Comparison

Anchor Basic vs Anchor & Course

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

Head to head
About

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.

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
Read full description

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

About

Anchor & Course

Features
Read full description

Main features are listed below. For Anchoring: • set the sae area for your anchoring. Adjust flexible shape (not just a circle) • raise an alarm if your boat leave the safe area • check the wind and weather forecast for given anchoring point • set and adjust the safe area manually, without map’s support in areas with no internet access For Course tracking: set the straight course to the desired destination (not straight on a map, but really straight) set the acceptable track threshold, within which the course is considered OK raise an alarm if boat leaves behind the set threshold, meaning the course is lost manually set and adjust the course destination point, with no internet access needed For the communication: • check remotely the boat’s position in anchoring mode. What is needed: • Anchor & Course application installed on your and remote devices • users logged in on both devices • remote users added to the list of accepted users on each device (to achieve both way data exchange) • data is sent only between two devices and temporarily displayed on the second device. • data is not stored anywhere and is lost once the user closes the app. Celestial Navigation in Your Pocket Determine your approximate global position using just your phone—no GPS or cellular connection required! Perfect for navigation enthusiasts, educational purposes, and survival practice. Key Features: • Calculate your approximate position completely offline. • Take multiple measurements to improve your probable location calculation. • Enter manual values to bypass phone sensor limitations. IMPORTANT ACCURACY DISCLAIMER: Please note that a smartphone is not a professional optical sextant. Expect an accuracy margin of roughly 20 to 150 km. This tool is for educational and recreational use only and should NEVER be relied upon for critical navigation. > Inaccuracies are a natural result of: • Smartphone sensor noise (magnetometer and accelerometer limitations). • Variations in the Earth's magnetic field and declination. • Atmospheric refraction affecting the perceived altitude of celestial bodies. Standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA) apply (https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/)

Screenshots

Anchor Basic4 screens
Anchor & Course4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Anchor & Course at Free against Anchor Basic's $0.99. Anchor & Course also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Anchor Basic's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.2). On ads 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

Anchor & Course is free to download; Anchor Basic costs $0.99 up front. Anchor & Course sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Anchor Basic asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Anchor Basic ships an update every 2 months, Anchor & Course every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Anchor Basic versus Anchor & Course: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAnchor BasicAnchor & Course
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating3.5 (17 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings17 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.2
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRoy CadmanMichal Sidorczyk

In-app purchases

None

Anchor Basic

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

Anchor & Course

Subscriptions3
  • Full access 1 month$1.991 Month
  • Full access 6 months$9.996 Months
  • Full access 1 year$14.991 Year
One-time4
  • 1-Month Access (One-Time)$2.99
  • 6-Months Access (One-Time)$12.99
  • 1-Year Access (One-Time)$17.99
Show 1 more
  • Lifetime Full Access$49.99

Questions

Is Anchor Basic free?
Anchor Basic costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Anchor & Course free?
Anchor & Course is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Anchor Basic or Anchor & Course have ads?
Neither Anchor Basic nor Anchor & Course shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Anchor Basic or Anchor & Course?
Anchor Basic ships an update every 2 months, and Anchor & Course every 3 weeks. Most recently, Anchor Basic was updated on October 7, 2026 and Anchor & Course on September 30, 2026.

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