Comparison

SeaHelp vs VesselFinder

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

Head to head
About

SeaHelp

This app provides immediate professional assistance for boaters in distress in specific European coastal areas. It sends your location and contact details to a central operations center, which then contacts you to arrange support. Membership offers priority treatment during emergencies.

Highlights
  • Emergency help button via SMS
  • Automatic GPS coordinate transfer
  • Direct contact from operations center
  • Membership for priority treatment
  • Access to SeaHelp website
  • Downloadable SeaMagazine
Features
Read full description

SeaHelp – the breakdown service at sea   With this kind of service, SeaHelp App is offering to all skippers the possibilty of asking for professional help on short notice in breakdown or emergency situations in the areas of Croatia, Slovenia, Northern Italy and the Balearic Islands.   After activating the application, the help button has just to be pressed once in order to generate a SMS which will be received by the SeaHelp operations centre, tranferring the coordinates of the actual position, the mobile phone number and, in the case of a SeaHelp membership, as well the membership number. The SeaHelp operations centre will then promptly contact the skipper of the damaged boat by phone to get more detailed information and then will initiate the necessary supporting measures.  This service is aimed at all skippers in the operational area as mentioned above. Nevertheless, SeaHelp would like to point out that, given the case of several simultaneous emergency calls, there will be priority treatment for SeaHelp members. This service, though, on no account, is meant as a replacement for the conventional emergency alarm scenarios as established in seamanship but, at best, may serve as a supplement.    No internet link is required for the application of the SeaHelp emergency call function. Although, when using abroad roaming fees might occur, so, please contact your provider for information about the rates for using SMS and telephone services abroad.   Persons seeking help and not being SeaHelp members will be charged the accruing costs as indicated on the pricelist stated on our website under www.sea-help.eu . Please inform yourself before using this application for the first time.   In case you should find any mistakes within the information contained, we kindly ask you to advise us accordingly via the support sites indicated.   Range of functions: • Appeal for help via SMS to the SeaHelp operations centre indicating the coordinates of the actual position of the person seeking help, the mobile phone number for recalls from the SeaHelp operations centre and the SeaHelp membership number guaranteeing priority treatment in the case of several simultaneous requests for help. • Possibility of applying via iPhone for a SeaHelp membership, the breakdown service at sea and support point partner of the ADAC for the Croatia region as well as a cooperation partner of the ÖAMTC, the Austrian Sailing Federation and the Austrian Cruiser Federation.  Please note: activation of memebership will be made 24 hours after the application and receipt of payment by SeaHelp. • Direct access to the SeaHelp website. • Free of charge download of the printed edition of the SeaMagazine rehashed for iPhones.        Important notice: No liability will be assumed for the correct determination of the GPS coordinates by means of the iPhone as well as for the delivery of the SMS to SeaHelp.    This information is supplied without liability.

About

VesselFinder

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
Currently charting
Read full description

VesselFinder is the world’s most popular and trusted vessel tracking and marine traffic app, delivering real-time information on ship positions and movements worldwide. Using a powerful network of satellites, roaming and terrestrial AIS receivers, VesselFinder provides accurate and up-to-date insight into global maritime activity. Designed for maritime professionals, shipping enthusiasts, and anyone interested in live ship tracking, VesselFinder offers a fast, intuitive, and reliable way to explore vessel traffic across the globe. VesselFinder key features: • Real-time tracking of over 300,000 vessels daily using global AIS data • Vessel movement history with track visualization • Predicted routes and ETAs to next port • Comprehensive vessel particulars, including technical specifications, and cargo capacity information • Contact details for the owning company, manager, ISM manager, and more • Port Calls per vessel, showing arrival times and duration of stay • Port Calls per port, with detailed lists of expected vessels, arrivals, departures, and ships currently in port • My Fleet – save and monitor favorite vessels, synchronized with your VesselFinder account • My Views – save preferred map views for fast and easy navigation • Ship Photos contributed by the VesselFinder user community • Multiple map styles: Simple, Detailed, Dark, Satellite, and Nautical • Weather overlays, including wind, waves, and temperature • See your location feature for instant orientation • Distance measurement tool for route and range estimation Vessel visibility depends on AIS signal availability, with near-shore coverage consistent with the data provided on VesselFinder.com. If a vessel is outside our terrestrial AIS coverage area, its last reported position will be displayed and updated as soon as new data is received. Extended real-time coverage via satellite and roaming AIS sources is available through a subscription. While we make every effort to ensure accuracy, the completeness of the information cannot be guaranteed. Connect with VesselFinder • Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/vesselfinder • Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/vesselfinder

Screenshots

SeaHelp4 screens
VesselFinder4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SeaHelp at 100% against VesselFinder's 28%. SeaHelp also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). VesselFinder's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and chart position (#199 vs unranked). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SeaHelp holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: VesselFinder has 232 ratings behind it against 34, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of SeaHelp's written reviews are positive against 28% of VesselFinder's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SeaHelp ships an update every 2 months, VesselFinder fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
SeaHelp versus VesselFinder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSeaHelpVesselFinder
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (34 ratings) — better4.1 (232 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better28.2% of reviews
Number of ratings34232 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#199 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSea-Help GmbHAstraPaging Ltd.

Customer experience

SeaHelp

All ratings34 ratings
Positive85.3%
Neutral2.9%
Negative11.8%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

VesselFinder

All ratings232 ratings
Positive78.4%
Neutral2.2%
Negative19.4%
Written reviews220 reviews
Positive28.2%
Neutral6.4%
Negative65.5%

Bugs and requests

SeaHelp

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

VesselFinder

Reported bugs

15 issues
  • 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
Show 10 more
  • Incompatible with iPhone X and newer models
  • Data not updating for days or weeks
  • Crashes when searching for vessels
  • Freezing issues after recent updates
  • Map not displaying on iPad
  • App crashes in low power mode
  • Vessel information not loading correctly
  • Inconsistent performance across iOS versions
  • App becomes unstable after working briefly
  • Zoom functionality broken in multiple versions

Requested features

13 requests
  • 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
Show 8 more
  • Better search functionality in free version
  • Vessel departure time information
  • Improved map zoom functionality
  • Live results in search function
  • Picture display before clicking on vessel
  • Better map background/quality
  • Local time display instead of UTC only
  • Ability to delete incorrect vessel photos from profile

In-app purchases

None

SeaHelp

No in-app purchases

None

VesselFinder

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SeaHelp free?
SeaHelp is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is VesselFinder free?
VesselFinder is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SeaHelp or VesselFinder?
SeaHelp is rated higher. SeaHelp averages 4.4 out of 5 from 34 ratings, while VesselFinder averages 4.1 from 232 ratings.
Do SeaHelp or VesselFinder have ads?
VesselFinder shows ads; SeaHelp does not.
Which is updated more often, SeaHelp or VesselFinder?
SeaHelp ships an update every 2 months, and VesselFinder fortnightly. Most recently, SeaHelp was updated on October 8, 2026 and VesselFinder on October 11, 2026.

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