# Helmsman's Kit vs OceanPilot

The clearest difference is price: OceanPilot at Free against Helmsman's Kit's $1.99. OceanPilot also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 7 months). Helmsman's Kit's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

OceanPilot 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, OceanPilot every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Helmsman's Kit | OceanPilot |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Size | 5 MB | 144 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Dr. Harald Merkel](https://appshunter.io/developer/404381431) | [sli.communication ltd liab. co](https://appshunter.io/developer/366623589) |

## 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


### OceanPilot

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oceanpilot/id6777667125)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Helmsman's Kit free?

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

### Is OceanPilot free?

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

### Do Helmsman's Kit or OceanPilot have ads?

Neither Helmsman's Kit nor OceanPilot shows ads.

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

Helmsman's Kit ships an update every 7 months, and OceanPilot every 3 days. Most recently, Helmsman's Kit was updated on October 13, 2026 and OceanPilot on October 4, 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.*