# Boat Beacon vs Anchor Basic

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.

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.

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.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Boat Beacon | Anchor Basic |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $14.99 | **$0.99** |
| Rating | **[4.6 (866 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boat-beacon/id494877039/reviews)** | [3.5 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/anchor-basic/id1496724273/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **866** | 17 |
| Positive reviews | 61.1% of reviews | **66.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#34** | — |
| Size | 152 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pocket Mariner Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/719592131) | [Roy Cadman](https://appshunter.io/developer/1496724272) |

## What reviewers say

### Boat Beacon

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

**Currently charting:** #34 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


### Anchor Basic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/anchor-basic/id1496724273)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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 24, 2026 and Anchor Basic on September 21, 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.*