# Ship Finder Lite vs Cruise Tracker

The clearest difference is rating: Ship Finder Lite at 4.3 against Cruise Tracker's 1.6. Ship Finder Lite also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Cruise Tracker's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks) and review sentiment (32% vs 23%). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

Ship Finder Lite holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 1.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ship Finder Lite has 3.2K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 23% of Ship Finder Lite's written reviews are positive against 32% of Cruise Tracker's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Ship Finder Lite ships an update every 6 weeks, Cruise Tracker every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ship Finder Lite | Cruise Tracker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (3.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ship-finder-lite/id324177409/reviews)** | [1.6 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cruise-tracker/id961420315/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.2K** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | 22.7% of reviews | **31.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 48 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 9.3 | **9.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [pinkfroot limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/319726822) | [margaret kovatch](https://appshunter.io/developer/1039651981) |

## What reviewers say

### Ship Finder Lite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ship-finder-lite/id324177409)

Track live moving ships on a global map with near real-time AIS data. Identify vessels using your device camera with Augmented Reality view. See ship details like name, type, and destination with color-coded icons for easy identification.

**Highlights:** Live worldwide ship tracking map, Augmented Reality (AR) ship identification, View ship name, type, and destination, Color-coded vessel icons, Near real-time AIS data, Global AIS coverage

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🌊 Tracks marine traffic
- 🔍 Identifies ships and boats
- 🗺️ Provides map-based visualization
- 🔍 Useful for hobbyists and enthusiasts

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🚫 Limited functionality in free version
- 💰 Paywall for key features
- 📢 Excessive ads and pop-ups
- 🔍 Inaccurate or incomplete ship tracking
- 🗺️ Missing coverage in certain regions

**Reported bugs**

- Ships not showing up on the map
- App crashes or freezes
- Outdated or incorrect ship information

**Requested features**

- Search for specific vessels
- Alerts and notifications for ship movements
- Improved data coverage and accuracy
- Less intrusive advertising model


### Cruise Tracker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cruise-tracker/id961420315)

Track your ship's journey with this app. It provides real-time data on speed, direction, and location, displaying your position on a map. Get essential navigation information easily.

**Highlights:** Track ship speed, Measure moving direction, Display coordinates, Find location on map, Real-time data

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ship Finder Lite free?

Ship Finder Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Cruise Tracker free?

Cruise Tracker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Ship Finder Lite or Cruise Tracker?

Ship Finder Lite is rated higher. Ship Finder Lite averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3.2K ratings, while Cruise Tracker averages 1.6 from 10 ratings.

### Do Ship Finder Lite or Cruise Tracker have ads?

Cruise Tracker shows ads; Ship Finder Lite does not.

### Which is updated more often, Ship Finder Lite or Cruise Tracker?

Ship Finder Lite ships an update every 6 weeks, and Cruise Tracker every 3 weeks. Most recently, Ship Finder Lite was updated on November 6, 2026 and Cruise Tracker on November 1, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*