iNavX vs ActiveCaptain®
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iNavX
This app provides comprehensive marine navigation tools, including worldwide chart coverage, weather forecasts, and AIS integration. It allows users to plan routes, track their position, and connect with onboard instruments for a complete boating experience.
- Worldwide marine chart access
- Real-time GPS plotting
- Waypoint and route management
- GRIB weather forecasts
- AIS integration
- Nautical instrument connectivity
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Marine navigation is made easy with iNavX - the world's #1 handheld Chartplotter. Access marine charts, maps, weather, AIS and more! iNavX is the only app to give you complete worldwide chart coverage, from all your favorite charts providers, including the ALL NEW iNavX Professional+ Chart series! Fully enabled with one-touch access, iNavX gives users access to the broadest set of marine charts and maps from multiple providers including: • iNavX Professional+ Charts • Blue Latitude • CHS • Explorer • Theyr Weather • Waterway Guide • … and more How does iNavX take handheld marine navigation to the next level? • Sailors - Plan sailing routes with waypoint and route management. Get proactive sail management with GRIB weather forecasts and then keep watch with AIS overlays and integration with your onboard systems. Plus, you can remember your great sailing locations by geotagging photos. • Boaters - Stay up to date on boating conditions with forecasts that include currents, winds, and swells. Manage your boating equipment with nautical instrument integration and then save great boating routes to share with the track log. • Anglers - Discover new fishing spots by scouting out holes and inlets. Locate the best fishing conditions by identifying cold fronts and save your best fishing spots with unlimited markers. Advanced features - iNavX is the most feature rich app available for all sailing and boating needs at a great price: Advanced Chart Plotter • Plot your position in real-time using your device's built-in GPS • Pan, zoom, and rotate charts (including course up) • Print detailed charts to use in combination with the app Advanced Navigation • Create waypoints and plan routes to navigate between them • Track log allows you to record your route • Import/export data in KML (Google Earth) or GPX format Advanced Instrumentation • Supports NMEA data over TCP/IP (using Wifi) • Integrates with external GPS, AIS receivers & transponders • Connect nautical instruments: Depth, Speed, Wind, Engine, Batteries, etc. Essential Toolkit • GRIB weather forecast • Tides/currents • Anchor alarm • AIS integration • Port/navaid search Download iNavX TODAY and automatically receive a complimentary copy of the official and up-to-date high-resolution NOAA RNC United States marine raster charts. REVIEWS “iNavX is the original and still one of the best navigation apps.” – Practical Sailor “The most full-featured navigation app around and viewed by many as the standard” – Sail Magazine "The #1 recommended marine charting app" - iMarineApps iNavX is Compatible with: Theyr Weather, Waterway Guide, AIS, Brookhouse, DigitalYacht, ShipModul, vYacht, Vesper Marine, NMEA 2000, Chetco and more. NEW CHART STORE Purchase all your favorite charts. Chart subscriptions vary by chart and provider from $9.99 to $199.99 annually, charged to your iTunes Account, which will automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Auto-renew can be turned off anytime by going to your Account Settings in iTunes after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. NOTE: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. MORE INFO Website: http://inavx.com/ User's Guide: http://inavx.com/help/ Terms of Use: http://inavx.com/terms Privacy Policy: http://inavx.com/privacy
ActiveCaptain®
This app connects your mobile device to compatible Garmin chartplotters, enabling wireless chart and map transfers, software updates, and route planning. It also provides access to a community of boaters for reviews and information on marinas and points of interest.
- Wireless chart and map transfer
- Route and waypoint planning
- ActiveCaptain Community for POI reviews
- Chartplotter control via Helm feature
- Easy software updates
- OnDeck system monitoring
- Garmin Quickdraw Community map sharing
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The free ActiveCaptain app creates a powerful connection between your compatible mobile device and Garmin chartplotter, charts, maps and the boating community. Whether you use your Garmin products for cruising, fishing, sailing or diving, this all-in-one app will help you enjoy your time on the water. Just pair the app with your compatible chartplotter to wirelessly transfer and access charts and maps, software updates, routes, waypoints and helpful feedback from the ActiveCaptain Community. And, with the purchase of the OnDeck™ hub(1), you can track and monitor your boat from virtually anywhere. Please note that this app is intended for Garmin chartplotter owners and is not recommended for use as a stand-alone navigational app. FEATURES AVAILABLE: - ONECHART™: > New Garmin Navionics+™ and premium Garmin Navionics Vision+™ cartography, featuring a Navionics® style appearance, advanced Auto Guidance+™ technology(2) and a one-year subscription to daily updates, is available now for North America and Europe, and coming soon to the rest of the world. Purchase our newest-generation charts or legacy BlueChart® g3 charts from your mobile device, and upload them to registered Garmin chartplotters on your vessel. You will get exceptional coverage, clarity and detail with charts that feature integrated Garmin and Navionics data and much more. Plus, the NOAA raster cartography(3) and premium features can be downloaded for free through the ActiveCaptain app. Visit Garmin.com/marinemaps. - PLAN A TRIP: Plan your trip, or e-scout a new fishing spot before you’re on the water. Then, transfer your data to your chartplotter where you can view your routes and waypoints. - USER DATA SYNC: Automatically back up and sync your data between your chartplotter and the ActiveCaptain app. - ACTIVECAPTAIN COMMUNITY: Join a community of boaters to get up-to-date feedback on marinas, boat ramps and other points of interest (POI). Check ratings, read reviews, and