Comparison

SailFreeGPS vs Pathr Navigation

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

Head to head
About

SailFreeGPS

This app provides sailing navigation tools, displaying real-time location, speed, course, and historical data. It assists with MOB situations, regattas, and waypoint management, offering advanced features in its premium version.

Highlights
  • Real-time GPS data (location, COG, SOG)
  • Man OverBoard (MOB) assistance
  • Regatta countdown timer and departure line
  • Waypoint management with GOTO function
  • Track recording and GPX/KML export
  • Anchor and course alarms
  • Premium version with advanced features
Features
Read full description

Hello, * SailFreeGPS displays current location, course (COG), speed (SOG), max speed, Trip distance, speed average and magnetic compass. * SailFreeGPS displays COG and SOG history (6h) to help you to see trim effect on your sails. * SailFreeGPS filters GPS information for more accuracy (average of an amount of last measures you can set). * SailFreeGPS can share your position, COG, SOG to your friends. * SailFreeGPS helps you during Man OverBoard maneuver (MOB). It stores the location and lead you to it. * SailFreeGPS displays your track on google map (48h). * SailFreeGPS helps you during Regatta with its countdown timer and its departure line * You can store up to 8 waypoints and activate a GOTO function with ETA (Estimated Time to Arrival computation) * You can save/load track to/from GPX/KML file * You can calculate distance and heading * You can use it on every boat, motor or sail boat. * You can now activate an anchor alarm or a course alarm. I am an amateur sailor who has decided to create this app after a Transatlantic cruise. I add periodically functionalities to this app when I have some spare time. Please send me an email for any question or problem : contact@sailfreegps.com Encourage me to continue by subscribing to premium version. List of features of Premium Version Premium version DOES NOT CONTAIN ADS. GPS INFO Tab: * Doucle click on SPEED will reset trip, max and ags speed * Long click on COURSE to display compass * Double click on coordinates to display/hide position Graph Tab: * Double click COG graph to switch to full screen mode MOB Tab: * Displays of relative bearing of the MOB * Displays of tack angles * Double click graph to switch to full screen mode Waypoint Tab: * Up to 200 Waypoints * Displays of relative bearing of Waypoint * Displays of tack angles * Double click graph to switch to full screen mode Map Tab: * Displays of SOG and COG (speed & course) * Your track segments are displayed according to your speed Anchor alarm: * Anchor area can be a polygon and you can adjust its shape Regatta Tab: * "Gun Button" allows to round seconds to nearest minute Ex: 4:03 => 4:00 or 3:58 => 4:00 * Enter exact départure time up to the second * Displays of time to kill/save continuing the same way (speed and course) * Displays of ideal speed to cross the line at 0:00 on the same course!!! Settings Tab: * Displays reverse color (white on black back) * You can select Hybrid map * Select on which duration is calculated the speed scale of your track: last 5min, 15 min or all the track * Select your tack angle value. It will be displayed on MOB and WAYPOINT tabs Exit: * Ask to save the track before Exit

About

Pathr Navigation

This marine navigation app simplifies boating with smart routing tailored to your vessel's specifications. It offers detailed marine charts, weather and AIS overlays for enhanced awareness, and tools for discovering and sharing points of interest with a community of boaters.

Highlights
  • Smart routing based on vessel profile
  • High-resolution marine charts
  • Weather and AIS overlays
  • Harbor and point of interest discovery
  • Social sharing and trip tracking
  • Manual route planning
Features
Read full description

