Comparison

Tide Graph vs Boat Beacon

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

Head to head
About

Tide Graph

This app provides interactive tide graphs with over 10 billion predictions for US coastal stations. It also displays sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset, and moon phases. Save locations and graphs for easy access.

Highlights
  • Interactive tide graphs
  • Sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset tracking
  • Moon phase display
  • Save recent locations
  • GPS location finder
  • Save graphs for later
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

- Provided over 10 billion predictions - Supports iOS 11+, Watch OS 4.3+, iPhone 7+ Tide Graph uses the harmonic predictions from thousands of US coastal stations and presents them in a fun and interactive graph. And now, in version 2.0 you also get an intuitive graph that shows sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset, and moon phase at a glance. Save recent locations, find locations using GPS location, and save graphs for later. Tides have a great influence on the lives of boaters, fishermen, surfers, coastal communities, marine life, and vacationers just to name a few. Directly or indirectly, the great flow of our massive ocean bodies of water impact the daily lives of everyone on this planet. The cyclical movement of the Earth's tides are caused by a combination of the gravitational forces of the sun and moon as well as the shape of the costal region. Unlike simple tide clocks that you can buy in novelty stores, more accurate tide predictions use special data gathered by instruments located at each tide station. The data from these measurements are used to determine the harmonic components which then feed into the mathematical algorithms which predict tides for the future. The end results are tested for accuracy and adjustments are made as necessary. Tide Graph has US owned Tide Stations Only. An internet connection is required to get the latest tide graph. - See TideGraph.com for a complete list of stations.

About

Boat Beacon

This marine navigation app provides real-time AIS data for collision avoidance and position sharing. It offers over-the-horizon warnings, background operation, and a user-friendly interface for boaters.

Highlights
  • Collision warnings with CPA calculations
  • Real-time AIS ship tracking
  • Background operation for continuous alerts
  • Position sharing with other users
  • Augmented Reality view (IAP)
  • Man Overboard and Anchor Watch alarms (IAP)
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Boat Beacon is an internet AIS receiver and transmitter for your iPhone and iPad. It is the only AIS ship tracking app to provide Collision Warnings, share your boat’s position & use real-time AIS data. Connected to the largest network of AIS shore receivers world-wide covering most major ports, harbours and popular coastal areas. “An outstanding app, with great potential. Both interesting to use and very user friendly. This could be a life saver and especially of interest to small boat users. Everyone who goes on the water should have this on and use it!” ***** Sun Dream, App Store Review Boat Beacon is designed for boaters & provides continuous Bearing, Range & Closest Point of Approach (CPA) calculations and alarms in addition to standard AIS information even when in the background. Boat Beacon does not require any external AIS transponder or receiver equipment. Key Features ------------ Over-the-horizon collision avoidance (30 miles radius) using continuous CPA calculations - highlights boats that are on a potential collision course and alerts you with an alarm. Continually transmits and receives position information via the internet and calculates and alarms CPA even when the app is in the background. Shares your position with Internet AIS Systems & apps & other Boat Beacon users in real time. Real time ship map view with North up & Heading up modes so you can look in the direction of the ships on the map to locate them. Nav display showing own boat's speed, course, heading and position. SART Alarm Man Overboard tracking, Anchor watch & Theft alarms (IAP). Apple Watch App included Siri voice commands Apple Critical Alerts support Export tracks Boat-to-Boat & Group Messaging. Local AIS & GPS via Wifi. Boat Beacon InApp Add-ons (IAP):- - LiveView - Augmented Reality view with ships, compass & horizon overlaid. Works with FLIROne IR cameras as well to see ships & people in the dark & fog - "AIS Sharing" to other apps like Navionics & iNavX - US, UK and IE Marine raster charts. - MOB and Anchor Watch. Let Friends and Family see where you are and where you're headed to with our free Boat Watch app or on web-based AIS systems like MarineTraffic which have free web viewers available. Arm all the crews in a race with Boat Beacon and have real time updates on the race positions on the water and back in the club house. Keep a watch and in touch with other boats in your flotilla when sailing in a group. Boat Beacon requires internet access to work. Most popular coastal areas have cellular data access extending 12 or more miles out to sea. Subscriptions The "AIS Sharing " subscription is monthly ($5.99) or yearly ($16.49), and will automatically renew at the end of the subscription period unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase, and will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the iTunes account holder and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to Account Settings after purchase. 
No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Terms of Use: http://seanav.net/termsofuse.php Privacy Policy: http://seanav.net/privacy.php Support: help@pocketmariner.com Your position can be shared and seen on all our apps without using an MMSI number. To be seen on Global AIS systems like MarineTraffic you need an MMSI number. In the US you can obtain one by visiting http://www.boatus.com/mmsi or email us for a free internet MMSI number. Please note that continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. NOT FOR NAVIGATION Boat Beacon should only be used for basic navigation reference and should not be solely relied upon to determine precise locations, proximity, distance, or direction. You will not be visible to other ships on VHF only AIS systems.

