Comparison

Coastal Explorer vs Nautical Rules

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

Head to head
About

Coastal Explorer

Plan and log your cruises with detailed nautical charts and weather forecasts. Enhance your experience with a subscription for offline access, real-time navigation, and integration with marine electronics.

Highlights
  • View NOAA and USACE nautical charts
  • Create routes and waypoints
  • Cloud synchronization
  • ActiveCaptain points of interest
  • US Coast Pilot information
  • Marine weather forecasts
  • Tide and current predictions
Features
Read full description

Coastal Explorer™ is a sophisticated, full-featured, easy-to-use cruise planning and logging tool designed specifically for the pleasure boater. And it becomes a complete navigation system with the purchase of a chart subscription. The free Coastal Explorer app provides these great planning features: * View NOAA and USACE nautical charts for the US in vector format * Create routes, waypoints, boundaries, and other navigation objects * Cloud-synchronization of your navigation objects * ActiveCaptain points of interest * US Coast Pilot information * Marine weather forecasts and observations for the US * Tide and current predictions for the US Purchasing a chart subscription turns Coastal Explorer into a complete navigation system that includes: * Downloadable charts, tide and current predictions, Coast Pilot, and ActiveCaptain places for offline use * Interfacing with compatible networked marine electronics devices, including GPS, compass, depth sounder, anemometer, AIS, autopilot, and more * Customizable instrument panels * Route following with cross-track error, distance and time to go, estimated time of arrival, etc * Track and event recording * Integrated blogging Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. See our Terms of Service at https://www.rosepoint.com/legal/terms_of_service.

About

Nautical Rules

Master USCG Navigation Rules with a comprehensive question bank and smart study features. Track your progress, practice for exams, and study offline to navigate with confidence.

Highlights
  • 1,200+ practice questions
  • Inland and International waters coverage
  • Detailed explanations
  • Customizable tests
  • Offline study capability
  • Progress tracking dashboard
  • Accuracy by rule statistics
Read full description

Master the USCG Navigation Rules with Nautical Rules – the study companion for boaters, sailors, and maritime professionals preparing for their licensing exams. COMPREHENSIVE QUESTION BANK Practice with 1,225 questions covering the International and Inland Navigation Rules, organized the way the Coast Guard publishes them: • Part A: General • Part B: Steering and Sailing Rules • Part C: Lights and Shapes • Part D: Sound and Light Signals • Part E: Exemptions • Annexes MULTIPLE STUDY MODES • Quick Test: 10, 25, 50, or 100 random questions • Practice by Category: Focus on one Part of the Rules, with the explanation shown after each answer • Practice by Rule: Drill a single rule, such as Rule 13 or Rule 34 SMART PROGRESS TRACKING • Track your overall accuracy and test history • See your accuracy broken down by category and by rule • Focus Area suggestions based on your weakest rule • Daily streak tracking to build a consistent study habit HELPFUL STUDY FEATURES • An explanation for every answer, with the rule it comes from • Diagrams for lights, shapes, and vessel-encounter scenarios • Bookmark difficult questions for later review • Review your incorrect answers after each test • Share your test results as a PDF DESIGNED FOR SUCCESS Whether you're preparing for the USCG Captain's License, recreational boating certification, or just want to refresh your knowledge of the Rules of the Road, Nautical Rules gives you everything you need to study effectively. PRIVACY FOCUSED • No account required • No data collection • Works completely offline • Your progress stays on your device Download Nautical Rules today and navigate your way to exam success! --- Note: This app is an educational study aid and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Coast Guard. For official rules and regulations, consult the official USCG Navigation Rules publications.

Screenshots

Coastal Explorer4 screens
Nautical Rules4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Nautical Rules at 100% against Coastal Explorer's 11%. Nautical Rules also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.8) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). Coastal Explorer's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Coastal Explorer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Nautical Rules asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Nautical Rules holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16 and 12 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 11% of Coastal Explorer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Nautical Rules's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Coastal Explorer ships an update every 2 weeks, Nautical Rules every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Coastal Explorer versus Nautical Rules: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCoastal ExplorerNautical Rules
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.8 (16 ratings)5.0 (12 ratings) — better
Positive reviews11.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings16 — better12
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRose Point Navigation Systems, IncJoseph Kim

Customer experience

Coastal Explorer

All ratings16 ratings
Positive43.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative56.3%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive11.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative88.9%

Nautical Rules

All ratings12 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Coastal Explorer

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$19.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription$49.991 Year
None

Nautical Rules

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Coastal Explorer free?
Coastal Explorer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Nautical Rules free?
Nautical Rules is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Coastal Explorer or Nautical Rules?
Nautical Rules is rated higher. Coastal Explorer averages 2.8 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Nautical Rules averages 5.0 from 12 ratings.
Do Coastal Explorer or Nautical Rules have ads?
Neither Coastal Explorer nor Nautical Rules shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Coastal Explorer or Nautical Rules?
Coastal Explorer ships an update every 2 weeks, and Nautical Rules every 3 weeks. Most recently, Coastal Explorer was updated on November 2, 2026 and Nautical Rules on November 5, 2026.

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