Comparison

Radar Plotting vs Sextant

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

Head to head
About

Radar Plotting

This app offers advanced radar plotting for maritime navigation. It allows users to calculate critical encounter data, plan maneuvers, and analyze complex scenarios with interactive visualizations. Designed for training and decision support, it aids in understanding vessel interactions.

Highlights
  • Kinematic calculations (CPA/TCPA, aspect)
  • True and relative speed estimation
  • Evasive maneuver planning with COLREG guidance
  • Rescue and escape scenario planning
  • Double-target analysis
  • Current and drift estimation
  • Interactive radar canvas with playback
Features
Read full description

Radar Plotting provides advanced radar-plotting capabilities for iPhone and iPad. Compute CPA/TCPA, estimate true motion, plan evasive/rescue/escape manoeuvres, and analyse two-target encounters — all visualised on an interactive radar sheet. Highlights: - Precise kinematic calculations (CPA/TCPA, aspect, true & relative speed) - Evasive manoeuvres with COLREG guidance - Rescue & escape planning, including scenarios with faster vessels - Double-target handling - Current/drift estimation - Interactive canvas with adjustable scales and animated trajectory playback - Import/export via QR code and PDF report generation Safety note: This app is for training and decision support. It does not replace certified navigational equipment or official procedures. Always follow COLREG and local/company rules.

About

Sextant

This app provides a comprehensive celestial navigation toolkit for sailors and enthusiasts. It allows users to navigate using celestial bodies like the sun, moon, planets, and stars, even when GPS is unavailable. The app guides users through taking sextant readings, performing calculations, and plotting positions on a map.

Highlights
  • Celestial body identification using camera and ephemeris
  • Sextant sight reduction with manual correction checks
  • Offline celestial navigation
  • Noon sight for latitude calculation
  • Line of position plotting on a real map
  • Polaris one-shot latitude
  • Solar Compass for deviation checks
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

A complete celestial navigation toolkit for sailors, students, and the curious. When the GPS quits, the sun, moon, planets, and stars still work. Sextant takes you all the way from a single sextant reading to a line of position on a map — with every correction shown, so you can check the math by hand if you want to. Point the camera at the sky The Sky tab labels every navigational body in view — the sun, the moon, all four navigational planets, and 58 navigational stars — using the magnetic compass and on-device ephemeris. Spot a star, tap its name, and a sight starts with that body identified and the time stamped. Sight with your camera, or a real sextant The camera flow uses gravity-based altitude with a roll lockout so a tilted phone can't slip a bad shot through. Multi-shot mode takes a series and saves the trimmed mean. Or just type your altitude from a brass sextant and let the app do the reduction. Every body you'll ever shoot Sun, moon, all four navigational planets — Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn — and all 58 standard navigational stars. Positions computed from astronomical models (Meeus, VSOP87, JPL Keplerian elements), not stale tables. Works fully offline. Noon Sight in one tap Take the sun's altitude at meridian passage; the app gives you latitude. It also predicts the exact UTC of local apparent noon so you know when to look. Plot your fix Every sight draws a line of position on a real map. Take more than one, apply dead reckoning between them, watch your running fix come together — exactly like the paper-chart workflow. Tools sailors actually use - Polaris one-shot latitude - Solar Compass — true bearing of the sun, for compass deviation checks - Starfinder — what's above the horizon right now - Reduction tables (dip, refraction, semi-diameter) - DMS / decimal converter Learn celestial navigation as you go Step through your first sight with a guided walk-through. Every screen has inline help, and every correction in the sight reduction — dip, refraction, semi-diameter, parallax — has an explanation a tap away. Check the app against your hand calculations, or let it do all the work. Share your work Export sight records as CSV or as a printable PDF work-form in the classic HO 229 layout. No subscription. No ads. No internet. One purchase, everything included.

Screenshots

Radar Plotting3 screens
Sextant4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Radar Plotting at 50% against Sextant's 0%. Radar Plotting also leads on price ($7.99 vs $9.99) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). Sextant's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months) and chart position (#150 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Radar Plotting costs $7.99 and Sextant $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Radar Plotting ships an update every 5 months, Sextant every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Radar Plotting versus Sextant: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRadar PlottingSextant
Price$7.99 — better$9.99
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#150 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB2 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperGiacomo GabrieleStolk.cc

Customer experience

Radar Plotting

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Sextant

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

Radar Plotting

No in-app purchases

None

Sextant

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Radar Plotting free?
Radar Plotting costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sextant free?
Sextant costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Radar Plotting or Sextant have ads?
Neither Radar Plotting nor Sextant shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Radar Plotting or Sextant?
Radar Plotting ships an update every 5 months, and Sextant every 3 weeks. Most recently, Radar Plotting was updated on October 8, 2026 and Sextant on September 24, 2026.

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