# Orca: Boat GPS, Charts, Routes — user reviews

> 86 indexed App Store user reviews of Orca by Orca Technologies AS, rated 4.60/5 from 352 ratings.

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orca-boat-gps-charts-routes/id1514423198/reviews
- App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orca-boat-gps-charts-routes/id1514423198.md
- Rating breakdown: 5★ 279 · 4★ 35 · 3★ 13 · 2★ 5 · 1★ 20

## What do users think of Orca?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 🎨 Clean, intuitive design and visual presentation
- 🗺️ Comprehensive and detailed chart coverage in many regions
- 🚀 Fast and responsive app performance
- 🧭 Excellent auto-routing with weather integration
- 📱 Seamless multi-device synchronization
- 🎮 Easy-to-use interface for route planning
- 💰 Competitive pricing compared to alternatives
- 🔌 Good integration with Raymarine and marine hardware
- 🌐 Global chart availability without regional restrictions
- 📡 AIS overlay functionality
- ⛵ Effective autopilot control from mobile devices
- 🔄 Frequent updates and improvements
- 👨‍💼 Responsive customer support (when available)

**Cons**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- 🗺️ Incomplete and inaccurate chart data in many regions
- 🔋 Excessive battery consumption
- ❌ Missing critical navigation details (buoys, markers, beacon names)
- 🌊 Poor inland waterway coverage
- 🚫 Limited functionality in free version
- 📍 Unreliable GPS and location tracking
- ⚠️ Dangerous routing errors (routes through obstacles)
- 🔐 Problematic account creation and login process
- 📺 Intrusive pop-up advertisements blocking navigation
- 🌍 Inadequate coverage outside coastal US areas
- 📊 Tidal stream data inaccuracies
- 🎯 Poor auto-routing in some regions (Bahamas, Long Island Sound)
- 🔤 English-only interface without translation options
- ⏱️ Slow customer support response times
- 💾 Offline map download issues

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App crashes on startup (iPad compatibility issues)
- Long press menu not reliably accessible
- Auto-routing selects incorrect start points
- Routes terminate prematurely at arbitrary points
- Routes pass through land and obstacles
- Map navigation controls unresponsive
- Offline map downloads fail or lack detail
- Popup advertisements block app functionality
- Account registration and Apple Sign-in failures
- Inconsistent text rendering at various zoom levels
- Buoy detail information not displaying
- App hangs at startup screen
- Battery drain issues
- Anchor watch feature malfunction
- Beacon/lighthouse positioning errors

**Most requested features**

- Permanent distance-to-destination display
- Apparent wind speed (AWS) option on wind rose
- Anchor alarm functionality
- More descriptive weather diagrams
- Catamaran polar data expansion
- Weather anchoring recommendations
- Samsung Smart TV native support
- Tidal stream integration in routing
- Heading/bearing information display
- Symbol legend/key for chart interpretation
- French language support
- Better documentation of free vs. paid feature differences
- Improved chart detail information transparency

## Newest reviews (11 of 86)

### 2/5 — Route Length

*2026-07-14*

Not being able to route a 200mi route is disappointing - that’s not very long in the scheme of weather routing for sailing

### 2/5 — Noch viel zu viele Bugs

*2026-06-08*

Tolle Ideen wurden umgesetzt, aber die App hat noch so viele Bugs, dass sie nicht sicher ist. Darauf werde ich mich nicht verlassen. Daher für mich unbrauchbar und rausgeschmissenes Geld. Schade.

### 3/5 — Nur Englisch ohne Übersetzer

*2026-02-13*

Leider sind die Informationen, über Häfen nur auf Englisch und nicht aktuell. Eine übersetzungsfunktion wäre schön.

### 2/5 — Unusable in Mexico

*2026-01-09*

This app shows promise and could be great in the US. I’m currently sailing in Mexico and there are no depths even in well charted areas. Disappointed as i like many others are looking to get away from navionics.

### 2/5 — Advertising

*2025-12-19*

IT is Dangerous to block the screen with advertisements while navigating. 
That’s made this app not reliable

### 3/5 — Not quite

*2025-11-15*

So I’ve been a pilot for years. ForeFlight and Garmin Pilot and intuitive. Not so much with this app.

**Developer response:** Hey, thank you for your review! Would you please write to us at hello@getorca.com with more details about your feedback? We'd love to be able to improve the app experience for you. 

