Comparison

Boat Beacon vs WMM PAL

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

Head to head
About

Boat Beacon

This marine navigation app provides real-time AIS data for collision avoidance and position sharing. It offers over-the-horizon warnings, background operation, and a user-friendly interface for boaters.

Highlights
  • Collision warnings with CPA calculations
  • Real-time AIS ship tracking
  • Background operation for continuous alerts
  • Position sharing with other users
  • Augmented Reality view (IAP)
  • Man Overboard and Anchor Watch alarms (IAP)
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Boat Beacon is an internet AIS receiver and transmitter for your iPhone and iPad. It is the only AIS ship tracking app to provide Collision Warnings, share your boat’s position & use real-time AIS data. Connected to the largest network of AIS shore receivers world-wide covering most major ports, harbours and popular coastal areas. “An outstanding app, with great potential. Both interesting to use and very user friendly. This could be a life saver and especially of interest to small boat users. Everyone who goes on the water should have this on and use it!” ***** Sun Dream, App Store Review Boat Beacon is designed for boaters & provides continuous Bearing, Range & Closest Point of Approach (CPA) calculations and alarms in addition to standard AIS information even when in the background. Boat Beacon does not require any external AIS transponder or receiver equipment. Key Features ------------ Over-the-horizon collision avoidance (30 miles radius) using continuous CPA calculations - highlights boats that are on a potential collision course and alerts you with an alarm. Continually transmits and receives position information via the internet and calculates and alarms CPA even when the app is in the background. Shares your position with Internet AIS Systems & apps & other Boat Beacon users in real time. Real time ship map view with North up & Heading up modes so you can look in the direction of the ships on the map to locate them. Nav display showing own boat's speed, course, heading and position. SART Alarm Man Overboard tracking, Anchor watch & Theft alarms (IAP). Apple Watch App included Siri voice commands Apple Critical Alerts support Export tracks Boat-to-Boat & Group Messaging. Local AIS & GPS via Wifi. Boat Beacon InApp Add-ons (IAP):- - LiveView - Augmented Reality view with ships, compass & horizon overlaid. Works with FLIROne IR cameras as well to see ships & people in the dark & fog - "AIS Sharing" to other apps like Navionics & iNavX - US, UK and IE Marine raster charts. - MOB and Anchor Watch. Let Friends and Family see where you are and where you're headed to with our free Boat Watch app or on web-based AIS systems like MarineTraffic which have free web viewers available. Arm all the crews in a race with Boat Beacon and have real time updates on the race positions on the water and back in the club house. Keep a watch and in touch with other boats in your flotilla when sailing in a group. Boat Beacon requires internet access to work. Most popular coastal areas have cellular data access extending 12 or more miles out to sea. Subscriptions The "AIS Sharing " subscription is monthly ($5.99) or yearly ($16.49), and will automatically renew at the end of the subscription period unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase, and will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the iTunes account holder and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to Account Settings after purchase. 
No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Terms of Use: http://seanav.net/termsofuse.php Privacy Policy: http://seanav.net/privacy.php Support: help@pocketmariner.com Your position can be shared and seen on all our apps without using an MMSI number. To be seen on Global AIS systems like MarineTraffic you need an MMSI number. In the US you can obtain one by visiting http://www.boatus.com/mmsi or email us for a free internet MMSI number. Please note that continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. NOT FOR NAVIGATION Boat Beacon should only be used for basic navigation reference and should not be solely relied upon to determine precise locations, proximity, distance, or direction. You will not be visible to other ships on VHF only AIS systems.

About

WMM PAL

This app accurately calculates magnetic declination worldwide using the World Magnetic Model from NOAA. It has been updated with modern Swift and SwiftUI tools for improved performance and features.

Highlights
  • Accurate magnetic declination calculation
  • Global coverage
  • Uses World Magnetic Model (NOAA)
  • Updated with Swift and SwiftUI
  • Built-in description
Features
Read full description

This App uses the World Magnetic Model developed by NOAA to determine the magnetic declination very accurately at any latitude, longitude and elevation of your choice, anywhere on the planet. This App was originally introduced using objective-C tools and has now been upgraded with new features to Swift and SwiftUI tools. There is a full built-in description in the App.

Screenshots

Boat Beacon4 screens
WMM PAL4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: WMM PAL at $2.99 against Boat Beacon's $14.99. WMM PAL also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). Boat Beacon's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 2.0) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 14 months). On ads, 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

Boat Beacon costs $14.99 and WMM PAL $2.99 up front. Boat Beacon sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and WMM PAL sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Boat Beacon holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Boat Beacon has 868 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of Boat Beacon's written reviews are positive against 50% of WMM PAL's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Boat Beacon ships an update every 2 months, WMM PAL every 14 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Boat Beacon versus WMM PAL: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBoat BeaconWMM PAL
Price$14.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.6 (868 ratings) — better2.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews61.1% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings868 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 14 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#70 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size152 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPocket Mariner Ltd.Digilog Corporation

Customer experience

Boat Beacon

All ratings868 ratings
Positive92.1%
Neutral2.3%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews185 reviews
Positive61.1%
Neutral9.7%
Negative29.2%

WMM PAL

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

Boat Beacon

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when panning or changing settings
  • Phantom ships not disappearing
  • Inaccurate position data
  • Compatibility issues with older devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add marine charts
  • Improve search functionality
  • Offline mode
  • Integrate with other navigation apps

WMM PAL

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Boat Beacon

Subscriptions2
  • AIS Share$5.991 Month
  • AIS Share$16.491 Year
One-time4
  • Anchor Watch and Man Overboard$4.99
  • Live View Upgrade$7.99
  • NOAA US Marine Charts$9.99
Show 1 more
  • UK & IE Marine Charts$12.99
1 purchases

WMM PAL

One-time1
  • MyLocationToken$3.99

Questions

Is Boat Beacon free?
Boat Beacon costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is WMM PAL free?
WMM PAL costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Boat Beacon or WMM PAL?
Boat Beacon is rated higher. Boat Beacon averages 4.6 out of 5 from 868 ratings, while WMM PAL averages 2.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Boat Beacon or WMM PAL have ads?
Neither Boat Beacon nor WMM PAL shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Boat Beacon or WMM PAL?
Boat Beacon ships an update every 2 months, and WMM PAL every 14 months. Most recently, Boat Beacon was updated on October 26, 2026 and WMM PAL on October 7, 2026.

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