# Ship Finder vs VesselFinder

The clearest difference is price: VesselFinder at Free against Ship Finder's $4.99. VesselFinder also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (28% vs 19%). Ship Finder's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (3.9K vs 232). On rating, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

VesselFinder is free to download; Ship Finder costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.2 for Ship Finder against 4.1 for VesselFinder. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ship Finder has 3.9K ratings behind it against 232, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 19% of Ship Finder's written reviews are positive against 28% of VesselFinder's.

Ship Finder ships an update every 3 months, VesselFinder fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ship Finder | VesselFinder |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.2 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ship-finder/id363360636/reviews)** | [4.1 (232 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vesselfinder/id918080862/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.9K** | 232 |
| Positive reviews | 19.0% of reviews | **28.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#17** | #209 |
| Size | 38 MB | 47 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.3** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [pinkfroot limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/319726822) | [AstraPaging Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/438160792) |

## What reviewers say

### Ship Finder

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ship-finder/id363360636)

**Currently charting:** #17 Top Paid · Navigation (US App Store)

Track live moving ships on a worldwide map with an intuitive interface and high performance. View vessel details, search, filter, and even use Augmented Reality to identify ships. Ideal for shipping enthusiasts, cruisers, and professionals.

**Highlights:** Live worldwide ship tracking, Augmented Reality (AR) view, Detailed vessel information, Search and filter capabilities, Save favorite ships and locations, Worldwide map with AIS feeds

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great to track friends' boats
- 👍 Helpful for identifying ships
- 👍 Useful for ship spotting

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Doesn't show many ships in certain areas
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance, ships disappear
- 🐛 Limited coverage, many areas not supported
- 🐛 Inaccurate ship locations and information
- 💰 Paid version not worth the cost

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to track specific ships
- Frequent disappearance of ships from the map
- Lack of ship data in major ports and shipping lanes

**Requested features**

- More detailed ship information (origin, destination, etc.)
- Improved search functionality
- Expanded coverage and support for more areas
- Tide and weather information integration


### VesselFinder

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vesselfinder/id918080862)

**Currently charting:** #209 Top Free · Navigation (US App Store)

Track ships and monitor maritime traffic globally in real-time. Access detailed vessel information, movement history, and predicted routes. Ideal for maritime professionals and enthusiasts alike.

**Highlights:** Real-time vessel tracking, Vessel movement history, Predicted routes and ETAs, Comprehensive vessel particulars, Port call details, My Fleet for favorite vessels, Weather overlays

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and intuitive user interface
- 💰 Free version provides basic functionality
- 🗺️ Clear map display with sea blue and land green
- 📊 Comprehensive vessel information available
- ⚓ Good for casual ship tracking and hobbyists

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⏱️ Severely outdated vessel position data (days old)
- 🐛 App freezes on startup/splash screen frequently
- 💸 Misleading free version with limited functionality
- 🔄 Inconsistent and unreliable data updates
- ❌ Search functionality requires paid version

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes on splash screen and won't load
- Crashes when attempting to zoom on map
- Black screen display on certain devices
- App won't open or opens after long delays
- Crashes on iOS 11 and newer versions

**Requested features**

- Real-time GPS tracking instead of delayed AIS data
- Distance measurement tool restoration
- German language support
- Destination and departure information display
- Ability to remove ads without expensive pro version


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ship Finder free?

Ship Finder costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is VesselFinder free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Ship Finder or VesselFinder?

Ship Finder is rated higher. Ship Finder averages 4.2 out of 5 from 3.9K ratings, while VesselFinder averages 4.1 from 232 ratings.

### Do Ship Finder or VesselFinder have ads?

VesselFinder shows ads; Ship Finder does not.

### Which is updated more often, Ship Finder or VesselFinder?

Ship Finder ships an update every 3 months, and VesselFinder fortnightly. Most recently, Ship Finder was updated on October 16, 2026 and VesselFinder on October 15, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Ship Finder or VesselFinder?

Ship Finder currently peaks at #17 in the App Store charts, and VesselFinder at #209. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

---

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