Cheers,
Weisi from Orca

### 3/5 — Routingfunktion mit kritischen Fehlern

*2025-10-02*

Ich habe mir Orca als App fürs iPhone gekauft. Die Handhabung ist relativ einfach. Die Routing-Funktion ist leider unbefriedigend und fehlerhaft. Beim erstellen einer Route wurde beispielsweise der Kurs direkt durch eine Haven-Mauer gezogen. Zwar ist mir der Fehler beim Ansehen der Route sofort aufgefallen, weil es ein offensichtlicher Fehler war, aber ich möchte mir nicht vorstellen, wenn solche Fehler auch bei weniger offensichtlichen Stellen auftauchen. Klar gilt immer der Grundsatz, dass die elektronische Navigation die Papierkarte nicht ersetzen kann. Allerdings würde ich mir trotzdem wünschen, dass hier mehr Zuverlässigkeit bei den Funktionen bestehen würde. Das Routing mit Waterkarte und Navionics hat für diese Route fehlerfrei funktioniert. Der Support konnte mir nicht weiterhelfen und eine Rückerstattung oder Kulanzangebot wurde nicht gemacht. Daher habe ich mein Abo gekündigt. Das Produkt wird derzeit von verschiedenen YouTubeern beworben, die das komplette Sortiment von Orca gesponsert bekommen. Ich finde es schon fahrlässig, wenn die dann so Aussagen treffen, wie „da mäkelt jemand, weil Orca mal über einen Stein fahren wollte“. Krass ist dabei, wenn man schon weiß, dass die nicht mal eine einzige aktuelle Papierkarte an Bord haben. Daher kann ich vor der Routingfunktion nur warnen.

### 5/5 — Game Changer

*2025-10-01*

Having installed the app and a Core 2 alongside my Axiom system, I’m hugely impressed. I was going to use it as a backup/fall back in the event my Axiom system failed, but I’m now increasingly using it as my main system. 

I love the fact that when creating a route, it always finds the bay, anchorage. Marina I’m searching for (unlike the clunky Navionics app).  

Being able to show weather/wind/waves along an entire route and altering the departure time or day to see how the weather evolves is unique and game changing for me. 

The fact I can control my autopilot from my phone, from my iPad, even from my watch, with instant response, is impressive.  I can now sit anywhere on my boat and have full instrumentation and control over the boat without being glued to the helm.  

The ability to instantly transfer an Orca route to Axiom is simplicity itself. 

Highly recommended.

### 5/5 — Awesome

*2025-09-29*

Great for locating waypoints!

**Developer response:** Hey James,

Thank you for your review! I'm glad to hear that you like the app.

Cheers,
Weisi from Orca

### 5/5 — Super intuitif

*2025-09-29*

Des visuels agréables et vivants ; des fonctions très simples et puissantes qui invitent à préparer sa nav à la maison aussi bien qu’à suivre sa route en navigation.

### 5/5 — Gute Alternative zu Chartplottern

*2025-09-28*

Ich nutze Orca als Ersatz zu meinem Raymarine E80. Wollte mir erst ein Axiom kaufen. Doch das Preis-Leistungsverhältnis von Orca hat mich überzeugt. Für unser Revier Mittelmeer auf einer Fly ideal. E80 am Steuerstand Fly raus, Orca rein. Ich kann meine Navigation mitnehmen, auf der Fly nutzen und am unteren Steuerstand. Da habe ich den E80 mit Radar behalten. Bin Schönwetterfahrer. Motordaten werden alle angezeigt. Autopilot funktioniert. Bin super zufrieden.

## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated)

### 1/5 — Didnt route

*2026-07-07*

Couldn’t get it to route a single trip. Just kept saying unable to find route.

### 1/5 — Charts not accurate

*2026-07-01*

After using Navionics from when it first launched I wanted to have an alternative after Garmin managed to degrade an excellent app. Unfortunately Orca did not deliver. Many charts in British Columbia coastal waters are “stitched” together in a haphazard manner with critical depth and depth contours missing and being dangerous for navigation use. 

The AIS, weather and tide overlays are better than Garmin. Current information is not reliable.

### 1/5 — don’t rely on it

*2026-06-08*

does not calculate trip times with any accuracy, using the app on a mac is cumbersome

### 1/5 — No internet AIS

*2026-05-19*

It does not show AIS ships in the free version. Totally misleading

### 1/5 — Terribly broken

*2026-04-19*

Took me forever to create an account. Apple sign in didn’t work. For some silly reason I spent time to it figure out (despite worthless error messages, a confused fire base backend, and an unhelpful AI that asked for my phone number). I guess I was motivated by “free”.

