WakeWatch vs Waterway Guide
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
WakeWatch
This app provides crucial boating information, including no-wake zones, speed limits, and bridge schedules. It uses GPS to alert you to upcoming hazards and features NOAA charts as a base map for enhanced navigation.
- No wake zone maps
- Boating speed limit maps
- Bridge heights and opening schedules
- GPS location tracking
- NOAA chart base maps
- Tide station information
- Coastal waters forecasts
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Wake Watch is the Boater's Resource for information on no wake zones, boating speed limits and bridges. We have no wake zone and boating speed limit maps for FL, NC & CT. We have bridge heights and opening schedules for FL, GA, SC, NC, VA & CT. The app uses your GPS location to track your boat on the map to keep you aware of what bridges and no wake zones are coming up on your route. NOAA boating charts can also be used as the base map! This is a must have for recreational boaters in Florida and snowbirds cruising south for the winter down the ICW. Boating in FL can be frustrating due to no wake zones and limited bridge openings. Limited bridge openings could mean waits of up to an hour or more. This tool will help you to stay informed and plan accordingly. The app covers all of the waterways in Florida, including the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), bays, inlets and canals. Also covers key areas such as the Okeechobee Waterway, New River, and more. Includes information from a variety of sources, including NOAA charts, state and federal Manatee Protection Zones, Boating Safety Zones and more. It covers the ICW all the way up to Chesapeake Bay, and all coastal waters and rivers up through VA. Tide station information was also added. For each tide station, the times for high and low tides each day are shown. Tidal heights are included as well. NOAA Coastal Waters Forecasts are now included. These include wave height forecasts up to five days out. NOAA Raster Nautical Charts can also be used as the background maps. Speed and heading data are now included. If your primary GPS/plotter fails, you've got NOAA Charts, speed and heading...Everything you need!
Waterway Guide
This app provides a comprehensive boating resource with a verified database of marinas, anchorages, and navigation alerts. Users can access real-time hazard information, plan trips with a digital handbook, and utilize detailed content optimized for mobile devices. Engage with a community of boaters through comments and reviews.
- Verified points of interest database
- Real-time navigation alerts
- Community comments and reviews
- Skipper's Handbook for trip planning
- Offline content access
- Marina filtering by amenities
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Optimized for your mobile devices with Waterway Guide's detailed and verified points of interest database. Includes over 1.3 million data points on marinas, anchorages, navigation alerts, free docks, bridges and locks displayed on the embedded map or satellite view. Benefit from the experience of 75 years of publishing and hundreds of thousands of active boaters through verified comments and reviews. Share your comments, add points of interest, earn rewards and engage with others from within the app. Stay informed with the latest hazards to navigation reported real time from USCG, government agencies, local experts and boaters everywhere. Plan your time on the water with Waterway Guide's Skipper's Handbook, which is included with the free app download. Access Waterway Guide's library of books as individual chapters or entire guides for the information and details you need for navigation. Content is optimized for mobile devices and can be bookmarked for availability offline. Easily find marinas that fit your needs. Filter our entire database of marinas based on amenities and your preferences. Same functionality as Waterway Guide’s Marinas App. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Waterway Guide at Free against WakeWatch's $1.99. Waterway Guide also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.2) and ratings volume (2.9K vs 10). WakeWatch's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 43). On ads, chart position, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Waterway Guide is free to download; WakeWatch costs $1.99 up front. Waterway Guide sells 43 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. WakeWatch asks for nothing beyond the download.
Waterway Guide holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Waterway Guide has 2.9K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 29% of WakeWatch's written reviews are positive against 52% of Waterway Guide's.
WakeWatch ships an update every 2 months, Waterway Guide every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | WakeWatch | Waterway Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 2.2 (10 ratings) | 4.7 (2.9K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 28.6% of reviews | 52.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 10 | 2.9K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #95 — better | #185 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Daniel Munson | Waterway Guide |
Customer experience
WakeWatch
Waterway Guide
Bugs and requests
WakeWatch
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Waterway Guide
Reported bugs
4 issues- App not working with latest iOS version
- Subscription purchases not working properly
- Unable to access purchased content
- Frequent crashes and errors
Requested features
4 requests- Provide vertical bridge clearances
- Improve offline functionality
- Enhance search and filtering options
- Implement dark mode
In-app purchases
WakeWatch
No in-app purchases
Waterway Guide
- Chesapeake Bay Ch.3$4.991 Year
- Atlantic ICW Ch.2$4.991 Year
- Atlantic ICW Ch.6$4.991 Year
Show 40 moreShow fewer
- Southern Ch.6$4.991 Year
- Southern Bridges & Locks$4.991 Year
- Bahamas Cruising Guide$4.991 Year
- Florida Keys Ch.3$4.991 Year
- Gulf IWW Ch.4$4.991 Year
- Atlantic ICW Ch.10$4.991 Year
- Gulf IWW Ch.1$4.991 Year
- Western Gulf Coast Ch.4$4.991 Year
- Atlantic ICW Ch.4$4.991 Year
- Southern Ch.4$4.991 Year
- Western Gulf Coast Ch.3$4.991 Year
- Atlantic ICW East Coast Inlets$4.991 Year
- Northern Ch.12$4.991 Year
- Great Lakes Vol.2 Ch.7$4.991 Year
- Northern Ch.11$4.991 Year
- Great Lakes Vol.1 Ch.7$4.991 Year
- Atlantic ICW Ch.9$4.991 Year
- Great Lakes Vol.1 Ch.2$4.991 Year
- Northern Ch.1$14.991 Year
- Great Lakes Vol.2 Ch.8$14.991 Year
- Great Lakes Vol.2 Ch.6$14.991 Year
- Southern Ch.13$14.991 Year
- Southern Ch.10$14.991 Year
- Southern Ch.12$14.991 Year
- Southern Ch.3$14.991 Year
- Southern Ch.11$14.991 Year
- Anchorages Along the ICW$20.991 Year
- Bahamas Bound$20.991 Year
- ICW Cruising Guide by Bob423$29.991 Year
- Northern Edition$49.991 Year
- 1st Ed. Bahamas Land and Sea$49.991 Year
- Chesapeake Bay Edition$54.991 Year
- Atlantic ICW Edition$54.991 Year
- Southern Edition$54.991 Year
- Bahamas Edition$54.991 Year
- Western Gulf Coast Edition$54.991 Year
- Florida Keys Edition$54.991 Year
- Great Lakes Volume 1 Edition$54.991 Year
- Great Lakes Volume 2 Edition$54.991 Year
- Cuba Edition$59.991 Year
