# Anchor Basic vs Hooked

The clearest difference is price: Hooked at Free against Anchor Basic's $0.99. Hooked also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.5) and review sentiment (89% vs 67%). Anchor Basic's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

Hooked holds the better App Store score, 4.7 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 89% of Hooked's.

Anchor Basic ships an update every 2 months, Hooked every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 21, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Anchor Basic | Hooked |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.5 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/anchor-basic/id1496724273/reviews) | **[4.7 (67 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hooked-anchor-alarm-and-remote/id1666392079/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 17 | **67** |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | **89.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 4 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **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


### Hooked

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

This app acts as a digital anchor watch, monitoring your boat's position and alerting you if it drifts. It offers real-time tracking, remote control, and customization options for peace of mind while boating.

**Highlights:** Real-time boat tracking, Remote anchor session control, Past anchor session history, Customizable settings, Share boat location, Connect to chart plotter, Energy efficient design, Smart GPS 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 Hooked free?

Hooked is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Anchor Basic or Hooked?

Hooked is rated higher. Anchor Basic averages 3.5 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while Hooked averages 4.7 from 67 ratings.

### Do Anchor Basic or Hooked have ads?

Neither Anchor Basic nor Hooked shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Anchor Basic or Hooked?

Anchor Basic ships an update every 2 months, and Hooked every 3 weeks. Most recently, Anchor Basic was updated on September 21, 2026 and Hooked on September 21, 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.*