Comparison

Argo Navigation vs Waterway Guide

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

Head to head
About

Argo Navigation

This free marine navigation app provides NOAA charts, depth surveys, and points of interest for US waters. It allows users to plot routes, share locations, and access community-reported hazards. Premium features offer advanced routing, weather forecasts, and tide predictions.

Highlights
  • NOAA charts and USACE depth surveys
  • 500,000+ marinas, anchorages, and fuel docks
  • Community-reported hazards
  • Route plotting with ETA and fuel use
  • Live location sharing
  • Offline chart downloads
  • Marine weather and tides
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/

About

Waterway Guide

This app provides a comprehensive boating resource with a verified database of marinas, anchorages, and navigation alerts. Users can access real-time hazard information, plan trips with a digital handbook, and utilize detailed content optimized for mobile devices. Engage with a community of boaters through comments and reviews.

Highlights
  • Verified points of interest database
  • Real-time navigation alerts
  • Community comments and reviews
  • Skipper's Handbook for trip planning
  • Offline content access
  • Marina filtering by amenities
Features
Read full description

Optimized for your mobile devices with Waterway Guide's detailed and verified points of interest database. Includes over 1.3 million data points on marinas, anchorages, navigation alerts, free docks, bridges and locks displayed on the embedded map or satellite view. Benefit from the experience of 75 years of publishing and hundreds of thousands of active boaters through verified comments and reviews. Share your comments, add points of interest, earn rewards and engage with others from within the app. Stay informed with the latest hazards to navigation reported real time from USCG, government agencies, local experts and boaters everywhere. Plan your time on the water with Waterway Guide's Skipper's Handbook, which is included with the free app download. Access Waterway Guide's library of books as individual chapters or entire guides for the information and details you need for navigation. Content is optimized for mobile devices and can be bookmarked for availability offline. Easily find marinas that fit your needs. Filter our entire database of marinas based on amenities and your preferences. Same functionality as Waterway Guide’s Marinas App. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Argo Navigation4 screens
Waterway Guide4 screens

Verdict

The call

Argo Navigation and Waterway Guide both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 85% of Argo Navigation's written reviews are positive against 52% of Waterway Guide's. Argo Navigation also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks) and chart position (#100 vs unranked). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. Argo Navigation sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Waterway Guide sells 43 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Argo Navigation holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.2K and 2.9K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Argo Navigation's written reviews are positive against 52% of Waterway Guide's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Argo Navigation ships an update every 4 days, Waterway Guide every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Argo Navigation versus Waterway Guide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArgo NavigationWaterway Guide
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (6.2K ratings) — better4.7 (2.9K ratings)
Positive reviews84.6% of reviews — better52.4% of reviews
Number of ratings6.2K — better2.9K
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#100 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size139 MB52 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperARGO TECHNOLOGIES, LLCWaterway Guide

Customer experience

Argo Navigation

All ratings6,206 ratings
Positive97.9%
Neutral0.7%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews221 reviews
Positive84.6%
Neutral2.3%
Negative13.1%

Waterway Guide

All ratings2,920 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral2.4%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive52.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative33.3%

User reviews

Argo Navigation

From 6.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Accurate navigation
  • 💡 Helpful social features
  • 🔋 Good battery life
  • 🔒 Reliable app performance

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional app crashes
  • 🗺️ Limited map coverage in some areas
  • 🔍 Difficulty finding certain locations

Waterway Guide

From 2.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent integration with Aqua Map
  • 👍 Useful resource for boating
  • 👍 Great information and details
  • 👍 Easy to use and navigate
  • 👍 Invaluable for planning trips

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Inconsistent and unreliable
  • 🐛 Difficult to navigate and use
  • 🐛 Outdated information and images
  • 🐛 Subscription and access issues

Bugs and 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

Waterway Guide

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App not working with latest iOS version
  • Subscription purchases not working properly
  • Unable to access purchased content
  • Frequent crashes and errors

Requested features

4 requests
  • Provide vertical bridge clearances
  • Improve offline functionality
  • Enhance search and filtering options
  • Implement dark mode

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
43 purchases

Waterway Guide

Subscriptions43
  • Chesapeake Bay Ch.3$4.991 Year
  • Atlantic ICW Ch.2$4.991 Year
  • Atlantic ICW Ch.6$4.991 Year
Show 40 more
  • Southern Ch.6$4.991 Year
  • Southern Bridges & Locks$4.991 Year
  • Bahamas Cruising Guide$4.991 Year
  • Florida Keys Ch.3$4.991 Year
  • Gulf IWW Ch.4$4.991 Year
  • Atlantic ICW Ch.10$4.991 Year
  • Gulf IWW Ch.1$4.991 Year
  • Western Gulf Coast Ch.4$4.991 Year
  • Atlantic ICW Ch.4$4.991 Year
  • Southern Ch.4$4.991 Year
  • Western Gulf Coast Ch.3$4.991 Year
  • Atlantic ICW East Coast Inlets$4.991 Year
  • Northern Ch.12$4.991 Year
  • Great Lakes Vol.2 Ch.7$4.991 Year
  • Northern Ch.11$4.991 Year
  • Great Lakes Vol.1 Ch.7$4.991 Year
  • Atlantic ICW Ch.9$4.991 Year
  • Great Lakes Vol.1 Ch.2$4.991 Year
  • Northern Ch.1$14.991 Year
  • Great Lakes Vol.2 Ch.8$14.991 Year
  • Great Lakes Vol.2 Ch.6$14.991 Year
  • Southern Ch.13$14.991 Year
  • Southern Ch.10$14.991 Year
  • Southern Ch.12$14.991 Year
  • Southern Ch.3$14.991 Year
  • Southern Ch.11$14.991 Year
  • Anchorages Along the ICW$20.991 Year
  • Bahamas Bound$20.991 Year
  • ICW Cruising Guide by Bob423$29.991 Year
  • Northern Edition$49.991 Year
  • 1st Ed. Bahamas Land and Sea$49.991 Year
  • Chesapeake Bay Edition$54.991 Year
  • Atlantic ICW Edition$54.991 Year
  • Southern Edition$54.991 Year
  • Bahamas Edition$54.991 Year
  • Western Gulf Coast Edition$54.991 Year
  • Florida Keys Edition$54.991 Year
  • Great Lakes Volume 1 Edition$54.991 Year
  • Great Lakes Volume 2 Edition$54.991 Year
  • Cuba Edition$59.991 Year

Questions

Is Argo Navigation free?
Argo Navigation is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Waterway Guide free?
Waterway Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Argo Navigation or Waterway Guide?
Argo Navigation is rated higher. Argo Navigation averages 4.9 out of 5 from 6.2K ratings, while Waterway Guide averages 4.7 from 2.9K ratings.
Do Argo Navigation or Waterway Guide have ads?
Neither Argo Navigation nor Waterway Guide shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Argo Navigation or Waterway Guide?
Argo Navigation ships an update every 4 days, and Waterway Guide every 2 weeks. Most recently, Argo Navigation was updated on November 3, 2026 and Waterway Guide on November 3, 2026.

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