# Boat Beacon vs WMM PAL

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Boat Beacon | WMM PAL |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $14.99 | **$2.99** |
| Rating | **[4.6 (868 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boat-beacon/id494877039/reviews)** | [2.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wmm-pal/id1015072124/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **868** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **61.1% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 14 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#45** | — |
| Size | 152 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pocket Mariner Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/719592131) | [Digilog Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/888040971) |

## What reviewers say

### Boat Beacon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boat-beacon/id494877039)

**Currently charting:** #45 Top Paid · Navigation (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AIS Share | $5.99 | per month |
| AIS Share | $16.49 | per year |
| Anchor Watch and Man Overboard | $4.99 | one-time |
| Live View Upgrade | $7.99 | one-time |
| NOAA US Marine Charts | $9.99 | one-time |
| UK & IE Marine Charts | $12.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Works great
- 🚀 Excellent app
- 🔒 Fantastic app
- 💡 Useful navigation aid
- 👍 Handy app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes constantly
- 🐛 Unreliable
- 🐛 Doesn't work
- 🐛 Useless
- 🐛 Clunky UI

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- Add marine charts
- Improve search functionality
- Offline mode
- Integrate with other navigation apps


### WMM PAL

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wmm-pal/id1015072124)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MyLocationToken | $3.99 | one-time |


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