# Helmsman's Kit vs qth locator

The clearest difference is price: qth locator at Free against Helmsman's Kit's $1.99. qth locator also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 7 months). Helmsman's Kit's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

qth locator is free to download; Helmsman's Kit costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Helmsman's Kit ships an update every 7 months, qth locator every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Helmsman's Kit | qth locator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Size | 5 MB | 18 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dr. Harald Merkel](https://appshunter.io/developer/404381431) | [micro systems](https://appshunter.io/developer/1023315804) |

## What reviewers say

### Helmsman's Kit

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/helmsmans-kit/id1220932986)

This navigation app provides essential yacht cockpit features, including a spherical compass, man-over-board alerts, and anchor watch. It offers offline charts, weather overlays, and marine instrument displays for a comprehensive sailing experience.

**Highlights:** Spherical compass display, Man-over-board button with direction/distance, Anchor watch with forwarding, Offline chart caching, Weather overlay (wind, waves, temp, pressure), Marine instruments display (position, heading, speed), Track export in GPX format

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### qth locator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/qth-locator/id6502876879)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Helmsman's Kit free?

Helmsman's Kit costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is qth locator free?

qth locator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Helmsman's Kit or qth locator have ads?

Neither Helmsman's Kit nor qth locator shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Helmsman's Kit or qth locator?

Helmsman's Kit ships an update every 7 months, and qth locator every 5 days. Most recently, Helmsman's Kit was updated on November 2, 2026 and qth locator on October 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*