Comparison

SeaDrive vs Waterway Guide

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

Head to head
About

SeaDrive

This marine navigation app offers offline charting, route planning, and tide/current predictions. It provides free US charts and integrates weather forecasts and points of interest like marinas. Share your live track with others for enhanced safety and communication on the water.

Highlights
  • Offline charting and navigation
  • Route building and navigation
  • Tide and current predictions
  • 5-day weather forecasts
  • Live track sharing
  • Points of Interest (marinas, boat ramps)
Features
Read full description

* What is Sea Drive? Sea Drive is a marine and boating navigation application focused on charting, navigation, route building, track recording, tides, currents, and more! Our goal is to provide the best user experience for boaters on and off the water. Sea Drive provides FREE US charts! We believe that everyone should have the tools on the water to feel safe and know how to find their way home (or pull up to a restaurant). * Who is it for? Sea Drive is for all of you who love the water! If you spend time on sailboats, fishing boats, bowriders, wakeboard boats, kayaks, or canoes this app will quickly become your go to co-captain * What are the features? **Offline Use Sea Drive is meant to be used on the water and in the real world, that means cell service won't always be available. Charting, tides, currents, routing, tracks, GPS, compass, and more are all available without internet! ** Free Chart Data (US) Currently only US charts are available (and will always remain free thanks to NOAA and your tax dollars). As Sea Drive improves we will be adding other chart regions for free or as low cost as possible. ** Tides and Currents Tap a tides or currents icons on the chart to view offline predictions (for years into the future) at over 3000 locations. ** Build and Navigate Routes Build routes with easy to add waypoints, drag waypoints, delete waypoints, and give waypoints custom names. Export and share your routes with other boaters. Activate a route to see bearing (magnetic or true) to waypoints, estimated time to waypoints, and ETA at destination among other metrics. ** Record Tracks Review and playback previously recorded tracks. ** Create and Share Markers Add notes and measure distances to markers. ** Basic Features Location (GPS & Compass). Caliper tool. Display settings for custom chart options. Vessel details for hazard avoidance and route planning. Satellite and road map chart overlays. ** POI We've integrated with marinas.com so we can show points interest directly on the chart for features like marinas, boat ramps, anchorage areas, inlets, locks, harbors and more. ** Weather View weather forecasts for up to five days in the future including marine related weather like wind, gusts, swells, and wave information. ** Live Track Sharing Create a live track share and send the link to friends. When imported, followers will see your current location and previous track directly on the Sea Drive app or website. * We love feedback! Sea Drive is built by boaters for boaters. This is just the start of our journey and we would like you all to be a part of it with us! Please provide any and all feedback!

About

Waterway Guide

This app provides a comprehensive boating resource with a verified database of marinas, anchorages, and navigation alerts. Users can access real-time hazard information, plan trips with a digital handbook, and utilize detailed content optimized for mobile devices. Engage with a community of boaters through comments and reviews.

Highlights
  • Verified points of interest database
  • Real-time navigation alerts
  • Community comments and reviews
  • Skipper's Handbook for trip planning
  • Offline content access
  • Marina filtering by amenities
Features
Read full description

Optimized for your mobile devices with Waterway Guide's detailed and verified points of interest database. Includes over 1.3 million data points on marinas, anchorages, navigation alerts, free docks, bridges and locks displayed on the embedded map or satellite view. Benefit from the experience of 75 years of publishing and hundreds of thousands of active boaters through verified comments and reviews. Share your comments, add points of interest, earn rewards and engage with others from within the app. Stay informed with the latest hazards to navigation reported real time from USCG, government agencies, local experts and boaters everywhere. Plan your time on the water with Waterway Guide's Skipper's Handbook, which is included with the free app download. Access Waterway Guide's library of books as individual chapters or entire guides for the information and details you need for navigation. Content is optimized for mobile devices and can be bookmarked for availability offline. Easily find marinas that fit your needs. Filter our entire database of marinas based on amenities and your preferences. Same functionality as Waterway Guide’s Marinas App. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

SeaDrive4 screens
Waterway Guide4 screens

Verdict

The call

SeaDrive and Waterway Guide both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 89% of SeaDrive's written reviews are positive against 52% of Waterway Guide's. Waterway Guide's advantage is ratings volume (2.9K vs 263) and chart position (#194 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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

Both are free to download. SeaDrive sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Waterway Guide sells 43 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Waterway Guide holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Waterway Guide has 2.9K ratings behind it against 263, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 89% of SeaDrive's written reviews are positive against 52% of Waterway Guide's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SeaDrive ships an update fortnightly, Waterway Guide every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
SeaDrive versus Waterway Guide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSeaDriveWaterway Guide
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (263 ratings)4.7 (2.9K ratings) — better
Positive reviews89.5% of reviews — better52.4% of reviews
Number of ratings2632.9K — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#194 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.116.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size58 MB52 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSeaDrive LLCWaterway Guide

