# ShippingExplorer vs Boat

The clearest difference is rating: ShippingExplorer at 4.0 against Boat's 3.0. ShippingExplorer also leads on review sentiment (32% vs 0%) and ratings volume (8 vs 1). Boat's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 10 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ShippingExplorer holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ShippingExplorer has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of ShippingExplorer's written reviews are positive against 0% of Boat's.

ShippingExplorer ships an update every 10 months, Boat every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ShippingExplorer | Boat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shippingexplorer/id472310436/reviews)** | [3.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boat-tracker/id1434203398/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **8** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **31.6% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 6 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ShippingExplorer](https://appshunter.io/developer/472310439) | [Michael Skogberg](https://appshunter.io/developer/1074372633) |

## What reviewers say

### ShippingExplorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shippingexplorer/id472310436)

Track vessels worldwide with live data on a map. View detailed ship information, photos, and historical tracks. Access real-time vessel positions for free with a demo key.

**Highlights:** Live vessel data worldwide, Detailed ship information and photos, Track history for each ship, Search and display last known ship positions, Favorites and bookmarks

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Boat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boat-tracker/id1434203398)

Access free nautical charts for Finnish waters, featuring live vessel tracking. Connect with agent software to display your boat's routes on the map. Utilizes official navigational data for accuracy.

**Highlights:** Free nautical charts, Finnish waters coverage, Live vessel tracking, Vessel information display, Route display with agent software, Official navigational data

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ShippingExplorer free?

ShippingExplorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Boat free?

Boat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ShippingExplorer or Boat?

ShippingExplorer is rated higher. ShippingExplorer averages 4.0 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Boat averages 3.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do ShippingExplorer or Boat have ads?

Neither ShippingExplorer nor Boat shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ShippingExplorer or Boat?

ShippingExplorer ships an update every 10 months, and Boat every 5 weeks. Most recently, ShippingExplorer was updated on September 27, 2026 and Boat on September 28, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*