Screenshots

Tide Graph4 screens
Boat Beacon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Tide Graph at $1.99 against Boat Beacon's $14.99. Tide Graph also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.6) and review sentiment (70% vs 61%). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Tide Graph costs $1.99 and Boat Beacon $14.99 up front. Tide Graph sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and Boat Beacon sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tide Graph holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.6K and 868 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Tide Graph's written reviews are positive against 61% of Boat Beacon's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tide Graph ships an update every 6 weeks, Boat Beacon every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 30, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Tide Graph versus Boat Beacon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTide GraphBoat Beacon
Price$1.99 — better$14.99
Rating4.8 (1.6K ratings) — better4.6 (868 ratings)
Positive reviews70.3% of reviews — better61.1% of reviews
Number of ratings1.6K — better868
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#18 — better#108
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB152 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBrainware LLCPocket Mariner Ltd.

Customer experience

Tide Graph

All ratings1,552 ratings
Positive95.4%
Neutral2.1%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews91 reviews
Positive70.3%
Neutral8.8%
Negative20.9%

Boat Beacon

All ratings868 ratings
Positive92.1%
Neutral2.3%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews185 reviews
Positive61.1%
Neutral9.7%
Negative29.2%

User reviews

Tide Graph

From 1.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • ⭐ Accurate tide data
  • 📊 Excellent visual representation of tides
  • 🗓️ Detailed tide information including moon phases
  • 🔍 Reliable for many locations
  • 💰 Good value for the price

Room to improve

  • 🌐 Requires internet connection to function
  • 🗺️ Limited to US and Alaska locations only
  • 🔍 Difficult to find desired location
  • 🕰️ Slow loading times in some cases
  • 🔧 Compatibility issues with newer devices

Boat Beacon

From 868 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Works great
  • 🚀 Excellent app
  • 🔒 Fantastic app
  • 💡 Useful navigation aid
  • 👍 Handy app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes constantly
  • 🐛 Unreliable
  • 🐛 Doesn't work
  • 🐛 Useless
  • 🐛 Clunky UI

Bugs and requests

Tide Graph

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Tide data inaccuracies reported in some locations
  • Crashes and freezes when switching between stations
  • Date/time display issues in certain cases

Requested features

5 requests
  • Offline mode for tide data
  • Ability to save favorite locations
  • Larger tide graph for better visibility
  • Option to switch between metric and imperial units
  • Automatic updates to latest tide information

Boat Beacon

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when panning or changing settings
  • Phantom ships not disappearing
  • Inaccurate position data
  • Compatibility issues with older devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add marine charts
  • Improve search functionality
  • Offline mode
  • Integrate with other navigation apps

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Tide Graph

One-time11
  • 2015 Tides and Currents$0.99
  • 2016 Tides and Currents$0.99
  • 2017 Tides and Currents$0.99
Show 8 more
  • 2018 Tides and Currents$0.99
  • 2019 Tides and Currents$0.99
  • 2020 Tides and Currents$0.99
  • 2021 Tides and Currents$0.99
  • 2022 Tides and Currents$0.99
  • 2023 Tides and Currents$0.99
  • 2024 Tides and Currents$0.99
  • 2026 Tides and Currents$0.99
6 purchases

Boat Beacon

Subscriptions2
  • AIS Share$5.991 Month
  • AIS Share$16.491 Year
One-time4
  • Anchor Watch and Man Overboard$4.99
  • Live View Upgrade$7.99
  • NOAA US Marine Charts$9.99
Show 1 more
  • UK & IE Marine Charts$12.99

Questions

Is Tide Graph free?
Tide Graph costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Boat Beacon free?
Boat Beacon costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Tide Graph or Boat Beacon?
Tide Graph is rated higher. Tide Graph averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.6K ratings, while Boat Beacon averages 4.6 from 868 ratings.
Do Tide Graph or Boat Beacon have ads?
Neither Tide Graph nor Boat Beacon shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tide Graph or Boat Beacon?
Tide Graph ships an update every 6 weeks, and Boat Beacon every 2 months. Most recently, Tide Graph was updated on September 30, 2026 and Boat Beacon on September 30, 2026.
Which is more popular, Tide Graph or Boat Beacon?
Tide Graph currently peaks at #18 in the App Store charts, and Boat Beacon at #108. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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