TZ First Mate vs Waterway Guide
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TZ First Mate
Easily log fishing catches and photos directly from your phone while on the water. Data syncs wirelessly to your compatible Furuno MFD and backs up to the cloud. Access MFD system details and report issues.
- Create catches and photos
- Wireless synchronization to MFDs
- Cloud backup of user objects
- View MFD system details
- Report issues via log
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The Furuno TZ First Mate mobile App allows you to quickly create Catches and Photos while you are boating or fishing. These objects are then automatically synchronized with your NavNet TZtouch2 and NavNet TZtouch3 when your phone is connected to the MFD’s Wireless Hotspot. As soon as your phone has access to the internet the TZ First Mate App will also synchronize and backup all contents of the user objects database (Catches, Photos, Marks, Routes and Boundaries) to the TZ Cloud (cloud.mytimezero.com). Lastly, TZ First Mate can be used to get MFD details such as System ID, Software Versions, and report issues via a Report Log.
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: TZ First Mate at 100% against Waterway Guide's 52%. TZ First Mate also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 43) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Waterway Guide's advantage is ratings volume (2.9K vs 3) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Waterway Guide sells 43 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. TZ First Mate asks for nothing beyond the download.
TZ First Mate holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Waterway Guide has 2.9K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of TZ First Mate's written reviews are positive against 52% of Waterway Guide's.
TZ First Mate ships an update every 3 months, Waterway Guide every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TZ First Mate | Waterway Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | 4.7 (2.9K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 52.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 2.9K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 70 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 株式会社フルノソフテック | Waterway Guide |
Customer experience
TZ First Mate
Waterway Guide
Bugs and requests
TZ First Mate
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
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
TZ First Mate
No in-app purchases
Waterway Guide
- Chesapeake Bay Ch.3$4.991 Year
- Atlantic ICW Ch.2$4.991 Year
- Atlantic ICW Ch.6$4.991 Year
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- 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 TZ First Mate free?
Is Waterway Guide free?
Which has better reviews, TZ First Mate or Waterway Guide?
Do TZ First Mate or Waterway Guide have ads?
Which is updated more often, TZ First Mate or Waterway Guide?
Other comparisons
