# Waterway Guide vs VMGPolar

Waterway Guide and VMGPolar both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of VMGPolar's written reviews are positive against 52% of Waterway Guide's. VMGPolar also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10). Waterway Guide's advantage is ratings volume (2.9K vs 3) and chart position (#143 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Waterway Guide sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year. VMGPolar asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Waterway Guide against 4.7 for VMGPolar. 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 are what separate them: 52% of Waterway Guide's written reviews are positive against 100% of VMGPolar's.

Waterway Guide ships an update every 2 weeks, VMGPolar fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Waterway Guide | VMGPolar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (2.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/waterway-guide/id1551794976/reviews)** | [4.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vmgpolar/id6451073241/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.9K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 52.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#143** | — |
| Size | 52 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Waterway Guide](https://appshunter.io/developer/958617198) | [Andrei Skobtsov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1696471952) |

## What reviewers say

### Waterway Guide

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/waterway-guide/id1551794976)

**Currently charting:** #143 Top Grossing · Navigation (US App Store)

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:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Great Lakes Vol.2 Ch.8 | $14.99 | per year |
| Anchorages Along the ICW | $20.99 | per year |
| ICW Cruising Guide by Bob423 | $29.99 | per year |
| Northern Edition | $49.99 | per year |
| 1st Ed. Bahamas Land and Sea | $49.99 | per year |
| Chesapeake Bay Edition | $54.99 | per year |
| Atlantic ICW Edition | $54.99 | per year |
| Southern Edition | $54.99 | per year |
| Western Gulf Coast Edition | $54.99 | per year |
| Florida Keys Edition | $54.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- Provide vertical bridge clearances
- Improve offline functionality
- Enhance search and filtering options
- Implement dark mode


### VMGPolar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vmgpolar/id6451073241)

Calculate sailing wind and boat speed with this tool. Input three values to determine the rest and log your data for export. It helps build and validate polar graphs for sailing performance.

**Highlights:** Sailing wind and boat speed calculation, Input three values to calculate others, Save data into a log, Export log data, Build and validate polar graphs

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Waterway Guide free?

Waterway Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is VMGPolar free?

VMGPolar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Waterway Guide or VMGPolar?

Waterway Guide is rated higher. Waterway Guide averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.9K ratings, while VMGPolar averages 4.7 from 3 ratings.

### Do Waterway Guide or VMGPolar have ads?

Neither Waterway Guide nor VMGPolar shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Waterway Guide or VMGPolar?

Waterway Guide ships an update every 2 weeks, and VMGPolar fortnightly. Most recently, Waterway Guide was updated on November 11, 2026 and VMGPolar on November 3, 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.*