Waterway Guide vs BridgeClear Mobile
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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
Read full descriptionHide 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/
BridgeClear Mobile
Read full descriptionHide full description
BridgeClear — Real-Time Bridge Clearance for Towboat Pilots BridgeClear gives towboat pilots and mariners live vertical clearance under every USACE and NOAA-charted bridge on America's inland and coastal waterways. A monthly subscription is required to access the premium navigation features described below. The app is free to download. Premium Features (require a monthly subscription): Live vertical clearance under every bridge, paired with your vessel's air draft Real-time NOAA gauge stages and tidal currents Movable-bridge open-position low steel readings River-mile awareness and waterway identification AIS vessel tracking NOAA nautical chart navigation with heads-up display Voyage planning with ETA estimates Community-reported navigation hazards Fleet map pin sharing with your crew Free Features (no subscription required): Rules of the Road reference Light List reference Quick Reference guide Data Sources directory Subscription is handled through Apple's App Store using StoreKit. Payment is charged to your Apple ID and auto-renews monthly. Cancel anytime in your App Store account settings.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: BridgeClear Mobile at daily against Waterway Guide's every 2 weeks. BridgeClear Mobile also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Waterway Guide's advantage is ratings volume (2.9K vs 7) and chart position (#190 vs unranked). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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 and BridgeClear Mobile sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
BridgeClear Mobile 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 7, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Waterway Guide ships an update every 2 weeks, BridgeClear Mobile daily. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Waterway Guide | BridgeClear Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (2.9K ratings) | 5.0 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 52.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2.9K — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | #190 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 — better | 17.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 52 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Waterway Guide | WILLIAM DANIEL PRINCE |
Bugs and 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
BridgeClear Mobile
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
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
Show 40 moreShow fewer
- 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
BridgeClear Mobile
- BridgeClear Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
Questions
Is Waterway Guide free?
Is BridgeClear Mobile free?
Which has better reviews, Waterway Guide or BridgeClear Mobile?
Do Waterway Guide or BridgeClear Mobile have ads?
Which is updated more often, Waterway Guide or BridgeClear Mobile?
Other comparisons
