# AV Assistant vs ACR Product App

The clearest difference is rating: AV Assistant at 5.0 against ACR Product App's 1.7. AV Assistant also leads on iOS requirement (12.4 vs 15.0). ACR Product App's advantage is ratings volume (36 vs 4). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

AV Assistant holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ACR Product App has 36 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | AV Assistant | ACR Product App |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/av-assistant/id1381484046/reviews)** | [1.7 (36 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acr-product-app/id1458864580/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **36** |
| Positive reviews | — | 21.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 5 MB | 113 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.4** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Clint O'Connor](https://appshunter.io/developer/1381484045) | [Ocean Signal Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1453183712) |

## What reviewers say

### AV Assistant

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/av-assistant/id1381484046)

This app provides U.S. waters navigation information, displaying your location and details of surrounding aids like buoys and lights. It downloads weekly U.S. Coast Guard Light List data and includes relevant Local Notice for Mariners information. It also allows users to report discrepancies in navigation aids to the U.S. Coast Guard.

**Highlights:** Location-based aid display, U.S. Coast Guard Light List data, Local Notice for Mariners integration, Discrepancy reporting to USCG, Informational aid for U.S. waters

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### ACR Product App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acr-product-app/id1458864580)

Access Class B AIS and Emergency PLB/EPIRB data. View live AIS targets, check distress beacon details, and monitor battery status via NFC or WiFi. Configure your AIS with vessel information.

**Highlights:** View live AIS targets, Check PLB/EPIRB distress beacon details, Monitor beacon operation time and battery condition via NFC, Configure Class B AIS with vessel details via WiFi, Access ACR CB2 WiFi connection for AIS data

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is AV Assistant free?

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

### Is ACR Product App free?

ACR Product App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, AV Assistant or ACR Product App?

AV Assistant is rated higher. AV Assistant averages 5.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while ACR Product App averages 1.7 from 36 ratings.

### Do AV Assistant or ACR Product App have ads?

Neither AV Assistant nor ACR Product App shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, AV Assistant or ACR Product App?

AV Assistant ships an update every 2 months, and ACR Product App every 2 months. Most recently, AV Assistant was updated on November 2, 2026 and ACR Product App on November 3, 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.*
