Comparison

Explore with Imray vs AngelNav

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

Head to head
About

Explore with Imray

Access Imray's renowned cruising guides and pilot books on your mobile device. This app provides verified sailing directions, marina data, and points of interest for over 17,000 locations, all available offline. Enhance your passage planning and sailing experience with trusted, first-hand researched content.

Highlights
  • Offline cruising guides
  • Verified pilotage information
  • Marina and anchorage data
  • Bookmark and filter locations
  • Satellite map view
  • User feedback submission
Features
Read full description

**Explore with Imray** Cruising guides in your pocket! Carry the content from Imray’s world-renowned library of cruising guides and pilot books in your pocket. Designed for sailors and boaters, the content in Explore with Imray is researched first hand by experienced sailors and verified by Imray. It also includes information from extensive networks of trusted local contacts and data from official hydrographic offices, organisations and institutions. Verified and trusted cruising data - Content created by leading sailing authors and clubs including the Cruising Association, Rod and Lu Heikell, the Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation, Clyde Cruising Club and much more - Invaluable pilotage information and sailing directions for over 17,000 locations - Marina, harbour and anchorage descriptions and data - Contact, mooring and facilities information - Images and chartlets from the extensive Imray collection Key Features: - Offline Content: Download and access essential pilotage information and sailing directions to access whilst at sea - Verified Points of Interest: Explore trusted cruising data and discover verified points of interest along your journey - Add your Feedback: Send your updates and feedback directly from the app to the editors, for review and potential inclusion in Explore with Imray and Imray’s printed books - Bookmark and Filter Locations: Easily bookmark locations and filter them by facilities to find what you need quickly. - Satellite View: Gain a comprehensive view of your surroundings on the satellite map background. - Access to Desktop version: Your membership allows you to also access the online desktop version. Explore with Imray offers a free trial and annual membership. Get full access with the Explore with Imray annual subscription for just £69.99. This 12-month auto-renewing plan ensures you stay connected to premium features all year long. Your Apple account will be charged upon confirmation of purchase. Membership subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renewal is turned off 24 hours before the current period ends in your account settings. Cancelling auto-renewal ensures access until the current payment period concludes. By using this app, you agree to the standard Apple End User License Agreement (EULA), which can be found here: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/. For more information on how we handle your data, please review our Privacy Policy (https://www.imray.com/about/privacy/). We aim to guide your passage planning and sailing. Got feedback? Let us know how we can better serve you!

About

AngelNav

This app allows sailors to perform traditional navigation directly on their device, offering a digital alternative to paper charts and instruments. It supports various chart types and integrates with GNSS data for real-time navigation, with options for advanced features and chart subscriptions.

Highlights
  • Traditional navigation techniques on screen
  • Full chart plotter with raster chart support
  • GNSS data integration (GPS, NMEA, SignalK)
  • AIS target display
  • Waypoint and route management
  • Track recording and display
  • Simulation mode
Features
Read full description

AngelNav is a new app for iOS developed in collaboration with Tom Cunliffe. Primarily it is a full chart plotter currently favouring raster charts, but it has many additional features including the ability to carry out traditional navigation directly on the screen. The capacity to generate classical chart work is vitally important in the event of a GPS failure, but hitherto has required pencil, plotters, and paper charts. AngelNav allows traditional techniques to be carried out using an iPad or iPhone screen instead of a paper chart. An estimated position can be plotted, position lines drawn from sighted bearings and fixes recorded. Course-to-steer diagrams are readily constructed. AngelNav can read most types of raster chart including the UKHO subscription charts, as well as KAP/BSB files and GeoTIFF files. It can easily create georeferenced satellite charts for offline use. AngelNav can take GNSS navigation data from a variety of sources, including the device's stand-alone GPS, the boat's NMEA over WiFi, and SignalK. It will also display AIS information if available. Annual subscriptions are available as in-app purchases for UKHO, SHOM, and Imray charts covering the whole of the UK, France, Spain, the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. These are divided into folios so that you can subscribe only to the charts that you need. The app is free to use in its basic form, with additional functions and charts available as in-app purchases. This allows a user to fully evaluate the app without charge, and then to purchase the features and charts required. Free features: Chart plotter (Demo chart included) Traditional navigation techniques Waypoints and Routes Track recording and display Reads navigational data Simulation mode Paid for features (in-app purchases): Open KAP/BSB files Open GeoTIFF files Open Satellite charts Display AIS targets (if AIS information is available) Tidal information for the British Isles Subscription Charts: Charts derived from UKHO data covering the coastal waters of the British isles, the Atlantic coast of Spain and Portugal including the Atlantic islands. SHOM charts of the coasts of France Imray charts of of the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and others Key features: Brand new app written from the ground up Carry out traditional navigation techniques on screen Free to download to for evaluation, with in-app purchases to add only the features required Frequent updates of subscription charts including handling of notice to mariners Custom keyboard for entry of waypoint latitude and longitude Open KPA/BSB and GeoTIFF files (in-app purchase required) Create Satellite charts for off line use (in-app purchase required) Display AIS targets on the chart (in-app purchase required) NOTE: The continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life

Screenshots

Explore with Imray4 screens
AngelNav4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: AngelNav at 75% against Explore with Imray's 25%. AngelNav also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Explore with Imray sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $79.99 per year and AngelNav sells 22 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Explore with Imray ships an update every 2 months, AngelNav every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on September 21, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Explore with Imray versus AngelNav: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExplore with ImrayAngelNav
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews25.0% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB120 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperFB Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson GmbHSailTrack Limited

Customer experience

Explore with Imray

Written reviews68 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral10.3%
Negative64.7%

AngelNav

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative5.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Explore with Imray

Subscriptions1
  • Explore Annual Membership$79.991 Year
22 purchases

AngelNav

Subscriptions14
  • UKHO BF1$24.991 Year
  • UKHO BF3$24.991 Year
  • UKHO BF8$24.991 Year
Show 11 more
  • UKHO AO2$24.991 Year
  • UKHO MS2$24.991 Year
  • UKHO MS1$24.991 Year
  • UKHO MS3$24.991 Year
  • UKHO BF7$24.991 Year
  • UKHO.BN1$24.991 Year
  • SHOM FF4$24.991 Year
  • Imray ID100$69.991 Year
  • Imray ID40$69.991 Year
  • Imray ID70$69.991 Year
  • Imray ID60$69.991 Year
One-time8
  • UKTides 24$1.99
  • KAP files$4.99
  • Satellite charts$4.99
Show 5 more
  • AIS$4.99
  • Instruments$4.99
  • GeoPDF files$4.99
  • GeoTIFF files$4.99
  • BITides 25$6.99

Questions

Is Explore with Imray free?
Explore with Imray is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is AngelNav free?
AngelNav is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Explore with Imray or AngelNav have ads?
Neither Explore with Imray nor AngelNav shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Explore with Imray or AngelNav?
Explore with Imray ships an update every 2 months, and AngelNav every 5 weeks. Most recently, Explore with Imray was updated on September 21, 2026 and AngelNav on September 21, 2026.

Other comparisons