view pictures of POIs to make informed decisions on the water. Contribute your own POI, reviews and pictures from your compatible mobile device. - CONTROL YOUR CHARTPLOTTER: Using the built-in Helm™ feature, the ActiveCaptain app lets you view and control your compatible(4) chartplotter from your smartphone or tablet, even when someone else is at the helm(5). - EASY SOFTWARE UPDATES: Receive notifications about software updates from the app, and update your chartplotter wirelessly. - ONDECK HUB: Use the ActiveCaptain app to track, monitor and control any number of switches with the OnDeck system(1) from nearly anywhere. Door open? Bilge running? Peace of mind comes in the form of text alerts and updates. - GARMIN QUICKDRAWTM COMMUNITY: Download the latest 1’ HD contour maps shared by your fellow boaters, and sync with your chartplotter. You can also upload your own Quickdraw Contours map data. - SMART NOTIFICATIONS: Connect the app to your chartplotter, and turn on smart notifications(4) to see calls, text messages and more on the chartplotter display while your phone is somewhere safe and dry. FOOTNOTES 1)OnDeck hub sold separately and requires an active subscription plan 2)Auto Guidance+ is for planning purposes only and does not replace safe navigation operations 3)NOAA raster cartography cannot be viewed on echoMAP™ CHIRP and ECHOMAP™ Plus combos but can be viewed on mobile devices via the ActiveCaptain mobile app 4)Helm feature is not compatible with ECHOMAP series chartplotters 5)Check device compatibility on the ActiveCaptain app web page; visit https://www.garmin.com/c/marine/marine-apps/ End User License Agreement: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/legal/marine-mobile-eula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: iNavX at 4.8 against ActiveCaptain®'s 4.0. iNavX also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (22K vs 5.2K). ActiveCaptain®'s advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (56% vs 44%). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and chart position 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. iNavX sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and ActiveCaptain® sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $74.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
iNavX holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 22K and 5.2K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 44% of iNavX's written reviews are positive against 56% of ActiveCaptain®'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
iNavX ships an update every 5 weeks, ActiveCaptain® every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iNavX | ActiveCaptain® |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (22K ratings) — better | 4.0 (5.2K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 43.7% of reviews | 56.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 22K — better | 5.2K |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #89 | #33 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 18.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 298 MB | 196 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | NavX Studios LLC | Garmin |
Customer experience
iNavX
ActiveCaptain®
User reviews
iNavX
From 22K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Accurate and precise navigation
- 📊 Comprehensive charting and navigation features
- 🛠️ Customizable instrument settings
- 🔄 Redundancy across devices
- 💨 Reliable performance over many years
Room to improve
- 🤔 Clunky and unintuitive user interface
- 🗺️ Cumbersome chart management and downloading
- 🔋 Battery drain issues
- 💰 Expensive subscription model for charts
- 🐛 Stability issues and crashes
ActiveCaptain®
From 5.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Seamless integration with Garmin devices
- 💡 Useful for planning trips and managing waypoints
- 🚀 Convenient for updating software and charts
- 👍 Great app for Garmin users
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and connection issues
- 🔍 Limited chart and mapping functionality compared to competitors
- 🤔 Difficult to transfer data between devices
- 🤔 Confusing and not very intuitive user interface
- 💰 Expensive for the features provided
Bugs and requests
iNavX
Reported bugs
3 issues- Inability to remove waypoints
- Inconsistent behavior when transitioning International Date Line
- Disappearing or missing chart data
Requested features
5 requests- Seamless chart switching and panning
- Integrated tidal and current data
- Support for more chart types and providers
- Improved route planning and editing tools
- Automatic chart updates and management
ActiveCaptain®
Reported bugs
4 issues- Charts and maps not loading properly
- Waypoints and routes not syncing correctly
- Constant prompts to purchase additional charts
- Compatibility issues with older Garmin devices
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to duplicate and edit existing routes
- Sync user data across multiple devices
- Improved chart detail and coverage
- Animated tides and currents
- Better integration with other navigation apps
In-app purchases
iNavX
- Theyr Premium - Mobile (Monthly) for iOS$9.991 Month
- iNavX Professional+ USA$29.991 Year
- Navionics+ USA/Canada (iPhone)$29.991 Year
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- Navionics+ Caribbean (iPhone)$44.991 Year
- Theyr Premium Weather1 Year trial$49.991 Year
- iNavX Professional+ USA Canada$59.991 Year
- C-MAP World Chart$59.991 Year
- Explorer Chartbooks - Bahamas$69.991 Year
- Navionics+ USA/Canada (iPad)$79.991 Year
- Navionics+ Caribbean (iPad)$79.991 Year
- AIS Live$99.991 Year
ActiveCaptain®
- NSUS007R-U.S. East$74.991 Year
- NSUS006R-U.S. South$74.991 Year
- g4 U.S. Lakes & Rivers Built-i$99.991 Year
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- NSUS001L-U.S. & Canada$99.991 Year
- g4 Vision U.S. South$129.991 Year
- g4 Vision U.S. East$129.991 Year
- GN+ US & Coast Canada Built-In$149.991 Year
- U.S. LakeVü Detail Map$59.99
- US+Great Lakes Detail Map$99.99
- BlueChart g3+LakeVu g3 Built-I$99.99
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- LUS100F - Download$149.99
- GN+ U.S. South$149.99
- GN+ U.S. East$149.99
- VUS010R - Download$174.99
- GN+ U.S. & Canada$199.99
- HXUS604X - Download$219.99
- GNV+ U.S. East$249.99
- GNV+ U.S. South$249.99







