# Afloat Plan Home vs AIS Explorer

The clearest difference is rating: AIS Explorer at 5.0 against Afloat Plan Home's 3.3. Afloat Plan Home's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. AIS Explorer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $49.00 per month. Afloat Plan Home asks for nothing beyond the download.

AIS Explorer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Afloat Plan Home has 15 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Afloat Plan Home ships an update every 2 months, AIS Explorer monthly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Afloat Plan Home | AIS Explorer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.3 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/afloat-plan-home/id1501459745/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ais-explorer/id1670774413/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **15** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 20 MB | 68 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sirius Signal, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1501459744) | [PredictWind Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/477048590) |

## What reviewers say

### Afloat Plan Home

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/afloat-plan-home/id1501459745)

This app allows water sports enthusiasts to submit a plan for their activity, including details about their watercraft and emergency contacts. It tracks your location and sends alerts if you don't return on time, with offline capabilities and a first aid guide.

**Highlights:** Submit float plans via text, Watercraft description, Emergency contact notifications, 10-minute location tracking, Offline GPS data archiving, SOS eVDSD signal control, On-water first aid guide

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### AIS Explorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ais-explorer/id1670774413)

Track ships and yachts globally in real-time with advanced satellite and terrestrial AIS receivers. Offers vessel search, favorites, port of call details, and integrated weather forecasts with routing for ETAs. Provides comprehensive satellite AIS data.

**Highlights:** Real-time Satellite AIS, Real-time Terrestrial AIS, Search Vessels, Save To Favourites, Last Port of Call, Advanced Weather Forecasts, Weather Routing - ETA

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AIS Pro monthly | $49.00 | per month |
| AIS Pro 3 monthly | $99.00 | per 3 months |
| AIS Pro Annual | $249.00 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Afloat Plan Home free?

Afloat Plan Home is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is AIS Explorer free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Afloat Plan Home or AIS Explorer?

AIS Explorer is rated higher. Afloat Plan Home averages 3.3 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while AIS Explorer averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Afloat Plan Home or AIS Explorer have ads?

AIS Explorer shows ads; Afloat Plan Home does not.

### Which is updated more often, Afloat Plan Home or AIS Explorer?

Afloat Plan Home ships an update every 2 months, and AIS Explorer monthly. Most recently, Afloat Plan Home was updated on October 24, 2026 and AIS Explorer on October 24, 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.*