Canals.UK vs Memory
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Canals.UK
This app is a comprehensive guide for navigating over 2,000 miles of UK canals. It provides detailed information on locks, bridges, facilities, and points of interest for boaters and walkers. An optional upgrade offers advanced features like route planning and boat tracking.
- 2000+ miles of UK canals mapped
- Locks, bridges, and facilities information
- Mile markers and linear canal diagrams
- Canal & River Trust notices
- Boat details and tracking
- Route planning and points of interest
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Canals.UK is a useful companion for anyone who uses the canals; boating or walking! Navigate the 2,000 miles of UK canals. The App shows locks, bridges, aqueducts, tunnels, mooring and facilities and much more, along our canal network. The FREE version includes: • All the UK canals mapped with locks, bridges and facilities. • Shows: Mile markers, Boatyards, CRT Notices, Fish & Chips, Launderettes, Canal side Pubs, local convenience stores. • A list of all canals in a useful linear diagram which will show you where you are on a specific canal and update your location if tracking is on. • Canal & River Trust Notices of any navigation restrictions. • Useful phone numbers and links to websites. • My Boat - keep relevant details about your boat. • Get estimated boat speed, location and sunrise/sunset times. • Notifications Upgrade ‘Go Pro’ with in-App purchase includes: • Nearby: find useful points or interest that are near your current location • Daily Boat Log to record any diary details to show you are a continuous boater! • Create your own Points of Interest (POI) and plot them on the map e.g. your favourite mooring spots, where to pick blackberries or favourite pub. • Canal Rings: shows the major canal rings that you can journey along. • Route Planner: plan a canal route and get an estimate of how long it will take. • Boat Tracker - track your boat position even when the App is not running (obviously the iPhone/iPad needs to be on). • TV Aerial Finder - find the location of the best reception from nearby Freeview TV masts • Show All CRT Notices on the Map • Show GOV.UK Stream Levels on the Map • Show CRT Stream Warnings on the Map • Show CRT Winter Moorings
Memory
Navigate anywhere with offline maps and GPS. Access a vast library of global maps, plan routes, and track your journey without a mobile data connection. Sync data across devices for seamless planning and navigation.
- Offline GPS navigation
- Downloadable global maps
- Route planning and editing
- 3D World map view
- Interactive terrain elevation profiles
- Cloud sync across devices
- GPX file import/export
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Download maps for Offline GPS Navigation. No mobile data connection required. Your favorite maps and charts from OS, Hema, NOAA, and many more. Immersive 3D World map view Fully customizable map, data display and toolbar buttons. Powerful overlay data management, using nested categories and GPX files Backup and load maps from thumb drive. Use the same maps and sync your overlay data to other mobile devices and desktop computers Interactive Route Profile showing terrain elevation Track Altitude and Speed profile graphs Show terrain ascent, descent, max elevation and estimated time for planned route The Memory-Map for All app turns your phone or tablet into a full-featured Outdoor GPS or Marine Chart Plotter, and allows you to navigate with USGS Topo maps, NOAA Marine charts, and many other specialist maps, without needing a mobile internet signal. Maps are downloaded on-the-fly and can be pre-loaded in bulk, so they are ready to be used offline. Once the app and maps are loaded to the phone or tablet, cellular network coverage or internet connection is not required for real time GPS navigation. The Memory-Map for All app can be used as a standalone GPS navigator, but it can also be used in conjunction with the Windows PC or Mac app (free download) for planning, printing and loading up maps, waypoints and routes to the phone/tablet. Memory-Map for All includes free access to 1:250,000 scale topographic maps and many other free maps around the world. More detailed maps are available for download and purchase with a free try-before-you-buy, time-limited demo option. Available maps include Ordnance Survey, Hema, USGS quads, NOAA, UKHO, and DeLorme. Maps can be used on your PC as well as your phone and tablet. The Cloud Sync feature allows you to keep the overlay data consistent on all your devices. Features include: Access a vast range of Worldwide maps and charts. Automatically downloads a free map of your current location Create and edit marks and routes. Import and export marks, routes and tracks in the open GPX format Interactive graphs of terrain elevation, GPS Altitude and Speed profile Display; Position, Course, Speed, Heading, Altitude and averages Position coordinates include Lat/Long, UTM, GB Grid, Irish Grid, Military Grid. Units displayed in Statute, Nautical or Metric, with separate unit setting for Height Support for GPS and Compass sensors, where available. Placename search index can be used offline. Moving map, lock GPS position and automatically scroll the map Records breadcrumb trail / tracklogs. Share position marks, routes and tracklogs as GPX files Full marine instrumentation features, with AIS, DSC and Anchor alarm NMEA data interface via WiFi for marine instruments Barometer & relative altitude Import custom icons for POI Alarms for mark proximity, Anchor, Geofence or Exclusion zone, Crostrack error
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Memory at none against Canals.UK's 6. Memory also leads on review sentiment (80% vs 65%) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). Canals.UK's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (53 vs 10). On price, rating, ads 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
Both are free to download. Canals.UK sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Memory asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Canals.UK against 4.9 for Memory. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Canals.UK has 53 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 65% of Canals.UK's written reviews are positive against 80% of Memory's.
