# SEAiq — user reviews > 56 indexed App Store user reviews of SEAiq by Sakhalin, rated 4.66/5 from 191 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/seaiq/id529514298/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/seaiq/id529514298.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 157 · 4★ 18 · 3★ 7 · 2★ 3 · 1★ 6 ## What do users think of SEAiq? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 👍 Highly reliable navigation app - 💡 Tons of features - ✨ Clean and sensical interface - 🚀 Versatile for plotting routes/waypoints - 📊 Estimating AIS target crossing range - 💻 Visualizing vessel data - ⚙️ NMEA data smoothing - 🌙 Dark mode option - 🚨 Alarm customization - 🗺️ Custom satellite charts (.kap files) - 🆓 Free NOAA charts (US) - 📂 Easily accessible chart files/tracks - 🚫 Never crashed - 💬 Responsive developer support - 🌟 Professional-grade tools - ⚓ Chart tool functionality (EBLs, VRMs) - 🧭 AIS functionality (course vectors, rate of turn) - ✅ Official ENCs display - 🛠️ Supports S-63 charts - 💯 Good for marine pilots - 🌐 Works with official maps (Hong Kong) - 🚀 NMEA/AIS features - 📊 Data bar on map - ✅ Reliable app - 🔌 Integrates with Active Captain - 🔋 Offline use with Aye Tides - 💨 Fast NOAA chart downloads (US) - 💻 Planning/plotting on laptop - 📈 NOAA Raster and ENC charts - ⚙️ Tides integrated nicely - 🇭🇰 Works in Hong Kong waters - 🚀 VMG feature (missing) - 🌍 Free world charts (CM93) - 💡 Ability to use own charts - 💯 Best nav software by far - ✅ Coded by experienced users - 🚀 Fast chart updater - ⭐ First rate app - 🌐 Offline functionality (99%) - 💨 Download gribs via SSB - 💯 Serious navigator app - 💰 Upgrade worth the price - 🛰️ GPS data from TCP/IP source (request) - 🔄 NMEA data TCP/IP support (request) - 🗺️ Display CM93 CMap charts - ✅ Try-before-you-buy capability - 🚀 Excellent software - 💯 Miles ahead of the fleet - 🌍 Sailing around the world - 💡 Comprehensive app - 🔄 Exporting routes easily - ✨ AIS functionality excellent - ⭐ Actual size feature (AIS) - ✅ Solid feature set - 🚀 AIS repeater from laptop - 💰 Chart plotters for a tenth the cost - 🚀 Works well now - 💯 Outstanding bit of kit **Cons** - 😩 Tedious to plot a course - 🔧 Complicated chart setup initially - 🤔 Not user friendly - 📚 Instructions not very helpful - ⏳ Time wasted on simple things - 🐌 Chart downloader excruciatingly slow - 📱 App needs to be on screen for downloads - ⚠️ Switching away causes download failures - 🔄 Retrying updates needed - 📉 Lazy software design - 👎 Poor user experience - 🤔 Chart suppliers issue with cross-device use - 🐌 App speed could be improved - 😕 Creating routes/waypoints clunky - 🔍 Options hard to find - 📈 Learning curve steep - 🇺🇸 US charts take priority - 📉 CM93 charts no longer supported - ❌ No option to load older version - 🗑️ Useless waste of money (charts) - 💸 Expensive charts - 🤷‍♂️ Gave up trying to get it to work - ❓ ActiveCaptain feature not working - 😭 Screwed by updates - 💸 Waste of money - 👎 Dropped support for CM93 - 💰 Hundreds of charts stopped working - 📉 Update happened mid-trip - ⚠️ Company willing to do this to customers - 💸 Hundreds of dollars worth of charts useless - 📉 Not unique feature set anymore - 💰 Lost considerable money - 🚫 App with no use - 📉 Developer withdraws support - 😭 Unhappy about lost money - 👎 CM93 no longer supported - 😩 Wasted money - ❓ CM93 NOT SUPPORTED??? - 📉 Lost support for CM93 - 💸 Expensive app - 📉 Bait and Switch - 📉 Developers stopped supporting CM93 - 🗑️ App now worthless - 👎 Dropped CM93 support - 📉 Turned useful app into worthless app - 💰 Full paid version, no refund - 😔 Very un happy - 🐌 Rendering can be slow - 🐌 Full CM93 set is huge - 😕 App doesn't allow selection of discreet areas - 🤔 Confusing variations of same app - 💰 Upgrade asks for more money - ❓ Not explaining what you get - 👎 Download yet another app for upgrade - 🔄 Need to reinstall charts - 🛠️ Needs a lot of work to be user friendly - 💥 Crashes - 🥶 Freezes iPad - 💸 40 dollars to create waypoints is brutally expensive - 💰 10 dollars would have been better - 💸 Cost of charts on top of application - ❓ Icons for vessels are basic - 😔 It does nothing free - ❓ Not intuitive on chart loading - 💰 Everything is an upgrade - 🗑️ Useless as a free app - ⭐ Less than one star **Commonly reported bugs** - No access to premium features after payment - Chart downloads fail if app is not on screen - App freezes when trying to delete - App crashes **Most requested features** - Simplify course plotting - Add support for .MBTiles - Add VMG feature - Add support for .MBTiles - Add support for .MBTiles - Allow selection of discreet chart areas - Add GPS data from TCP/IP source - Allow disabling internal GPS - Provide good integration/complement