Customer experience

SeaDrive

All ratings230 ratings
Positive89.1%
Neutral3.9%
Negative7.0%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive89.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.5%

Waterway Guide

All ratings2,920 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral2.4%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive52.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative33.3%

User reviews

SeaDrive

From 263 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use interface
  • 🗺️ Accurate navigation and depth finder
  • 🌟 Great for planning routes and marking spots
  • 🤝 Easy to share trips with friends
  • 💨 Excellent weather and tide features

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Waypoints deleted multiple times
  • 🐛 Vessel location disappeared
  • 🐛 App crashes when downloading charts

Waterway Guide

From 2.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent integration with Aqua Map
  • 👍 Useful resource for boating
  • 👍 Great information and details
  • 👍 Easy to use and navigate
  • 👍 Invaluable for planning trips

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Inconsistent and unreliable
  • 🐛 Difficult to navigate and use
  • 🐛 Outdated information and images
  • 🐛 Subscription and access issues

Bugs and requests

SeaDrive

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Waypoints are deleted by the app
  • Vessel location disappears
  • App crashes during chart download on older devices

Requested features

2 requests
  • Consider adding more advanced charting options
  • Further refine waypoint saving reliability

Waterway Guide

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App not working with latest iOS version
  • Subscription purchases not working properly
  • Unable to access purchased content
  • Frequent crashes and errors

Requested features

4 requests
  • Provide vertical bridge clearances
  • Improve offline functionality
  • Enhance search and filtering options
  • Implement dark mode

In-app purchases

3 purchases

SeaDrive

Subscriptions2
  • Sea Drive Pro2 Months trial$2.991 Month
  • Sea Drive Pro1 Month trial$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • US ChartsFree
43 purchases

Waterway Guide

Subscriptions43
  • Chesapeake Bay Ch.3$4.991 Year
  • Atlantic ICW Ch.2$4.991 Year
  • Atlantic ICW Ch.6$4.991 Year
Show 40 more
  • Southern Ch.6$4.991 Year
  • Southern Bridges & Locks$4.991 Year
  • Bahamas Cruising Guide$4.991 Year
  • Florida Keys Ch.3$4.991 Year
  • Gulf IWW Ch.4$4.991 Year
  • Atlantic ICW Ch.10$4.991 Year
  • Gulf IWW Ch.1$4.991 Year
  • Western Gulf Coast Ch.4$4.991 Year
  • Atlantic ICW Ch.4$4.991 Year
  • Southern Ch.4$4.991 Year
  • Western Gulf Coast Ch.3$4.991 Year
  • Atlantic ICW East Coast Inlets$4.991 Year
  • Northern Ch.12$4.991 Year
  • Great Lakes Vol.2 Ch.7$4.991 Year
  • Northern Ch.11$4.991 Year
  • Great Lakes Vol.1 Ch.7$4.991 Year
  • Atlantic ICW Ch.9$4.991 Year
  • Great Lakes Vol.1 Ch.2$4.991 Year
  • Northern Ch.1$14.991 Year
  • Great Lakes Vol.2 Ch.8$14.991 Year
  • Great Lakes Vol.2 Ch.6$14.991 Year
  • Southern Ch.13$14.991 Year
  • Southern Ch.10$14.991 Year
  • Southern Ch.12$14.991 Year
  • Southern Ch.3$14.991 Year
  • Southern Ch.11$14.991 Year
  • Anchorages Along the ICW$20.991 Year
  • Bahamas Bound$20.991 Year
  • ICW Cruising Guide by Bob423$29.991 Year
  • Northern Edition$49.991 Year
  • 1st Ed. Bahamas Land and Sea$49.991 Year
  • Chesapeake Bay Edition$54.991 Year
  • Atlantic ICW Edition$54.991 Year
  • Southern Edition$54.991 Year
  • Bahamas Edition$54.991 Year
  • Western Gulf Coast Edition$54.991 Year
  • Florida Keys Edition$54.991 Year
  • Great Lakes Volume 1 Edition$54.991 Year
  • Great Lakes Volume 2 Edition$54.991 Year
  • Cuba Edition$59.991 Year

Questions

Is SeaDrive free?
SeaDrive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Waterway Guide free?
Waterway Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SeaDrive or Waterway Guide?
Waterway Guide is rated higher. SeaDrive averages 4.5 out of 5 from 263 ratings, while Waterway Guide averages 4.7 from 2.9K ratings.
Do SeaDrive or Waterway Guide have ads?
Neither SeaDrive nor Waterway Guide shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SeaDrive or Waterway Guide?
SeaDrive ships an update fortnightly, and Waterway Guide every 2 weeks. Most recently, SeaDrive was updated on October 24, 2026 and Waterway Guide on October 25, 2026.

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