# Anchor Basic vs Anchor Alarm & Remote

The clearest difference is price: Anchor Alarm & Remote at Free against Anchor Basic's $0.99. Anchor Alarm & Remote also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.5) and review sentiment (91% vs 67%). Anchor Basic's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On ads there is nothing between them.

Anchor Alarm & Remote is free to download; Anchor Basic costs $0.99 up front. Anchor Alarm & Remote sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Anchor Basic asks for nothing beyond the download.

Anchor Alarm & Remote holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 17 and 67 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Anchor Basic's written reviews are positive against 91% of Anchor Alarm & Remote's.

Anchor Basic ships an update every 6 weeks, Anchor Alarm & Remote every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Anchor Basic | Anchor Alarm & Remote |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.5 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/anchor-basic/id1496724273/reviews) | **[4.8 (67 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/anchor-alarm-and-remote-hooked/id1666392079/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 17 | **67** |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | **90.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 4 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Roy Cadman](https://appshunter.io/developer/1496724272) | [Kylee Davis](https://appshunter.io/developer/1666392081) |

## What reviewers say

### Anchor Basic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/anchor-basic/id1496724273)

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.

**Highlights:** Drift warning alerts, Low battery alarms, Pause and resume alarm function, Set anchor by location, bearing, or distance, Remote monitoring of Anchor Plus alarms

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Anchor Alarm & Remote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/anchor-alarm-and-remote-hooked/id1666392079)

This app acts as a digital anchor watch, alerting you if your boat drifts beyond a set perimeter. It offers real-time tracking, remote control of your anchor session, and historical data analysis. Enjoy peace of mind while on or off deck, with battery-efficient operation and smart connectivity options.

**Highlights:** Real-time boat tracking, Remote anchor session control, Historical anchor session review, Customizable alarm settings, Share boat position with others, Connects to chart plotter for GPS data, Energy-efficient battery usage, Intelligent GPS signal filtering

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hooked Premium (Monthly) | $2.99 | per month |
| Hooked Essential (Yearly) | $4.99 | per year |
| Hooked Premium (Yearly) | $17.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Remote monitoring is awesome
- 🚀 Improves reliability constantly
- 🤝 Responsive developers
- 🛰️ Seamless Apple device connection

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional GPS lock issues
- 🐛 Some room for improvement
- 🐛 Connection interruptions
- 🐛 Lack of reliability
- 🐛 False alarms

**Reported bugs**

- Occasionally struggles with losing GPS lock
- iPad built-in GPS sometimes doesn't update
- Some interruptions of connection
- Bug causing incorrect longitude value and app crash
- Seems to only paint the swing on the map sometimes

**Requested features**

- Compatibility with Android
- Apple Watch app
- Ability to share remote monitoring with other Apple IDs
- Ability to form non-circular swing areas (e.g., pie slice, freeform)
- NMEA live wind data integration


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Anchor Basic free?

Anchor Basic costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Anchor Alarm & Remote free?

Anchor Alarm & Remote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Anchor Basic or Anchor Alarm & Remote?

Anchor Alarm & Remote is rated higher. Anchor Basic averages 3.5 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while Anchor Alarm & Remote averages 4.8 from 67 ratings.

### Do Anchor Basic or Anchor Alarm & Remote have ads?

Neither Anchor Basic nor Anchor Alarm & Remote shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Anchor Basic or Anchor Alarm & Remote?

Anchor Basic ships an update every 6 weeks, and Anchor Alarm & Remote every 3 weeks. Most recently, Anchor Basic was updated on November 3, 2026 and Anchor Alarm & Remote on November 7, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*