to OpenCpn - Provide TCP/IP support for NMEA data - Broadcast waypoint and NMEA data to external systems - Lower price for waypoints creation - Allow using purchased charts across devices ## Newest reviews (14 of 56) ### 4/5 — Loaded with great features *2025-01-26* So many good features. Only down side is it is a little tedious to plot a course. I wish they would simplify that ### 4/5 — My favorite for beyond harbor *2023-08-05* We use SEAIQ and Navionics on a daily basis. Navionics primarily for new harbors in the US due to their sonar charts but we use SEAIQ whenever underway outside the harbor. There is room for improvement but likely features I am interested are geared towards weekend cruises whereas SEAIQ is focused on professionals. I still love it though. ### 3/5 — Good for S-63 charts *2023-05-24, version 5.4.4* This app is one of the very few that supports official hydrographic charts (S-63). The setup process is the simplest I have seen. I have logged a bug about it and the team was responsive. I would personally like to see it become a bit easier and more fully to use like Navionics although I do understand it is targeted at marine pilots and their needs. ### 2/5 — Not user friendly *2022-08-15, version 5.2.13* Instructions for chart installation and initial setup are not very helpful. So much time wasted trying to work out simple things that should be easy or at least have simple easy to follow instructions ### 3/5 — Please Add MBTILES Support *2021-12-04, version 5.1.8* Works well on iPad, but it’s sadly lacking MBTILES support. ### 4/5 — Good app *2021-05-25, version 5.1.0* It is the only chartplotter app that allows you to use your own charts. It doesn’t support CM93 which some users may find a problem. It also does not support mbtiles which is also annoying. Other than that it is a good free app that supports a lot of different charts. ### 3/5 — SEAIq *2018-10-20* Creating routes and waypoints a bit clunky. A few options hard to find. Learning curve a bit steep, but does allow CHS charts, but US charts take priority rather than being selectable. ### 4/5 — Shame for dropping unencrypted s57/ cm93 chart support *2017-08-05* This was great application back in the days when cm93 was supported. That was also the sole reason to buy it the time. Not anymore. Shame ### 5/5 — Great app, ..... *2017-05-13* SEAiq is the best chartplotter available for the iPad for use by recreational cruisers in areas that low cost digital charts are available. In other areas the cost of chartworld and primar charts are excessive for recreational boats, when other chartplotters can use charts as good as the chartworld and primar charts at 10% of the cost, and 1% of the aggravation. If SEAiq can fix this inequity, I would give it 10 stars, not just five. ### 4/5 — Great app *2017-05-12, version 4.4.7* I have been using SEAiq open for a few years now. I rely on free charts from NOAA for sailing in the USA, and charts from Chartworld for other areas. The app has proven to be very reliable, integrates with Active Captain, and Aye Tides data and others for complete offline use. Highly recommend the app S/V Cormorant ### 4/5 — Mr P J lee 1086 *2017-05-11, version 4.4.7* Fantastic app Ideal in US waters, downloading NOAA charts weather info etc easily and quickly. Also works with Active Captain providing a feast of piloting information about harbours and marinas, prices and reviews of facilities Downside - charts for other locations, expensive and a fiddle to install. (gave up) Initially had a problem getting Dual xgps 150 to work with SEAiq Active Captain etc. apparently due to a glitch in iPad IOS prior to 8.4, took a while to figure out but updating IOS and deleting and then app reloading fixed problem - works well now, outstanding bit of kit. ### 5/5 — Avaliação SEAiq Open *2017-03-08* Apresenta diversas ferramentas úteis, tais como: EBL e VRM. Em algumas ocasiões os alvos AIS demoraram a aparecer e alguns não apresentavam nomes, somente o MMSI. ### 4/5 — Very good app *2016-07-31* This app works just as well as the $4k plotter I have on the boat. Very user friendly for the not-so tech savvy person. Access to the free NOAA charts is a plus for fisherman and it notifies you of chart updates. I also like having it on my iPad for planning fishing trips away from the boat with other captains. ### 2/5 — Dropped support for CM93 *2016-07-06, version 4.2.4* This is quite a nice app, but has lost its main selling point for me: support for CM93 charts. If this feature was restored, I'd easily rate it four stars. If they allowed multiple TCP/UDP feeds for NMEA data without paying extra, I'd probably give one more star than that! ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — No Access!!!!! *2025-02-04* I just paid for the premium and am still getting no access to the features offered!! ### 1/5 — Miserable chart downloader *2018-08-20* Downloads, at least from the NOAA site, are excruciatingly slow in comparison to direct downloads from the site. Plus the app needs to be on screen with the iPad awake for downloads to complete. Any switching away can cause one or more chart downloads to fail, and you, rather than the app have to retry the update to pick up the missed charts. Lazy software design yields a poor user experience. The premium features would be worth the money but presumably the quality of the free version matches that of the paid version so no thanks. ### 1/5 — Used to be great. No longer for cruisers. *2017-04-13* Early versions let you use your CM 93 charts, like Open CPN does for your laptop. Like Open CPN you can also view your Google earth .kap files. Of course the latter are extremely accurate, even in parts of the world where your regular charts can be off by miles - and often are. Now the CM93 charts are no longer supported on the newer versions. Unfortunately there is no option of loading an older version. I like the old version so much that I have kept my old iPad which still has the old version. In an attempt to use the newer version on my new iPad, I purchased some reasonably priced charts for the app and found them like crude sketches. Useless waste of money. So while still useful for viewing .kap files, there are far easier, cheaper apps for that. So unless you are a professional mariner, and can afford extremely expensive charts, this app has become almost useless for cruisers. ### 1/5 — Gave up *2017-02-12, version 4.3.10* Spent several hours trying to get this to work using venture further charts, lost patience and gave up. I really wanted the activecaptain feature but again could not get it to work. Again gave up. Will stick to other apps and access AC on the web. ### 1/5 — Useless now since update removed use of CM93 charts *2016-10-14* I purchased this app more than a year ago and it was working fine with my CM93 charts, but since last update they have removed the reason why I had bought this app and it is now perfectly useless without my charts... Once again we get screwed by updates and a waste of my money ### 1/5 — Bait and Switch *2016-05-05* Seaiq promoted its ability to handle the unencrypted s-57 vector charts like cm93. Many bought it for this purpose. Without notice or option to users the company discontinued this feature. All of a sudden for me hundreds of charts did not work including many I had created using this format. What's worse is this happened in the middle of a sailing trip when I was so foolish as to update the app. I would stay away from a company willing to do this to its customers. When will they make the next decision making hundreds of dollars worth of charts useless. There are plenty of apps now with similar capabilities so the feature set is no longer as unique as it once was. ### 1/5 — Not worth it *2016-03-31, version 4.1.1* Originally this app advertised that CM93 chats were supported by this app. Without warning, this support was dropped leaving many users seriously out of pocket. Since this was an expensive app, approx £26 to purchase, and no work around offered I would discourage users from purchasing this app, as it appears the developer can withdraw support for a product without penalty or refund. I am very un happy at having lost a considerable amount of money for an app with no use, nor a developer who can take your money and then withdraw support in such a very short space it time. Shame on you! ### 1/5 — CM93 no longer supported *2016-03-08, version 4.1.1* Bought this app to use with CM93 charts I already owned. Having not used for a few months discovered latest version no longer supports this format. Very annoyed to have wasted the money. ### 1/5 — CM93 NOT SUPPORTED??? *2015-12-18, version 4.0.0* To all CM93 users, don't buy or update to this version.?.?.? ### 1/5 — Nice Navigation Program *2015-12-17, version 3.8.8* Have used a lot of navigation programs on laptops. Use mostly CM93 charts of the world, using Open CPN on the laptop sailing all over the world. If SEAiq no longer supports CM93 charts, well when I loose the version that works I will no longer use SEAiq. That was a LOT of money to waste for no support. S/V Selah ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Daily driver *2023-09-09* I have logged over 10k offshore sailing miles on SEAiq and consider it an essential piece of equipment. I highly recommend it to boaters wanting a highly reliable navigation app, which boasts tons of features in a clean and sensical interface. To