Comparison

WinGPS Marine vs BlueHelm Boating

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

WinGPS Marine

This app provides onboard navigation for various watercraft. It displays your GPS position, speed, and course, and allows you to download nautical charts with depth information and navigational aids. Set waypoints and sail to your destination with guidance on course and distance.

Highlights
  • Real-time GPS position, speed, and course tracking
  • Downloadable nautical charts with depth and aids
  • Waypoint navigation with Course to Go
  • Waterway network information (bridges, locks)
  • View sailed tracks on charts
  • Distance circles around GPS position
Read full description

Ideal for navigation onboard of your sailing yacht, motorship, canoe or longboat: - Always know where you are, how fast you go and what your course is using a GPS receiver (internal or Bluetooth). - Download the chart of your sailing area and check the current depths, buoys and other nautical information. - Place a navigation waypoint and sail to your destination using the course line, Course to Go and Distance to Go. - Waterway network: View the information of the bridges, locks and waterways. - View your sailed track on the chart. - Show the distance circles around your GPS position. At the first start-up of the app, you will be asked to log in with your account. The free default online charts from Apple are available in the app for orientation. The DKW-charts of 2018 and newer, which are connected to your account, can be downloaded directly in this app and be used for navigation.

About

BlueHelm Boating

This navigation app provides an anchor alarm, trip planning, and marine weather forecasts. It acts as your boat's AI guide, offering offline access to vessel procedures and safety tools.

Highlights
  • Anchor-drift alarm
  • Live float plans
  • Marine weather forecasts
  • Offline vessel guide
  • Smart water routing
  • Find nearest marinas
Features
Read full description

Navigation, Anchor-drift alarm. Live float plans. Marine weather. And your boat's own guide — with you at the helm, even offline. BlueHelm is built around YOUR boat: its systems, procedures, and checklists become a guide you can actually use underway, with the safety tools running alongside. YOUR BOAT (AI) Ask questions and get answers drawn from your boat's guide plus current conditions. "Where's the A/C seacock?" "What do I shut off on the inverter?" Boating questions only — and it never replaces your own judgment or official sources. ANCHOR WATCH Drop anchor, set your rode, and BlueHelm watches your swing. If your boat drifts past your ring, the alarm sounds — even with the screen off. Adaptive monitoring is designed to be easy on your battery overnight. TRIPS & FLOAT PLANS Plan a trip with a suggested water route, or just tap Track Now and go. Share a live float plan so the people who worry can watch your track. Every trip is saved with distance and time. SMART WATER ROUTING Plan a trip and BlueHelm suggests a route over real water — out the harbor channel, around the headland, never a straight line across land. In US waters, routing is informed by NOAA chart data. A planning suggestion to refine, not navigation — always verify against official charts. FIND NEAREST The closest marinas, fuel docks, launch ramps, harbors, anchorages, and bays — sorted by distance from your position, with over 17,000 US coastal places built in. Works with zero signal, exactly when you need it. Tap any place to plan a route there, or just ask Your Boat. TRAVEL WINDOW A same-day read on wind and swell, scored hour by hour, so you can pick the calm window instead of guessing. Transparent about its sources and thresholds — a planning aid, not a go/no-go verdict. MARINE CONDITIONS Wind, tide, waves, and water temperature with hourly and 7-day forecasts, tide charts, and NOAA coastal alerts in US waters. VESSEL GUIDE Your boat's procedures — getting on, heading out, heading back, closing up — as living checklists that work fully offline. Multi-boat ready: every vessel keeps its own guide, log, and documents. MOB & EMERGENCY One-tap man-overboard marking and an emergency console with your position ready to read over the radio. MEMBERSHIP — STRAIGHT PRICES Free to download, and free forever for anchor watch, the map with your position, nearby places, today's conditions, float plans, SOS and your boat's guide. Premium adds the Premium chart (charted depths and hazards, water routing, tracked trips), Ask your boat and the week ahead, for up to three boats: $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year. Try each Premium feature free first: five 24-hour passes each, started with a tap, no card, nothing automatic. No ads. We never sell your data, and your guide content is never used to train AI. BlueHelm is an aid to seamanship — not a substitute for it. Always maintain a proper lookout, monitor official forecasts and notices, and carry required safety equipment. AI answers can be wrong; verify anything safety-critical against your boat's documentation. Questions? services@getbluehelm.com Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://getbluehelm.com/legal

Screenshots

WinGPS Marine4 screens
BlueHelm Boating4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: BlueHelm Boating at 100% against WinGPS Marine's 0%. BlueHelm Boating also leads on rating (5.0 vs 1.3) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). WinGPS Marine's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 9) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). On price, ads and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. BlueHelm Boating sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. WinGPS Marine asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BlueHelm Boating holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of WinGPS Marine's written reviews are positive against 100% of BlueHelm Boating's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WinGPS Marine ships an update every 2 months, BlueHelm Boating every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
WinGPS Marine versus BlueHelm Boating: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWinGPS MarineBlueHelm Boating
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.3 (3 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.1 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB49 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStentec SoftwareBlue Helm LLC

Customer experience

WinGPS Marine

All ratings3 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative50.0%

BlueHelm Boating

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

WinGPS Marine

No in-app purchases

9 purchases

BlueHelm Boating

Subscriptions9
  • BlueHelm Premium$9.991 Month
  • Crew Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Captain Monthly$17.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Add a Boat$49.001 Year
  • Add a Boat (2nd)$49.001 Year
  • Add a Boat (3rd)$49.001 Year
  • BlueHelm Premium$59.991 Year
  • Crew Annual$99.001 Year
  • Captain Annual$199.001 Year

Questions

Is WinGPS Marine free?
WinGPS Marine is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BlueHelm Boating free?
BlueHelm Boating is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, WinGPS Marine or BlueHelm Boating?
BlueHelm Boating is rated higher. WinGPS Marine averages 1.3 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while BlueHelm Boating averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do WinGPS Marine or BlueHelm Boating have ads?
Neither WinGPS Marine nor BlueHelm Boating shows ads.
Which is updated more often, WinGPS Marine or BlueHelm Boating?
WinGPS Marine ships an update every 2 months, and BlueHelm Boating every 4 days. Most recently, WinGPS Marine was updated on November 2, 2026 and BlueHelm Boating on October 31, 2026.

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