Comparison

Circle Of Position Navigation vs Celestial Navigation 360

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

Head to head
About

Circle Of Position Navigation

This app provides a backup navigation system using the sun, similar to chart plotter satellite navigation. It requires manual sextant readings and allows users to input times and measurements to display their position on an electronic map, creating a journey track.

Highlights
  • Sun navigation system
  • Independent backup navigation
  • Electronic map display
  • Journey track display
  • Dead reckoning module
  • No celestial navigation knowledge needed
Features
Read full description

The app enables navigation with the sun and is comparable to satellite navigation on a chart plotter. A sextant is needed because, unlike satellites, the sun does not emit radio signals. The distance to an observer must therefore be measured manually with a sextant from the earth. For a position determination only the times and the sextant readings of two observations to be entered. The position is immediately displayed as a ship symbol on an electronic map. A track of the journey is displayed based on the positions determined and the data from an integrated dead reckoning module. So, the app can be used by anyone without any knowledge of celestial navigation. The sun cannot be confused with any other star and is available all day. Navigating with stars requires specialist knowledge so that stars can be reliably identified. At night the height of stars cannot be measured because the horizon is not visible. With this app it is now possible to have a real second independent navigation system on board that anyone can use immediately, even in stressful situations and without prior instruction. Celestial navigation is a demonstrably a valid and safe navigation method. Sailors should always be able to master and use classic celestial navigation. A failure of satellite navigation is difficult to imagine, but not impossible. A lot of money is spent each year on buying and maintaining yacht safety equipment in case of rare incidents that normally do not happen, but very little is done or available in the event of satellite navigation failure. This app makes it very easy to meet the requirements for navigational safety of the ship and crew. It is professional system and makes it possible to check the functionality of the on board satellite navigation electronics with a totally independent system. For some sailors, classic celestial navigation is even a passion, finding the way only with the help of the heavens. After all, sailing itself is a historical form of travel. The app based on the ideas of the renowned German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss in 1809. His solution was way ahead of its time. A position is calculated from the heights of two celestial bodies, or the sun at two different times and entered on a nautical chart. Satellite navigation works similar way. Since there were no computers at that time sailors invented graphical approximation methods and only these methods are in use to this day. They are extremely complex and time-consuming and require a high level of knowledge of mathematics. In our modern times this greatly reduces the general appeal of celestial navigation as a backup system for safety at sea. Compared to the commonly known graphical Marcq St. Hilaire method this app offers considerable advantages: 1. 1.There are no errors when measuring heights above 70 degrees. 2. 2.The time between two observations of the sun can be much shorter. 3. 3.To calculate a position, no DR-Position is necessary. 4. 4.The calculation algorithm is precise and is not an approximation. The app includes the following functions: 1. 1.Automatically altitude corrections of sextant readings. 2. 2.An additional use of the noon latitude is possible. 3. 3.Module for dead reckoning with track recording. 4. 4.Map-download-function. 5. 5.Zoom function from the whole Earth down to the yacht harbor. 6. 6.Distance measurement from the ship's position to a destination. 7. 7.Representation of circles of position on the globe. 8. 8.Navigation simulator beside to an ongoing navigation. 9. 9.Sun almanac until 31. December 2040 in a data base. 10. 10.Detailed description in a help file. Never before has it been so easy to navigate with the sun. No mathematics, no drawing and no searching in complicated tables. With this app celestial navigation becomes fun instead of arduous. Even if the accuracy of astronavigation takes getting used to at first, with this app and a cheap plastic sextant you are safer on the sea.

About

Celestial Navigation 360

Read full description

Each measurement taken with a sextant (a 'sight') converts to a line of position (LoP) on a chart, the intersections of two or more such lines providing a position fix Use this app to plan/enter sights and inspect the resulting LoPs -- Features -- * Realtime or frozen computed horizon in panoramic projection. Use for star/planet identification, sight preparation and entry, true bearings etc. * Sight reduction (ephemerides calculated internally) for the 58 almanac-listed navigational stars. Extendable to the sun, moon and planets via subscription * Almanac rising/setting/transits/twilights * Sextant-like functionality via the camera Licensed under Apple's standard End User License Agreement (EULA), available at: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Circle Of Position Navigation4 screens
Celestial Navigation 3604 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Celestial Navigation 360 at Free against Circle Of Position Navigation's $8.99. Celestial Navigation 360 also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 9 months). Circle Of Position Navigation's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.6). 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

Celestial Navigation 360 is free to download; Circle Of Position Navigation costs $8.99 up front. Celestial Navigation 360 sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Circle Of Position Navigation asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Circle Of Position Navigation ships an update every 9 months, Celestial Navigation 360 monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Circle Of Position Navigation versus Celestial Navigation 360: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCircle Of Position NavigationCelestial Navigation 360
Price$8.99Free — better
Rating2.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size712 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHelmut HoffrichterNicholas Braun

In-app purchases

None

Circle Of Position Navigation

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Celestial Navigation 360

Subscriptions2
  • month$4.991 Month
  • year$17.991 Year

Questions

Is Circle Of Position Navigation free?
Circle Of Position Navigation costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Celestial Navigation 360 free?
Celestial Navigation 360 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Circle Of Position Navigation or Celestial Navigation 360 have ads?
Neither Circle Of Position Navigation nor Celestial Navigation 360 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Circle Of Position Navigation or Celestial Navigation 360?
Circle Of Position Navigation ships an update every 9 months, and Celestial Navigation 360 monthly. Most recently, Circle Of Position Navigation was updated on September 10, 2026 and Celestial Navigation 360 on September 7, 2026.

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