start, it is incomparably more versatile than Navionics for plotting routes and waypoints, estimating AIS target crossing range, as well as visualizing vessel data. For the last bit I use a YDWR02 NMEA-Wifi router, which wirelessly transmits all vessel sensor output to SEAiq on my iPads (such as GPS, speed, wind, depth, etc.). Features I especially appreciate include ‘NMEA data smoothing’ (for an easier read on COG/AWS/SOG) and the ability to switch into ‘dark mode’ (to preserve your night vision). The app allows you to modify all kinds of parameters, enable alarms (wind speed, depth, AIS, anchor, etc.) and check tides, to name a few. Similar to OpenCPN, you can also load custom satellite charts (.kap files from GoogleEarth or VentureFarther) which are invaluable when navigating in places where vector charts are inaccurate (ie. Navionics in Fiji) and/or when anchoring around rocks/coral reefs. You can also load vector charts from subscription-based services like ChartWorld or NZ ENC, although I did find it quite complicated to setup initially (‘certificates’ and ‘user permits’ are required for each device). As a result, I often use SEAiq in tandem with Navionics while navigating in coastal waters, as the latter still offers great chart detail in most places. On the other hand, if you don’t plan on leaving US territorial waters, the NOAA charts in SEAiq are free and very easy to load. Furthermore, all chart files and tracks are saved in an easily accessible folder, so you can backup, modify or share them across devices. I have never had any charts accidentally disappear, nor has the app ever crashed on me (unlike Navionics, which does so constantly). Lastly, I am thankful to the developer, who was quick to answer any questions I have had thus far. The only request I would have is to add support for .MBTiles :) Thanks and keep up the good work! Highly recommend. ### 5/5 — Great navigation program *2022-03-25, version 5.2.8* This is a great navigation program for displaying official ENCs and the backup assistance is great, I had an issue with getting to display the ENC correctly when I changed over to another device, I sent an email describing the issue and included a screenshot and the tech guys email me within an hour and provided a solution, very happy ### 5/5 — Blown away! *2021-06-25* Impressive number of professional-grade nautical navigation tools right on your personal device, and the ability to import your own ENC charts. Great product - very well done! ### 5/5 — Only “real” navigation app out there *2021-06-02* SEAiq is what I consider to be the only real navigation app around for iOS. The chart tool functionality (multiple EBLs, VRMs, and other markup functions) mean you can, if needed, perform similar operations that you might be used to on paper charts. I’ve added danger bearings, marked out anchorage areas, even plotted a running fix with it. (That last just involved creative use of a handful of EBLs.) The AIS functionality is also incredibly useful; the course vectors and rate of turn indicators make it very easy to visualize crossing situations. Also useful is the ability to attach a VRM or EBL to AIS targets. If you’re in the US you have free future access to all the official NOAA charts, and the tiling is handled reasonably well. I’ve also loaded New Zealand ENC charts as well as purchased others from Chartworld. My workflow involves planning and plotting on the laptop, then transferring the files to phone and iPad for reference underway. I see the same notes on every device. What could be improved is the overall app speed, and being able to use purchased charts across devices (I know that last is more a problem of the chart suppliers). ### 5/5 — Good *2021-01-11, version 5.0.15* Thanks you ### 5/5 — Well thought out *2020-07-17* This the best nav software by far. It is ready apparent that it is coded by people who use it, and really know software. Navionics, TZiBoat, iNavX, this one is far better and its free no nonsense goodness! It does have few obtuse bits like downloading charts the first time. The chart updater is great. Thanks for the good coding! ### 5/5 — Muito bom *2019-10-18* Funciona muito bem ### 5/5 — Great product for navigation. *2019-07-14* Great navigation app. Uses NOAA Raster and ENC charts. All the extras like tides and are integrated nicely. ### 5/5 — Works in HK *2018-04-08, version 4.7.7* Works with official Mardep maps in Hong Kong waters. Not a bad application either ### 5/5 — My new favorite navigation app *2017-08-07* I love this app, especially for their NMEA as AIS features as well as showing a data bar on the map. The only feature I'm missing is VMG. --- *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.*