Comparison

NaAVIC vs Argo Navigation

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

Head to head
About

NaAVIC

This free marine navigation app simplifies boating for recreational users. It offers chart support, route planning, and offline capabilities to explore new locations safely and reliably. Connect with other boaters and share your voyages.

Highlights
  • Electronic chart support (IHO S-57/S-52)
  • Route creation and navigation
  • Offline navigation capability
  • Boat position, speed, and course display
  • Notifications and alarms
  • Recreational hotspot finder
  • Distance measurement
Features
Read full description

NaAVIC is a free Electronic Chart System in your pocket that will make marine navigation easy, safe, reliable, and fun. This free app is for recreational boaters who want to navigate the surrounding waters safely while exploring new and interesting locations to fish, dive, eat etc. The app offers a range of features to make marine navigation easier and reliable that are delivered through a clear and intuitive interface designed specifically for mobile devices and tablets. By utilizing a cloud-based approach with data streaming, the NaAVIC ECS enables all members of an expedition to more actively engage in the voyage as well as to share that voyage with fellow ‘marine friends’, hence building a community of like-minded users. Features: - Supports IHO S-57 charts and S-52 presentation - Comprehensive route creation and navigation - Offline navigation - Displays boat position, speed, and course - Notifications and alarms - Find recreational hotspots - Measure distances - Stream additional data layers over the base map - Point of Interest Quick Start Guide: https://naavic.net/NaAVICQuickStarGuide.pdf

About

Argo Navigation

This app provides comprehensive navigation and planning tools for boaters, offering features like chart plotting, route planning, and weather forecasts. It aims to be user-friendly for all skill levels, from beginners to experienced cruisers, with a focus on safety and connectivity on the water.

Highlights
  • Web/Desktop planning with auto-sync
  • Autorouting for multi-stop trips
  • 7-day marine weather forecast
  • Unlimited nautical charts (NOAA/USEACE)
  • Record and save tracks
  • Real-time NMEA/AIS data
  • Location and route sharing with groups
Features
Read full description

Argo is a boat navigation app you can actually use for free. Not a trial. You get NOAA charts and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers depth surveys for US waters, 500,000+ marinas, anchorages and fuel docks, hazards reported by other boaters, and routes you plot yourself, with ETA and fuel use. On your first trip, open the map to see how deep it is and read what other boaters say about the anchorage before you drop the hook. A hundred trips in, you're checking how old the Army Corps survey is before you run a shoaling inlet, or laying out a few route options and picking one underway. Think of Argo as the boating buddy who knows every good dock bar and never asks for gas money. FREE FOR EVERY BOATER Navigate • Up-to-date NOAA charts plus Army Corps (USACE) surveys you can filter by survey date • Shoal areas, dredged channels, restricted areas and recommended tracks on the coast and inland rivers • See your GPS position and speed on the chart • Search buoys, beacons, lights, wrecks and mile markers • Record your track and use Return to follow it back • Depth shading presets, including two built for bright sun glare Plan • Search 500,000+ places, from boat ramps and moorings to non-ethanol fuel and dock bars • Read reviews from boaters who've been there • Plot your own route on the map and see distance, ETA and fuel use • A trip log of everywhere you've been Connect • See other Argo boaters on the water and share your live location with family ashore • Join your boat club, marina or rally group • Share routes, places and trips, and post photos and video • Report hazards and see the ones other boaters have reported • Keep fishing spots private or share them with your group One account works on every phone and tablet you own, free. ARGO PREMIUM, WHEN YOU WANT MORE Smarter routes • Autoroute plans around shallow water, hazards and restricted areas based on your boat's draft, height and safety buffer • Run inside or outside, or set Autoroute to stay in the marked channel • Save several routes to your chart, start a track, and choose between them underway • Have a sailboat and a powerboat? Save both, each with its own draft and height Marine weather and tides • 7-day marine forecast: weather, wind, wave height and period, tides and currents • Wind, rain and lightning overlays on your chart • 6,000+ tide and current stations on your chart, with predictions as far ahead as you want • Tide variance right next to your depth gauge On the water • Offline charts download automatically around your location and home port, for when you lose signal • Connect over NMEA (Wi-Fi gateway) for depth, speed and heading from your electronics, plus AIS targets • Custom depth shading and contours, so shallow water and fishing drop-offs stand out • Distance, time, bearing and course to your next turn, always in view Logbook and planning tools • Import and export GPX routes and tracks between Argo and your chartplotter • Download a PDF trip report to document sea time toward your captain's license Coverage: US coastal waters, the ICW, inland lakes and rivers, Canada and the Caribbean. WHO'S BEHIND ARGO Argo is family-owned. Our founder, Captain Jeff, grew up boating on the Chesapeake Bay. He built Argo so the local knowledge usually shared between friends at the dock is on the map for everyone. Many of our features started as boater requests. Send yours to support@argonav.io. Argo is a navigation aid. Always check official charts and conditions, and use your own judgment on the water. Plan. Navigate. Connect. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.argonav.io/privacy/

Screenshots

NaAVIC4 screens
Argo Navigation4 screens

Verdict

The call

NaAVIC and Argo Navigation both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 85% of Argo Navigation's written reviews are positive against 33% of NaAVIC's. Argo Navigation also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (6.2K vs 1). NaAVIC's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.1). On price, rating, 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. Argo Navigation sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. NaAVIC asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for NaAVIC against 4.9 for Argo Navigation. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Argo Navigation has 6.2K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 33% of NaAVIC's written reviews are positive against 85% of Argo Navigation's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NaAVIC ships an update every 6 months, Argo Navigation every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
NaAVIC versus Argo Navigation: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNaAVICArgo Navigation
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.9 (6.2K ratings)
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews84.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings16.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#98 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB138 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIICARGO TECHNOLOGIES, LLC

Customer experience

NaAVIC

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

Argo Navigation

All ratings6,203 ratings
Positive97.9%
Neutral0.7%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews220 reviews
Positive84.5%
Neutral2.3%
Negative13.2%

Bugs and requests

NaAVIC

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Argo Navigation

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Login/account creation issues
  • Slow map loading times

Requested features

3 requests
  • Improved offline map capabilities
  • Integration with marine weather data
  • Enhanced route planning tools

In-app purchases

None

NaAVIC

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Argo Navigation

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly Canada Charts14 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Argo Premium Monthly14 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Argo Canada Charts14 Days trial$9.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Argo Premium14 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is NaAVIC free?
NaAVIC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Argo Navigation free?
Argo Navigation is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, NaAVIC or Argo Navigation?
NaAVIC is rated higher. NaAVIC averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Argo Navigation averages 4.9 from 6.2K ratings.
Do NaAVIC or Argo Navigation have ads?
Neither NaAVIC nor Argo Navigation shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NaAVIC or Argo Navigation?
NaAVIC ships an update every 6 months, and Argo Navigation every 4 days. Most recently, NaAVIC was updated on October 1, 2026 and Argo Navigation on October 25, 2026.

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