Wärtsilä iSailor vs Compass Course Navigator
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Wärtsilä iSailor
This marine navigation app offers clear presentation of navigational information and electronic charts for amateur seafarers. It supports accurate TX-97 vector charts and provides various optional services like weather and AIS data.
- Electronic chart display
- GPS and AIS integration
- Route creation and monitoring
- Weather and tide information
- Chart correction service
- User object sharing
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Wärtsilä iSailor is an easy-to-use marine and river navigation application for amateur seafarers. iSailor provides a clear presentation of navigational information, electronic charts and additional content. TX-97 vector charts supported by iSailor are recognized worldwide as one of the most accurate and reliable sources of navigational information. Chart folios can be purchased and downloaded in the iSailor Chart Store utilizing the standard iTunes Store payment/purchasing procedure. Chart correction service is provided on annual basis via the auto-renewable subscription service. iTunes will charge payment after confirmation of the chart correction purchase. You may manage your subscriptions and turn off the auto-renewal service in the Account Settings. Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renewal is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the subscription period. You can cancel your subscription in the Chart Store any time. All previously purchased chart folios will remain available for you and can be restored from the service via the Chart Restore function. To receive subsequent chart corrections for your purchased charts, you will need to subscribe to the annual updates in the Chart Store. The application works on iPhone and iPad using built-in GPS, NMEA Wi-Fi GPS or an external Bluetooth GPS. Supported devices (iOS version 11 and higher): • iPhone 5S or higher • iPad 5 generation or higher iSailor features: • Positioning system: iOS (Built-In GPS), NMEA GPS or AIS Class B (Option) • AIS Class A NavData interface (Option) • NMEA Heading and Rate-Of-Turn sensors (Option) • NMEA Echo Sounder with a graphical 2D echogram and water temperature sensor (Option) • NMEA Wind Sensor, including True & Relative wind calculation (Option) • NMEA Autopilot interface (Option) • Display of charts, routes, track(s) and user objects • AIS target presentation. Target contours and dimensions (Option) • Internet AIS service (Optional subscription) • Weather service (Optional subscription) • Tides and tidal currents (Optional subscription) • Sailing guides, regional marinas (Optional subscription) • North Up, COG Up, Head Up and Route Up chart orientations • Information on any vector chart objects • Free cursor, Point-To-Point and Own ship referenced ERBL functionality • Monitoring of navigational data: Position, Course (COG) and Speed Over Ground (SOG) • Route creation by the graphic and tabular methods. “Go To” routes. • Waypoint monitoring: Bearing to WP, Distance to WP, XTD, Time-To-Go and ETA • Schedule information: Time-To-Go and ETA to any selected waypoint ahead • Multi-language support • Multi-unit support • Custom track colors • Day and night chart palettes • Alarm monitoring functionality • Route, track and user object: export/import via GPX, KML and KMZ formats • Advanced Logging and Playback function (Option) • User object sharing via Facebook, Twitter, iMessenger, eMail NOTE: Continuous use of the GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease the battery life. Wärtsilä iSailor application may use your location even when it’s not open, which can decrease battery life of the device iSailor EULA: https://www.wartsila.com/docs/default-source/marine-documents/transas/WVL-EULA.pdf iSailor Privacy Notice: https://www.wartsila.com/legal-privacy/privacy Questions? Please contact us at isailor.support@wartsila.com Sincerely yours, iSailor Team
Compass Course Navigator
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Build a compass-and-pace course. Run it, or teach it. Compass Course Navigator is built around two roles: an Instructor who lays out a course as a sequence of compass headings and distances, and a Student who navigates it, with GPS help while learning, or with GPS hidden when it's time to prove they can do it with a compass alone. It's made for orienteering instruction, land navigation training, and anyone teaching or practicing dead reckoning. INSTRUCTOR MODE • Set a start point and add as many legs as you need, each a heading and a distance. • Unlimited waypoints. • Share a course with students by QR code or link. The magnetic declination travels with it, so the course lands on the right heading whatever declination is set on their device. STUDENT MODE • Practice mode: GPS on, so students see where they are against the planned course while they learn. • Test mode: GPS hidden, the real test of navigating by compass and pace count alone. • Mark each waypoint as cleared along the way. • Pace count practice: walk 100 m (or 100 ft), measured by GPS or on a taped course, and the app averages your last five trials. Every leg then shows its distance in paces, and Practice mode counts down the paces to the next waypoint. • Free student performance report: after a test run, a PDF of the planned course against the student's actual GPS track, with the error at each waypoint marked. SHARING AND DATA • JSON import and export, full backup and restore to a file you control. • Manual magnetic declination, street and satellite maps. • Shared course links open straight in the app. • Your pace data stays on your device and is never included in a shared course. PRO, A ONE-TIME PURCHASE • Waypoint hints: add notes like "old oak by the creek". Students see them for free; writing them is Pro. • GPX export, for any GPS or mapping tool. • Saved course library. • Course report PDF: the route on a map, a table of every leg, total distance. • Live magnetic declination from a geomagnetic model, based on your position. • Reorder legs. • Offline maps: download the area of your course in advance. • Keep the screen awake through a full run. No subscription: an instructor who builds a course library isn't billed indefinitely for a tool they teach with. Available in English, Español, Français, Deutsch, Português, Italiano, 日本語, 한국어.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is chart position: Wärtsilä iSailor at #176 against Compass Course Navigator's unranked. Wärtsilä iSailor also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (13 vs 17.0). 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
Both are free to download. Wärtsilä iSailor sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year and Compass Course Navigator sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.
| Parameter | Wärtsilä iSailor | Compass Course Navigator |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (12 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 44.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 12 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | #176 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Wartsila Voyage Sweden AB | Videre Research, LLC |
Bugs and requests
Wärtsilä iSailor
Reported bugs
4 issues- GPS position issues on iOS devices
- NMEA data not working after updates
- Inability to scroll past the date line
- Purchased charts not downloading properly
Requested features
5 requests- Automatic route planning
- Integration with boat's autopilot
- Improved weather and tidal data
- Cross-platform sync for user data
- Better AIS target display and management
Compass Course Navigator
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Wärtsilä iSailor
- USA. Pacific Coast. CA$4.991 Year
- USA. Ri to the Canadian border$4.991 Year
- USA. Nantucket to Cap May, NJ$4.991 Year
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- USA.Chesapeake & Delaware bays$4.991 Year
- USA. Norfolk to Jacksonville$4.991 Year
- USA. Atlantic Coast. Florida$4.991 Year
- USA. Gulf Coast. Florida$4.991 Year
- USA. Pacific Coast. WA$4.991 Year
- Caribbean Sea. Lesser Antilles$10.991 Year
- AIS Receiver Support$11.99
Compass Course Navigator
- Compass Course Pro$4.99
Questions
Is Wärtsilä iSailor free?
Is Compass Course Navigator free?
Do Wärtsilä iSailor or Compass Course Navigator have ads?
Which is updated more often, Wärtsilä iSailor or Compass Course Navigator?
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