Pure Gas vs ActiveCaptain®
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pure Gas
Locate nearby stations offering ethanol-free gasoline. View a list sorted by distance or use the map to find stations anywhere. Track fuel mileage, trip distance, price, and type for each fill-up, assigning records to specific vehicles.
- Locate ethanol-free gas stations
- Sort stations by distance
- Map view for station discovery
- Track fuel mileage
- Record trip distance
- Log fuel price and type
- Assign fuel records to vehicles
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CORE LOCATION SERVICES MUST BE ENABLED Pure Gas is a simple front end app for the popular website pure-gas.org. You get a list of all ethanol-free gas stations sorted nearest to furthest. Just click on the one you like, and get driving directions! Use the map view and find a pure gas station anywhere you want to go! In addition to locating the nearest ethanol-free fuel station, you can track and save the following information into the iPhone at every fill-up! Fuel Mileage Trip Distance Fuel Price Fuel Type Assign fuel records to specific vehicles! For more information on Pure Gas, please visit pure-gas.org
ActiveCaptain®
This app connects your mobile device to compatible Garmin chartplotters, enabling wireless chart and map transfers, software updates, and route planning. It also provides access to a community of boaters for reviews and information on marinas and points of interest.
- Wireless chart and map transfer
- Route and waypoint planning
- ActiveCaptain Community for POI reviews
- Chartplotter control via Helm feature
- Easy software updates
- OnDeck system monitoring
- Garmin Quickdraw Community map sharing
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The free ActiveCaptain app creates a powerful connection between your compatible mobile device and Garmin chartplotter, charts, maps and the boating community. Whether you use your Garmin products for cruising, fishing, sailing or diving, this all-in-one app will help you enjoy your time on the water. Just pair the app with your compatible chartplotter to wirelessly transfer and access charts and maps, software updates, routes, waypoints and helpful feedback from the ActiveCaptain Community. And, with the purchase of the OnDeck™ hub(1), you can track and monitor your boat from virtually anywhere. Please note that this app is intended for Garmin chartplotter owners and is not recommended for use as a stand-alone navigational app. FEATURES AVAILABLE: - ONECHART™: > New Garmin Navionics+™ and premium Garmin Navionics Vision+™ cartography, featuring a Navionics® style appearance, advanced Auto Guidance+™ technology(2) and a one-year subscription to daily updates, is available now for North America and Europe, and coming soon to the rest of the world. Purchase our newest-generation charts or legacy BlueChart® g3 charts from your mobile device, and upload them to registered Garmin chartplotters on your vessel. You will get exceptional coverage, clarity and detail with charts that feature integrated Garmin and Navionics data and much more. Plus, the NOAA raster cartography(3) and premium features can be downloaded for free through the ActiveCaptain app. Visit Garmin.com/marinemaps. - PLAN A TRIP: Plan your trip, or e-scout a new fishing spot before you’re on the water. Then, transfer your data to your chartplotter where you can view your routes and waypoints. - USER DATA SYNC: Automatically back up and sync your data between your chartplotter and the ActiveCaptain app. - ACTIVECAPTAIN COMMUNITY: Join a community of boaters to get up-to-date feedback on marinas, boat ramps and other points of interest (POI). Check ratings, read reviews, and view pictures of POIs to make informed decisions on the water. Contribute your own POI, reviews and pictures from your compatible mobile device. - CONTROL YOUR CHARTPLOTTER: Using the built-in Helm™ feature, the ActiveCaptain app lets you view and control your compatible(4) chartplotter from your smartphone or tablet, even when someone else is at the helm(5). - EASY SOFTWARE UPDATES: Receive notifications about software updates from the app, and update your chartplotter wirelessly. - ONDECK HUB: Use the ActiveCaptain app to track, monitor and control any number of switches with the OnDeck system(1) from nearly anywhere. Door open? Bilge running? Peace of mind comes in the form of text alerts and updates. - GARMIN QUICKDRAWTM COMMUNITY: Download the latest 1’ HD contour maps shared by your fellow boaters, and sync with your chartplotter. You can also upload your own Quickdraw Contours map data. - SMART NOTIFICATIONS: Connect the app to your chartplotter, and turn on smart notifications(4) to see calls, text messages and more on the chartplotter display