Comparison

Official MCA guidance vs Guide2Inspections

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

Head to head
About

Official MCA guidance

This app offers practical guidance for maritime professionals, focusing on safe practices and well-being at sea. It includes checklists for fishing vessel inspections and live updates for the latest regulations.

Highlights
  • Wellbeing at sea guidance
  • Behaving safely at sea
  • Fishing vessel checklists
  • Faceted search
  • Live updates
Features
Read full description

The Official MCA Guidance app provides useful, practical information to those working at sea. It also includes fishing industry checklists to prepare for vessel inspections. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is the UKโ€™s national regulator to prevent the loss of life on the coast and at sea. It produces legislation and guidance on maritime matters and provides certification to ships and seafarers. Created in partnership with the Stationery Office (TSO), the app is primarily for those working at sea who seek practical guidance on how to behave safely and how to maintain good physical and mental health, as well as providing accessible fishing vessel guidance. What does the app include? Guidance for seafarers Seafarers are part of an incredible, unique industry, but this can come with periods of pressure and prolonged isolation, sometimes with limited services. It is essential seafarers are supported during their time at sea. โ€ข wellbeing at sea - practical step-by-step guidance on how to achieve and maintain good physical and mental health while at work โ€ข behaving safely - looks at the risks of working at sea and how to manage these on a personal level Fishing vessel guidance and checklists Useful advice and checklists to ensure inspections or surveys are successful. โ€ข how to prepare for your next MCA visit โ€ข fishing vessel aide memoire under 15M checklist โ€ข fishing vessel aide memoire 15-24M checklist โ€ข fishing vessel aide memoire 24M and over checklist The app also includes: โ€ข faceted search so users can find guidance and content more quickly โ€ข easily browse and purchase key MCA titles โ€ข automatic live updates for the latest guidance and content Disclaimer: this app is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of physicians. The reader must not take any decisions based solely on the content of this app and should seek independent medical advice relating to their health with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.

About

Guide2Inspections

Features
Read full description

This is the most powerful Inspection app in the world! It is a one-of-a-kind approach to guiding the user during the inspection using microlearning tools. It is suitable for: - Vessel inspectors to report back on a ship. - Seafarers as a training, self-inspection tool, and preparation tool. - Vessel operators to trigger remote audits. The content is upgraded to the standards of SIRE 2.0, RISQ, and Port State regimes, including specific ones like USCG and AMSA. Junior officers can use it to the level of senior auditors on board, everyone deriving unique value from it. Questions are cross-referenced against regulations. Report generation is at a single click. An ecosystem of training material that includes over 2500 photos and several Microlearning videos is accessible through the app.

Screenshots

Official MCA guidance4 screens
Guide2Inspections4 screens

Verdict

The call

Official MCA guidance and Guide2Inspections are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters โ€” price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them โ€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Official MCA guidance ships an update every 2 months, Guide2Inspections monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Official MCA guidance versus Guide2Inspections: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOfficial MCA guidanceGuide2Inspections
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviewsโ€”
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeโ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size47 MB70 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperTSO (The Stationery Office)Navguide Solutions LLP

In-app purchases

None

Official MCA guidance

No in-app purchases

None

Guide2Inspections

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Official MCA guidance free?
Official MCA guidance is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Guide2Inspections free?
Guide2Inspections is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Official MCA guidance or Guide2Inspections have ads?
Neither Official MCA guidance nor Guide2Inspections shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Official MCA guidance or Guide2Inspections?
Official MCA guidance ships an update every 2 months, and Guide2Inspections monthly. Most recently, Official MCA guidance was updated on November 3, 2026 and Guide2Inspections on November 7, 2026.

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