Anchor Basic vs Anchor Alarm
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Anchor Basic
This app provides a reliable anchor alarm for boats, offering drift warnings and low battery alerts. Users can pause the alarm and resume monitoring later, or set the anchor by current location, bearing, and distance. It also allows remote monitoring of other users' Anchor Plus alarms.
- Drift warning alerts
- Low battery alarms
- Pause and resume alarm function
- Set anchor by location, bearing, or distance
- Remote monitoring of Anchor Plus alarms
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A fully functional anchor alarm designed for iPhone & iPad. - Simple and reliable with user selectable units, drift warning and low battery alarms. - Pause the alarm and take your device with you; simply continue drift monitoring when you return. - Set the anchor at the current location or a bearing & distance to the anchor. - Use Anchor Basic to remotely monitor Anchor Plus. Go ashore for dinner and monitor your friends Anchor Plus alarm using Anchor Basic. - If you like this version, try Anchor Plus with a host of additional features
Anchor Alarm
This app provides real-time anchor alerts and remote boat monitoring for both onboard and ashore users. It offers advanced features like flotilla management, AI anchor watch customization, and social sharing to enhance safety and community for boaters.
- Instant live alerts
- Remote vessel tracking
- Flotilla management
- 24/7 background operation
- AI anchor watch customization
- Social anchor sharing
- Exclusion zone marking
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With cutting-edge features that keep you connected both onboard and ashore, ZENkou ensures you stay safe and informed—no matter where you are. INSTANT LIVE ALERTS & REMOTE MONITORING Zenkou instantly notifies preconfigured mobile devices when a dragging anchor is detected, empowering timely action. With LIVE technology, boat owners can remotely track their vessel’s location, monitor progress, and receive anchor drifting alarm from ashore. FLOTILLA MANAGEMENT Zenkou LIVE N2N offers the flexibility to receive alerts from multiple boats and share them with unlimited followers. ALWAYS ON WATCH (24/7) Enable Zenkou to run in the background, even when your iPhone is locked or you're using other apps. GUARANTEED THROUGH EXTENSIVE TESTING Over 10,000 boaters trust Zenkou. They've enjoyed more peaceful sleep and saved their boats by responding to an anchor watch alarm. We conduct over 100 anchoring test days annually in diverse weather conditions. EFFICIENT POWER USAGE Maximized security at anchor, optimized battery life. NAVIONICS®*, SATELLITE, ONLINE AND OFFLINE MAPS Wide selection of maps featuring essential safety details and depth contours. WINDY® WEATHER FORECASTS: Stay Safe, Stay Comfy* Customized for Anchoring, Providing Accurate Predictions for Wind and Swell. MARINE BAROMETER* Detect rapid changes in weather conditions well before they become visible. Because when it comes to the sea, knowledge isn't just power, it's protection. AI ANCHOR WATCH Customized anchor watch experience to suit your specific boat. SOCIAL ANCHOR Prioritize safety and build camaraderie during your anchor watch with Zenkou anchor alarm. Encourage your neighbors to use the app and effortlessly share your anchor points and swing circles, fostering mutual awareness, a strong community, and a safer anchoring experience for all. ANCHOR ALARM SETTING OPTIONS Basic: Set the anchor location with a single tap when the device is directly above the anchor point. Long-Press Gesture: Easily navigate the map to your desired anchor location and set it with a long press. Bearing/ Distance: Simply point the iPhone to the anchor guaranteeing precise anchor alarm based on your preferred direction and distance from your location. Manual Entry: Input the coordinates of your current anchor position. Heat map: Drop the anchor and adjust the anchor rode length to your preference, allowing the boat to swing freely for a few minutes. Monitor the boat's progression on the map, and with a convenient long tap, set the anchor point and effortlessly fine-tune the anchor alarm settings to seamlessly align with the unique behavior of your boat and the surrounding environment. Share: Receive and Validate anchor alarm settings from other Zenkou users on the same boat via messaging or email. ANCHORING MASTERY, EXCLUSION ZONES Mark exclusion zones by drawing them with your finger. Ideal for tight anchorages and advanced anchoring techniques like shore lines, bow-stern anchoring, etc. HEAT MAPS Gain valuable insights by visually tracking your boat's progression at anchor, revealing patterns, trends, and concentrations. NMEA WIFI ACCESS Get real-time boat data like depth and wind speed on your iPhone, available anytime, anywhere. AIS Stay informed about nearby vessels during your anchor watch without needing to step on deck. APPLE WATCH Receive iPhone alerts on your Watch or monitor your yacht in real time with the Anchor Watch LIVE app* by Zenkou SERVICES Enjoy essential features of ZENkou Anchor Pro at no cost! Services with an asterisk (*), such as Premium*, LIVE*, Barometer*, Anchor watch live app* and Navionics*, require a separate paid subscription. Navionics® is a Garmin trademark. CUSTOMIZABLE UNITS MULTILINGUAL ONLINE SUPPORT 24/7 Revolutionize your experience at anchor. Stay safer and better informed than ever before. Crafted by sailors, for sailors. GET IT FOR FREE NOW!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Anchor Alarm at Free against Anchor Basic's $0.99. Anchor Alarm also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.5) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). Anchor Basic's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 12). On review sentiment, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Anchor Alarm is free to download; Anchor Basic costs $0.99 up front. Anchor Alarm sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Anchor Basic asks for nothing beyond the download.
Anchor Alarm holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Anchor Alarm has 177 ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of Anchor Basic's written reviews are positive against 59% of Anchor Alarm's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Anchor Basic ships an update every 2 months, Anchor Alarm weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Anchor Basic | Anchor Alarm |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.5 (17 ratings) | 4.5 (177 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better | 58.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 17 | 177 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 310 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Roy Cadman | Unitio A |
Customer experience
Anchor Basic
Anchor Alarm
Bugs and requests
Anchor Basic
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Anchor Alarm
Reported bugs
16 issues- Premium features not unlocking
- Customer support unresponsive
- Remote monitoring not working
- App crashes on opening
- Alarm triggers without reason
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- Signal disappears after 24 hours
- Charged without permission
- Subscription not working
- Paid for lifetime, still requires subscription
- Live monitoring not included in lifetime subscription
- Licenses not working consistently
- App forgets purchased licenses
- Double charging for app/features
- Remote monitoring requires additional payment
- Annoying subscription pop-ups after purchase
- App does not work easily after payment
Requested features
6 requests- Clarification on double payment for remote use
- Instantaneous start-up without ads
- Option to disable personalized data collection
- Ability to hide tracking prompts
- Make remote monitoring functional
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- Provide a free trial
In-app purchases
Anchor Basic
No in-app purchases
Anchor Alarm
- Marine Barometer - 1 month$7.991 Month
- Remote LIVE Alerts - 1 week$8.497 Days
- Premium Features - 1 month$8.991 Month
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- Premium Features - 1 month$9.991 Month
- Remote LIVE Alerts- 1 week$17.491 Month
- Remote LIVE Alerts - 1 Year$25.491 Year
- Marine Barometer - 1 year3 Days trial$27.991 Year
- Premium Features - 1 year$29.991 Year
- Barometer Lifetime$49.99
- Premium Features - Lifetime$99.99
- LIVE Features - Lifetime$99.99
Questions
Is Anchor Basic free?
Is Anchor Alarm free?
Which has better reviews, Anchor Basic or Anchor Alarm?
Do Anchor Basic or Anchor Alarm have ads?
Which is updated more often, Anchor Basic or Anchor Alarm?
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