while your phone is somewhere safe and dry. FOOTNOTES 1)OnDeck hub sold separately and requires an active subscription plan 2)Auto Guidance+ is for planning purposes only and does not replace safe navigation operations 3)NOAA raster cartography cannot be viewed on echoMAP™ CHIRP and ECHOMAP™ Plus combos but can be viewed on mobile devices via the ActiveCaptain mobile app 4)Helm feature is not compatible with ECHOMAP series chartplotters 5)Check device compatibility on the ActiveCaptain app web page; visit https://www.garmin.com/c/marine/marine-apps/ End User License Agreement: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/legal/marine-mobile-eula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Pure Gas at 4.6 against ActiveCaptain®'s 4.0. ActiveCaptain®'s advantage is review sentiment (56% vs 37%) and chart position (#25 vs unranked). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Pure Gas sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and ActiveCaptain® sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $74.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Pure Gas holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.9K and 5.2K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 37% of Pure Gas's written reviews are positive against 56% of ActiveCaptain®'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Pure Gas ships an update every 5 months, ActiveCaptain® every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pure Gas | ActiveCaptain® |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (2.9K ratings) — better | 4.0 (5.2K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 36.7% of reviews | 56.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.9K | 5.2K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #25 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.1 — better | 18.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 196 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jeffrey Jackson | Garmin |
Customer experience
Pure Gas
ActiveCaptain®
User reviews
Pure Gas
From 2.9K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Helpful for finding ethanol-free fuel
- 👍 Works as intended
- 🚗 Useful for classic/vintage cars
- 💡 Ability to add/update station information
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inaccurate or outdated station information
- 🔍 Limited search/filter options
- 📱 Lacking features compared to website version
- ⚠️ Stations listed don't actually have ethanol-free fuel
ActiveCaptain®
From 5.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Seamless integration with Garmin devices
- 💡 Useful for planning trips and managing waypoints
- 🚀 Convenient for updating software and charts
- 👍 Great app for Garmin users
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and connection issues
- 🔍 Limited chart and mapping functionality compared to competitors
- 🤔 Difficult to transfer data between devices
- 🤔 Confusing and not very intuitive user interface
- 💰 Expensive for the features provided
Bugs and requests
Pure Gas
Reported bugs
2 issues- App crashes or won't open
- Map view issues, such as incorrect station locations
Requested features
4 requests- Add fuel pricing information
- Allow searching/browsing outside of current location
- Display octane levels for each station
- Enable user reviews/comments on stations
ActiveCaptain®
Reported bugs
4 issues- Charts and maps not loading properly
- Waypoints and routes not syncing correctly
- Constant prompts to purchase additional charts
- Compatibility issues with older Garmin devices
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to duplicate and edit existing routes
- Sync user data across multiple devices
- Improved chart detail and coverage
- Animated tides and currents
- Better integration with other navigation apps
In-app purchases
Pure Gas
- Developer Tip$0.99
ActiveCaptain®
- NSUS007R-U.S. East$74.991 Year
- NSUS006R-U.S. South$74.991 Year
- g4 U.S. Lakes & Rivers Built-i$99.991 Year
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- NSUS001L-U.S. & Canada$99.991 Year
- g4 Vision U.S. South$129.991 Year
- g4 Vision U.S. East$129.991 Year
- GN+ US & Coast Canada Built-In$149.991 Year
- U.S. LakeVü Detail Map$59.99
- US+Great Lakes Detail Map$99.99
- BlueChart g3+LakeVu g3 Built-I$99.99
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- LUS100F - Download$149.99
- GN+ U.S. South$149.99
- GN+ U.S. East$149.99
- VUS010R - Download$174.99
- GN+ U.S. & Canada$199.99
- HXUS604X - Download$219.99
- GNV+ U.S. East$249.99
- GNV+ U.S. South$249.99
Questions
Is Pure Gas free?
Is ActiveCaptain® free?
Which has better reviews, Pure Gas or ActiveCaptain®?
Do Pure Gas or ActiveCaptain® have ads?
Which is updated more often, Pure Gas or ActiveCaptain®?
Other comparisons