PATHR is modern marine navigation built to make boating simpler, safer, and more fun. Plan your day on the water with smart routing, real marine chart features, weather overlays, AIS awareness, harbor discovery, social sharing, trip tracking, and tools built around how boaters actually move. Whether you are planning a quick cruise, exploring a new harbor, checking conditions, or building a route around your vessel’s limits, PATHR helps bring the whole boating experience into one simple app. Smart Routing Built Around Your Boat PATHR supports both automatic and manual route planning, with routing that considers your vessel profile, including key specs like draft and operating limits. Instead of treating every boat the same, PATHR helps you plan routes that make sense for your vessel, your conditions, and your trip. Our routing experience is designed to help boaters move with more confidence by considering depth, hazards, navigable water, and practical route behavior, not just drawing a straight line from point A to point B. A Better Marine Map Experience PATHR combines high-resolution marine depth data, NOAA chart features, depth contours, aids to navigation, buoys, beacons, lights, wrecks, soundings, bridge clearance data, shoreline detail, and seabed overlays to help with anchoring decisions. The result is a map that feels intuitive, useful, and purpose-built for the water. Important marine information stays front and center without overwhelming the screen. Weather and AIS Awareness View weather overlays while planning and navigating so you can better understand what is happening around you. PATHR also supports AIS overlays, helping you maintain better awareness of nearby vessel traffic. With premium collision-awareness features, PATHR can help identify potential traffic conflicts and give boaters an added layer of situational awareness while underway. Manual Route Planning When You Want Control Prefer to build your own route? PATHR gives you manual routing tools so you can plan exactly where you want to go. Drop points, shape your route, and build a trip that matches your knowledge, comfort level, and local conditions. Explore Harbors and Share What You Find Discover new harbors, anchorages, marinas, and points of interest. Leave reviews, share helpful notes, and learn from other boaters who have been there before. Found a tricky entrance, a great dock-and-dine spot, a quiet anchorage, or something other boaters should know about? Add a map report and help improve the experience for everyone on the water. Social Boating, Built In Boating is better with your people. Add friends, see their location when they choose to share it, send routes, compare adventures, and stay connected on the water. Track your trips automatically and build your own boating logbook over time. Save your routes, review your history, and yes — brag a little. You earned it. The more you sail, cruise, explore, and contribute, the more you can unlock through badges, achievements, and community features. Track Every Trip PATHR records your boating history so you can look back at where you went, how far you traveled, and what you discovered along the way. Whether you are keeping a personal logbook or sharing highlights with friends, your time on the water becomes part of your story. Prop Test Tool Running an adjustable propeller or dialing in your boat’s setup? PATHR includes a prop test feature to help you capture performance data and better understand how your vessel behaves. Built for Real Boaters PATHR is designed for boaters who want powerful tools without the clunky, outdated experience marine software has had for too long. We are building a smarter, cleaner, more connected way to plan, route, explore, and share time on the water. From trip planning to route building, from harbor discovery to social sharing, from weather awareness to vessel-specific routing, PATHR brings the boating experience together in one app. Boating, simplified.

Screenshots

SailFreeGPS4 screens
Pathr Navigation4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Pathr Navigation at 5.0 against SailFreeGPS's 4.2. Pathr Navigation also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 61%) and ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Both are free to download. SailFreeGPS sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Pathr Navigation sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pathr Navigation holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 5 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of SailFreeGPS's written reviews are positive against 100% of Pathr Navigation's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SailFreeGPS ships an update every 2 months, Pathr Navigation every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
SailFreeGPS versus Pathr Navigation: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSailFreeGPSPathr Navigation
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (11 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings11 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.215.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB68 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFrederic BROSmart Sail Inc

Customer experience

SailFreeGPS

All ratings11 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral9.1%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive61.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative38.9%

Pathr Navigation

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

SailFreeGPS

Subscriptions2
  • One Month$2.991 Month
  • One Year$9.991 Year
2 purchases

Pathr Navigation

Subscriptions2
  • Pathr Premium · Monthly$14.991 Month
  • Pathr Premium · Annual$99.991 Year

Questions

Is SailFreeGPS free?
SailFreeGPS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pathr Navigation free?
Pathr Navigation is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SailFreeGPS or Pathr Navigation?
Pathr Navigation is rated higher. SailFreeGPS averages 4.2 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Pathr Navigation averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do SailFreeGPS or Pathr Navigation have ads?
SailFreeGPS shows ads; Pathr Navigation does not.
Which is updated more often, SailFreeGPS or Pathr Navigation?
SailFreeGPS ships an update every 2 months, and Pathr Navigation every 2 weeks. Most recently, SailFreeGPS was updated on October 7, 2026 and Pathr Navigation on October 8, 2026.

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