Well, it ended up being a waste of time as this app doesn’t work as a basic chart plotter. Good luck pulling up details of a bouy. If the app doesn’t feel like rendering text alongside it at the zoom level you’re at, well I guess you’re not going to get any more info. The “at this location” screen is perversely too sparse on data “starboard lateral mark” AND too verbose as overlapping restricted areas take all available screen real estate and you can’t even scroll to the last ones.

As far as data goes, this is purely coastal. Inland rivers in the US have occasional bridge heights listed, nothing else.

Complete waste of my time and not worth any space on my phone (even though free). Maybe in a couple years if real mariners start using it.

### 1/5 — Suspect

*2026-04-13*

Pompe à coordonnées avan toute utilisation

### 1/5 — Free 🤣

*2026-03-31*

Free for 3 days, deleted immediately

### 1/5 — Orca is not useful nor user friendly

*2026-03-07*

The app is not designed to be used easily for navigation. It’s impossible to enter an actual start point based on desire or current location, and impossible to enter way points that are desired. There are no features present such as type of data that could be obtained, wind, current, weather, predicted, estimated, speed or actual? Perhaps there is a way to unlock “dumb demo” mode? There are no menu options, nothing, seems like a troll?

### 1/5 — Mr

*2025-11-11*

Have just installed the app and am playing with it (the app!}
Will write a proper review when I’ve used it for a couple of months.
Stu

**Developer response:** Hey! Thank you for your review. 

I hope you like the app so far and looking forward to hearing your review. 

Cheers, Weisi from Orca

### 1/5 — Ein Popup blockiert die App.

*2025-09-23*

Ein Popup mit einem Angebot blockiert die App und lässt sich nicht mehr löschen. Somit ist die App unbrauchbar

## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated)

### 5/5 — Endlich was modernes

*2026-07-26*

Nachdem alle Versuche einer automatischen Routenerstellung bei den bekannten Plotterherstellern gescheitert sind, ist es hier eine Freude, die Route zu erstellen. Auch das neue Wettermodell ist viel besser als Windfinder etc. Das ist die neue Zukunft.

### 5/5 — Fabulous presentation

*2026-06-11*

We are on a cruise from Bergen in Norway to the Russian border in Kirkenes. The Orca app has been a wonderful companion while we cruise.

### 5/5 — Orca Free charting and routing

*2026-06-11*

As a standalone app this is superb and now I don’t have to pay an annual subscription to Garmin, although on critical passage (say the Great Sandy Straight) I will renew if I am negotiating a narrow channel with changing depths. I purchased ORCA Core and it truly adds to my existing Raymarine setup with transparent control of the autopilot when following ORCA’s routes.

### 5/5 — Appréciation

*2026-05-06*

Très bien

### 5/5 — Tolle App

*2026-05-06*

Cleanes Design und trotzdem sehr gute Karten und Funktionen (bspw. gute Integration von Wettervorhersage und Strömungen etc). Das beste Auto-Routing was ich bisher gesehen habe.

### 5/5 — Top Navigation zu fairem Preis

*2026-04-24*

Nutze Orca (incl. Core) seit 2 Jahren als Ergänzung zu Navionics. Läuft auf Legacy Hardware von Raymarine sowie auf Apple-Geräten. Integration von Wetterdaten macht Segel-Routing hilfreich. Kartendarstellung einfach, aktuell und nicht überfrachtet. Top-Navi-System zu sehr fairem Preis, da keine regionale Begrenzung der Karten. Nutze es als unabhängige Ergänzung/Backup zu Navionics.

### 5/5 — Great

*2026-03-31*

Very Helpful

### 5/5 — WOW, what a pilot!

*2026-02-17*

Orca controls my legacy Raymarine Seatalk smart pilot transforming it to everything I’ve wanted. Smooth route engagement, smooth rate of turn, auto turn acceptance… and a good straight line. Yep five stars. 

And regards routes, plan them on a mobile device and they appear on all your devices.

### 5/5 — Works Great in PNW

*2025-12-18*

Used Orca on a 47’ sailboat during a round Vancouver island race. Worked amazingly well. While we didn’t always follow its predicted line for sailing, it always makes the eta within 20 minutes. Very impressed. Chart coverage is great in the PNW. Auto route woes great too.

### 5/5 — Great app and expandable

*2025-10-22*

This is a great app that does everything that it says that it does.  Provides good routing and the NOAA charts are good visually.  I expanded this to include the Core 2, which connects to all other instruments on our boat.  I like it alot.

**Developer response:** Hey Jack, thank you for your review, very glad to hear that the app and the Core are providing value to you! Cheers, Weisi from Orca

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*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 2026-09-03.*