Comparison

Boat Beacon vs Anchor Basic

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 Export tracks Boat-to-Boat & Group Messaging. Local AIS & GPS via Wifi. Boat Beacon InApp Add-ons:- LiveView - Augmented Reality view with ships, compass & horizon overlaid. Works with FLIROne IR cameras as well to see ships & people in the dark & fog (IAP) "AIS Sharing" to other apps like Navionics & iNavX (IAP subscription) US, UK and IE Marine raster charts (IAP). MOB and Anchor Watch (IAP). 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

Anchor Basic

This app provides a reliable anchor alarm for boats, offering drift warnings and low battery alerts. Users can pause the alarm and resume monitoring later, or set the anchor by current location, bearing, and distance. It also allows remote monitoring of other users' Anchor Plus alarms.

Highlights
  • Drift warning alerts
  • Low battery alarms
  • Pause and resume alarm function
  • Set anchor by location, bearing, or distance
  • Remote monitoring of Anchor Plus alarms
Features
Read full description

A fully functional anchor alarm designed for iPhone & iPad.  - Simple and reliable with user selectable units, drift warning and low battery alarms.  - Pause the alarm and take your device with you; simply continue drift monitoring when you return.  - Set the anchor at the current location or a bearing & distance to the anchor. - Use Anchor Basic to remotely monitor Anchor Plus. Go ashore for dinner and monitor your friends Anchor Plus alarm using Anchor Basic. - If you like this version, try Anchor Plus with a host of additional features

Screenshots

Boat Beacon4 screens
Anchor Basic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Anchor Basic at $0.99 against Boat Beacon's $14.99. Anchor Basic also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 6). Boat Beacon's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 3.5) and ratings volume (866 vs 17). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads 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 Anchor Basic $0.99 up front. Boat Beacon sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Anchor Basic asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Boat Beacon holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Boat Beacon has 866 ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 61% of Boat Beacon's written reviews are positive against 67% of Anchor Basic's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Boat Beacon versus Anchor Basic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBoat BeaconAnchor Basic
Price$14.99$0.99 — better
Rating4.6 (866 ratings) — better3.5 (17 ratings)
Positive reviews61.1% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings866 — better17
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#97 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.6
Further details — not scored
Size152 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPocket Mariner Ltd.Roy Cadman

Customer experience

Boat Beacon

All ratings866 ratings
Positive92.0%
Neutral2.3%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews185 reviews
Positive61.1%
Neutral9.7%
Negative29.2%

Anchor Basic

All ratings17 ratings
Positive58.8%
Neutral5.9%
Negative35.3%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

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

Anchor Basic

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
None

Anchor Basic

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Boat Beacon free?
Boat Beacon costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Anchor Basic free?
Anchor Basic costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Boat Beacon or Anchor Basic?
Boat Beacon is rated higher. Boat Beacon averages 4.6 out of 5 from 866 ratings, while Anchor Basic averages 3.5 from 17 ratings.
Do Boat Beacon or Anchor Basic have ads?
Neither Boat Beacon nor Anchor Basic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Boat Beacon or Anchor Basic?
Boat Beacon ships an update every 2 months, and Anchor Basic every 2 months. Most recently, Boat Beacon was updated on September 22, 2026 and Anchor Basic on September 21, 2026.

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