Comparison

NavRules vs Rule Master

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

Head to head
About

NavRules

Master nautical navigation rules with practice exams and a comprehensive rule book. Focus your learning by customizing tests based on question type, rule, and filter. Track your progress and review answers with detailed explanations.

Highlights
  • Customizable practice exams
  • International and US Inland rules
  • Question filtering by text or rule
  • Progress tracking by rule
  • Flash card mode with diagrams
  • Integrated Rule Book
  • Over 1200 questions
Features
Currently charting
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The best way to learn the Nautical Rules of the Road. NavRules provides all the questions, answers, explanations and resources to help you master the Nautical Rules of the road. For all mariners, from kayakers to ship captains. Product Description: Based on the International and US Inland Navigation Rules along with the published edition of the USCG database of license exam questions, this App helps you master the Navigation Rules using a practice exam driven methodology. Using NavRules you generate practice exams where you: • control the number of questions, • control the scope of the questions (international vs inland), • specify a filter (a text string that must appear in the question), • specify the rule the questions pertain to, • identify whether the question has been previously answered or not, or answered incorrectly or not. This gives you control over the tests that are generated so you can focus your learning experience. After taking an exam you can review the results to see: • which questions were answered correctly, • for incorrect answers the correct answer, • the rule the question pertains to so you can understand the context of the question. Every practice exam you take tracks your results relative the the Navigation Rules Question Pool. By browsing the Question Pool you can see your progress on understanding each rule. For each rule NavRules reposts: • your coverage (number of questions you have answered) and, • your proficiency (the percentage of questions you have answered correctly). If you want to study a rule you can link directly to the questions related to that rule and choose the answers. In this "review" mode you get immediate feedback on whether your answer is correct (but these results are not recorded and do not impact your rule coverage or proficiency). The Flash Card mode lets you see all the diagrams used in the tests and from each of them see the questions that reference that diagram. The included Rule Book provides: • index to US Inland, International and Canadian Rules, • link to all illustrations used in the Navigation Rules, • link to all vessel lights by vessel type, • definitions, • demarcation lines, • special terminology, • distress signals • references. Other features include: • over 1200 answered and referenced questions on the Navigation Rules, • complete copy of the Navigation Rules, • custom design your practice tests by number, filter, and type so you can focus on what you need to learn, • rules are clearly identified as Inland and International or both, • all practice tests results are stored until manually deleted, • Canadian Modifications to the Navigation Rules.

About

Rule Master

Master maritime navigation rules with this comprehensive quiz app. It offers extensive question banks, custom filters, and detailed progress tracking for both new and experienced sailors. Generate custom exams and access a digital handbook for efficient learning and exam preparation.

Highlights
  • 10,000+ question-answer combinations
  • Custom question filters
  • Fill-in-the-blank questions
  • Offline capability
  • Exam PDF generation
  • Digital Navigation Rules handbook
  • Progress tracking and statistics
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The most advanced, modern, and competitive Rules of the Road quiz application on the iOS App Store! This Navigation Rules quiz application is a must-have for new and experienced sailors, alike. This complete Rules of the Road toolbox is the most effective way to build and maintain proficiency, so you can spend less time preparing for your next USCG Navigation Rules examination. Track your progress like never before, and use our advanced question filters and rule proficiency statistics for efficient, targeted studying. Are you an instructor? Generate and print beautiful, custom-filtered COLREG examinations in seconds with our advanced exam PDF generation algorithm. Are you an experienced mariner? There is always more to learn! Rule Master provides 100+ hand-selected, fill-in-the-blank questions optimized to refine your mastery of the Rules of the Road. Mastery of these verbatim COLREG excerpts allows for intelligent verbal communication of the rules — especially useful for students undergoing rigorous training at the USN Mariner Skills Training Command. - 10,000+ question-answer combinations - Advanced, custom question filters for targeted studying - 100+ hand-selected, fill-in-the-blank questions for experienced Mariners - Full offline capability - Unlimited exam PDF generation and printing - Full, digital Navigation Rules handbook for quick reference - In-depth progress tracking and statistics This COLREG application's abbreviated question bank -- tediously hand-scrubbed and optimized by an experienced USN Surface Warfare Officer -- is coupled with a custom algorithm that generates 10,000+ unique question-answer combinations specifically designed to more effectively teach and examine student knowledge while simultaneously exposing students to the confusing vernacular commonly found in the infamous USCG Rules of the Road question bank.

Screenshots

NavRules4 screens
Rule Master4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Rule Master at 4.8 against NavRules's 3.9. Rule Master also leads on price ($9.99 vs $15.99) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 13 months). NavRules's advantage is review sentiment (68% vs 43%) and chart position (#11 vs #79). On 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

NavRules costs $15.99 and Rule Master $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Rule Master holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rule Master has 292 ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of NavRules's written reviews are positive against 43% of Rule Master's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NavRules ships an update every 13 months, Rule Master every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
NavRules versus Rule Master: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNavRulesRule Master
Price$15.99$9.99 — better
Rating3.9 (19 ratings)4.8 (292 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.0% of reviews — better42.9% of reviews
Number of ratings19292 — better
Update frequencyEvery 13 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#11 — better#79
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS8.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMintaka InnovationsUniversal Queue LLC

Customer experience

NavRules

All ratings18 ratings
Positive72.2%
Neutral5.6%
Negative22.2%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive68.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative28.0%

Rule Master

All ratings292 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral3.8%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral28.6%
Negative28.6%

Bugs and requests

NavRules

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Rule Master

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Questions disappear off the bottom of the screen
  • Diagrams are too small to identify vessels
  • Some questions have character limits over the margin
  • App doesn't display quiz and verbatim in a usable manner
  • Incomplete questions showing three dots (...)

Requested features

4 requests
  • Link relevant COLREG rule when answering correctly and incorrectly
  • Expand subjects to include chemistry or history
  • Improvements in tracking missed questions for training
  • Display full question text when it's cut off

In-app purchases

None

NavRules

No in-app purchases

None

Rule Master

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NavRules free?
NavRules costs $15.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Rule Master free?
Rule Master costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NavRules or Rule Master?
Rule Master is rated higher. NavRules averages 3.9 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while Rule Master averages 4.8 from 292 ratings.
Do NavRules or Rule Master have ads?
Neither NavRules nor Rule Master shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NavRules or Rule Master?
NavRules ships an update every 13 months, and Rule Master every 3 months. Most recently, NavRules was updated on October 21, 2026 and Rule Master on October 22, 2026.
Which is more popular, NavRules or Rule Master?
NavRules currently peaks at #11 in the App Store charts, and Rule Master at #79. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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