Coastal Explorer vs Nautical Rules
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
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.
- 1,200+ practice questions
- Inland and International waters coverage
- Detailed explanations
- Customizable tests
- Offline study capability
- Progress tracking dashboard
- Accuracy by rule statistics
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Nautical Rules is the ultimate study companion for mastering the USCG Navigation Rules (COLREGS). Whether you're preparing for your captain's license exam or refreshing your maritime knowledge, this app provides everything you need to succeed. COMPREHENSIVE QUESTION BANK - Over 1,200 practice questions covering all Navigation Rules - Questions for both Inland and International waters - Covers Steering & Sailing Rules, Lights & Shapes, Sound Signals, and more - Detailed explanations SMART STUDY FEATURES - Take customizable tests with 10, 25, 50, or 100 questions - Practice mode with immediate feedback and explanations - Focus Area suggestions to target your weakest rules - Bookmark questions for later review - Review your mistakes to reinforce learning TRACK YOUR PROGRESS - Activity dashboard with test history and statistics - See your accuracy by rule (Rule 1, Rule 2, etc.) - Track your study streak and mastery level - View detailed results for each completed test DESIGNED FOR MARINERS - Clean, intuitive interface optimized for study sessions - No internet connection required - study anywhere - All questions based on official USCG Navigation Rules - Perfect for captains, SWO, sailors, and maritime professionals Whether you're studying for the USCG license exam, improving your seamanship skills, or just want to stay sharp on the water, Nautical Rules gives you the tools to succeed. Download now and navigate with confidence! --- 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
Verdict
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 ratings volume (16 vs 4) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, 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
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.
Nautical Rules holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 11% of Coastal Explorer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Nautical Rules's.
Coastal Explorer ships an update every 2 weeks, Nautical Rules every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Coastal Explorer | Nautical Rules |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.8 (16 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 11.1% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 16 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 54 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Rose Point Navigation Systems, Inc | Joseph Kim |
Customer experience
Coastal Explorer
Nautical Rules
In-app purchases
Coastal Explorer
- Monthly Subscription$19.991 Month
- Yearly Subscription$49.991 Year
Nautical Rules
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Coastal Explorer free?
Is Nautical Rules free?
Which has better reviews, Coastal Explorer or Nautical Rules?
Do Coastal Explorer or Nautical Rules have ads?
Which is updated more often, Coastal Explorer or Nautical Rules?
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