Canals.UK ships an update weekly, Memory every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Canals.UK | Memory |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (53 ratings) | 4.9 (10 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 65.3% of reviews | 80.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 53 — better | 10 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 53 MB | 42 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | MARK MANSER | Memory-Map |
Customer experience
Canals.UK
Memory
User reviews
Canals.UK
From 53 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Go-to app for canal needs
- 👍 Excellent features for planning
- 👍 Simple to use interface
- 👍 Pro upgrade well worth it
- 👍 Helpful for estimating travel time
Room to improve
- 👎 Paid version needed for planning
- 👎 Unreliable CRT notice information
- 👎 Saved plans glitching
- 👎 Distance calculation errors
- 👎 Pro version not activating
Memory
From 10 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🗺️ Excellent map quality and detail
- 📥 Offline map download capability
- 💰 One-time purchase option (no subscription)
- 🔄 Cross-device sync functionality
- 🧭 Comprehensive navigation features
Room to improve
- 🐛 App closing issues (swipe-up doesn't work properly)
- 🚗 No Apple CarPlay integration
- 🧩 Non-intuitive user interface
- 🔄 Slow feature development over years
- 📱 Dynamic Island compatibility issues
Bugs and requests
Canals.UK
Reported bugs
32 issues- Saved plans glitching
- Route planner dropdown won't drop down
- Search bar won't search
- Location not working
- Purchasing Pro problems
Show 27 moreShow fewer
- Boat tracking feature not activating
- Demo mode persistent
- Pro features not showing
- Odd distances when planning
- CRT notices unreliable
- Distance calculation errors
- Paid for Pro twice, no access
- Basic version has little content
- Missing Crinan Canal data
- Missing wide beam/dimension data
- Missing water points data
- No way to report missing data
- Missing River Great Ouse navigation
- Difficult to change destinations
- Expensive for features offered
- Not a substitute for Nicholson's Guide
- Route planner basic without detailed waypoints
- No obvious way to save/export
- POI addition unintuitive
- No help facility
- Menu flags Pro modules as restricted
- Internet connection needed
- Not ideal for solo boaters
- Can't reach 'locate me' arrow easily
- No info on Pro option benefits
- No 'report an error' option
- Not accurate, needs work
Requested features
20 requests- Add 'via' points to journey plans
- Option to choose shortest/quickest routes
- Add a speed display
- More logical and relevant logging feature
- Better background map
Show 15 moreShow fewer
- Filter CRT notices by current location
- Show CRT notices on the map
- Tap two or more points for info (distance, locks)
- Search canal list for specific locks/bridges
- Route planning option
- Select start and end points for the day
- Start navigation mode to track progress
- Ability for boaters to add notes (issues, helpful info)
- Move 'locate me' arrow to bottom corner
- Editable map with 'report an error' option
- Enter start and end points by name in Route Planning
- User adjustable boat speeds and lock operating speeds
- Route planning to pick up relevant CRT notices
- Include width, length, depth, and height information
- Alert developers to missing/wrong information feature
Memory
Reported bugs
10 issues- App won't close properly with swipe-up gesture on iPhone
- Startup error message about improper closure
- Maps fail to download on new devices
- GPS location not detected on iPad despite enabled settings
- App switching gesture interferes with map centering
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Dynamic Island doesn't show navigation instructions
- Zoom limits restrict detailed trail viewing
- Auto map change on zoom behaves unexpectedly
- Help function is inadequate/useless
- Cut-and-paste doesn't work on Mac desktop application
Requested features
14 requests- Apple CarPlay support
- Map auto-rotation to direction of travel
- More custom waypoint icons (food drop, water source, campsite, etc.)
- Better route optimization with more waypoints
- Map orientation options (North-up vs. route-up)
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Postcode and OS grid reference search
- Location beacon within software
- More detailed maps for Australian regions (SA, NT)
- Foreign/European map availability
- Historical map access
- Font size control for map labels
- Bulk waypoint customization on import
- Course heading-up feature
- Built-in POI overlay list
In-app purchases
Canals.UK
- Small Tip$0.99
- Medium Tip$1.99
- Large Tip$4.99
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Generous Tip$9.99
- Go Pro$17.99
- Enormous Tip$19.99
Memory
No in-app purchases









