithm with estimated time and distance - Ability to save multiple vessel profiles - Layer on/off toggle functionality - Bridge information with contact details and height specifications - Water amenities for canal boaters (water points, Elsan disposal, pump out sites) - Improved filtering system that actually works - Better icon explanations or legend - Expanded lake coverage in central Florida and other regions ## Recent user reviews (10 of 103) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/knowwake/id688017646/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Good *2026-08-01, version 5.4* Cool app. Works great! ### 1/5 — App Freezes Constantly *2026-07-30, version 5.4* This app freezes within seconds of launch on iPhone. The app is basically unusable. ### 4/5 — Seems like a cool app. Haven’t tried it out yet *2026-07-19, version 5.4* This seems like a cool app but why hasn’t it been updated in 2 years. Some of the similar competitors update their marine boating apps more frequently and they might be more advanced but they are not completely free like this app. Those other apps such as Argo rank higher in terms of the reviews. This app is 4.1 out of 5 stars and Argo is 4.9 out of 5 stars and then other apps such as Wavve boating is 4.7 and Savvy Navvy is also 4.7 out of 5 stars but none of those apps are completely free which I don’t like. You can get some features for free but some are not. Why would I pay for them when I can use this app (if it’s better) Now respectfully it might not be because the reviews are higher on the other apps when you view them on the App Store. ### 1/5 — App crashes often *2026-06-16, version 5.4* I love the concept of this app and want to use it more. But, the app randomly crashes without a recognizable pattern other than using it. ### 4/5 — Great app, but room for improvement *2026-06-03, version 5.4* I can’t figure out how to see depths. Does it only show in the exact spot you’re in? If so, how do you plan what route to take? ### 5/5 — Great *2026-05-21, version 5.4* The app is amazing !! ### 5/5 — Killer information *2026-04-30, version 5.4* Wonderful has way more that he basically. Things that matter to a boater ### 1/5 — Great idea, unfinished product (update) *2026-04-26, version 5.4* I want to like this app, that’s why I haven’t deleted it hoping the developers could fix the bug issues. With every update, it never works. Either certain components are inaccurate, don’t work or the entire program is prone to crashing. It could be a great app, but unfortunately it’s useless and it’s never once worked. Update: over the last few years I have tried to use this app and it NEVER works. Either functions don’t work or the app crashes or never loads. Update 2: I’m not sure why I’m bothering, but I’ve seen some recent reviews that are giving the app 5 stars and I don’t believe any of them are legit. I have been TRYING to use the app for SEVERAL years. There are always at least a couple major functionality issues that make the app unusable. This time, it’s that the routing feature won’t actually populate or even let you get to the point where you enter location…among MANY other issues. The last update was 2 YEARS AGO (nod to the reviewer who said the app is “always up to date” a few months ago). I have wanted to like this app for so long, but it’s so buggy and I don’t think the app developers put much time into it. Oh well…amazing idea, good anticipated execution, poor actual execution. This will be my last update. ### 5/5 — Get boating with confidence *2026-03-10, version 5.4* Great app very helpful 😊 ### 1/5 — Wake Zones?? *2026-03-05, version 5.4* I am disappointed. I downloaded this app with the hopes that it would tell me where the wake zones are in my area. There’s a lot of info in the app, but no wake zones. If there is, then it’s not intuitive. Maybe i misunderstood the “know wake” name. ## Frequently asked questions about KnowWake ### What does KnowWake do? KnowWake is a free marine navigation platform that provides detailed information on waterfront destinations and real-time waterway reports from the community. It helps boaters find points of interest like restaurants, marinas, and fuel docks, and stay informed about hazards and other important information on the water. ### What are the key features of KnowWake? Key features include a vast database of verified waterfront destinations, real-time waterway reports, simplified wake zone indicators, a marine weather suite, an anchor alarm, location sharing, vessel tracks, offline mode, and augmented reality views of points of interest. ### Is KnowWake free to use? Yes, KnowWake is a free marine navigation platform. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements mentioned, indicating it is entirely free for users. ### What regions does KnowWake cover? KnowWake covers waterfront destinations in the United States, Canada, Caribbean, Mexico, South Africa, United Kingdom, parts of Europe, the Arabian Peninsula, and now all of Australia and New Zealand. ### How can KnowWake help with safety on the water? KnowWake enhances safety with features like an SOS button, safety checklists, a float plan generator, and the virtual dive flag to alert other vessels of swimmers. Real-time waterway reports also help users avoid hazards. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 5.4 — 2023-09-25 Minor updates and fixes to features, functions and tools. Thank you to everyone keeping the chart updated and connect anytime: info@knowwake.com ### 5.3.2 — 2022-07-12 One of the biggest updates yet and it's just in time for Summer 2022! KnowWake now includes the full NOAA ENC depth overlay with night mode, mile markers throughout hundreds of freshwater lakes and rivers from the US Army Corp of Engineers - PLUS, more ways to SAVE and SHARE your favorite routes, anchorages and points of interest with the community. Thank you everyone for helping keep the chart growing and accurate - we now have over 45,000 VERIFIED points of interest and more than 6000 miles of wake zones charted! Connect at info@kowwake.com anytime and we'll see you on the water! ### 5.3.1 — 2022-05-31 One of the biggest updates yet and it's just in time for Summer 2022! KnowWake now includes the full NOAA ENC depth overlay with night mode, mile markers throughout hundreds of freshwater lakes and rivers from the US Army Corp of Engineers - PLUS, more ways to SAVE and SHARE your favorite routes, anchorages and points of interest with the community. Thank you everyone for helping keep the chart growing and accurate - we now have over 45,000 VERIFIED points of interest and more than 6000 miles of wake zones charted! Connect at info@kowwake.com anytime and we'll see you on the water! ### 5.3 — 2022-05-24 One of the biggest updates yet and it's just in time for Summer 2022! KnowWake now includes the full NOAA ENC depth overlay with night mode, mile markers throughout hundreds of freshwater lakes and rivers from the US Army Corp of Engineers - PLUS, more ways to SAVE and SHARE your favorite routes, anchorages and points of interest with the community. Thank you everyone for helping keep the chart growing and accurate - we now have over 45,000 VERIFIED points of interest and more than 6000 miles of wake zones charted! Connect at info@kowwake.com anytime and we'll see you on the water! ### 5.2 — 2022-05-11 KnowWake now has all NOAA ENC overlays with depth displayed and night mode! We've also added a lot of new features in time for Boating Safety Week including: · WEAR IT! reminder · Updated Safety Checklists · Carbon Monoxide warnings · Electric Hazard reporting · and much more! ## Apps similar to KnowWake | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [iNavX: Marine Navigation](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/inavx-marine-navigation/id286616280) | 4.8 (21,564) | Free | Navigation | | [Wavve Boating: GPS, Map, Chart](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wavve-boating-gps-map-chart/id1241140495) | 4.7 (6,378) | Free | Navigation | | [Nautical Charts & Maps](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nautical-charts-and-maps/id1420774597) | 4.6 (3,780) | $8.99 | Navigation | | [Savvy Navvy: Boat Navigation](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/savvy-navvy-boat-navigation/id1479182650) | 4.7 (8,043) | Free | Navigation | | [TZ iBoat – Marine Navigation](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tz-iboat-marine-navigation/id1312769833) | 4.7 (871) | Free | Navigation | | [Navily](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/navily/id881103205) | 4.8 (813) | Free | Navigation | ## Related topics [ankoradar](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ankoradar) · [apps for water navigation and safety](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/apps-for-water-navigation-and-safety) --- *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 2026-09-10.*