Anchor Basic vs Hooked
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
Hooked
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.
- 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
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Let's Hook Your Boat Down! Hooked is your trusty digital anchor watch. It keeps a sharp eye on your boat's position, sounding the alarm if it drifts beyond your comfort zone. Enjoy the same peace of mind whether you're on deck or ashore, without draining your device's battery. Key Features: * Real-time Tracking: Watch your boat's movements like a hawk. Colorful trails make it easy to see where you've been. * Remote Command Center: Control your anchor session from anywhere with an internet connection. Pause, adjust, or relocate your session with ease – it's all up to you. * History Buff: Review past anchor sessions to analyze your boating patterns. * Customization Galore: Tailor Hooked to your preferences. Adjust units, track appearance, and even the alarm volume. * Share the Love: Let friends and family keep an eye on your boat too. * Smart Connectivity: Hooked plays nice with other devices. Connect to your chart plotter for more accurate GPS data and to view depth and wind speed. * Energy Efficient: Hooked is designed to be gentle on your device's battery, ensuring it lasts as long as you need it. * GPS Savvy: Hooked intelligently filters out unreliable GPS signals, preventing false alarms. * Low Battery Alert: Never be caught off guard. Hooked warns you when your device is running low. Note: Remote monitoring requires two Hooked-equipped devices with internet access and a Hooked Premium subscription for the boat-based device. For a cheaper option you can also subscribe to Hooked Essential which enables remote notifications (comparable to Anchor Pro’s “Anchor Premium”). Ready to drop anchor with confidence? Hooked is your go-to companion for worry-free boating. Privacy Policy: https://hookedanchor.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://hookedanchor.com/terms-of-use
Screenshots
Verdict
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.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
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.
| Parameter | Anchor Basic | Hooked |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.5 (17 ratings) | 4.7 (67 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 89.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 17 | 67 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — 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, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 41 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Roy Cadman | Kylee Davis |
Customer experience
Anchor Basic
Hooked
Bugs and requests
Anchor Basic
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Hooked
Reported bugs
6 issues- 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
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- Difficulty finding the drop anchor button
Requested features
11 requests- 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
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- Support for Garmin GPSMAP plotters
- Graphics based on GPS when no internet
- Cached graphics when offline
- Apple Watch support to set, pause, stop
- Alarm if GPS fails to update
- Support for NMEA connection to Vesper Cortex
In-app purchases
Anchor Basic
No in-app purchases
Hooked
- Hooked Premium (Monthly)1 Month trial$2.991 Month
- Hooked Essential (Yearly)$4.991 Year
- Hooked Premium (Yearly)1 Month trial$17.991 Year
