# Boat Beacon vs Raymarine

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Boat Beacon at 61% against Raymarine's 12%. Boat Beacon also leads on rating (4.6 vs 1.5) and ratings volume (871 vs 17). Raymarine's advantage is price (Free vs $14.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Raymarine is free to download; Boat Beacon costs $14.99 up front. Boat Beacon sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Raymarine sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Boat Beacon holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 1.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Boat Beacon has 871 ratings behind it against 17, 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 12% of Raymarine's.

Boat Beacon ships an update every 2 months, Raymarine every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Boat Beacon | Raymarine |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $14.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.6 (871 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boat-beacon/id494877039/reviews)** | [1.5 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/raymarine/id1502278726/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **871** | 17 |
| Positive reviews | **61.1% of reviews** | 12.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#61** | — |
| Size | 152 MB | 195 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pocket Mariner Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/719592131) | [Raymarine UK Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/456592425) |

## What reviewers say

### Boat Beacon

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

**Currently charting:** #61 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


### Raymarine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/raymarine/id1502278726)

This app connects to Raymarine marine electronics, allowing remote control and monitoring of radar, sonar, and chartplotters. Manage charts and stream data from compatible devices for a connected boating experience.

**Highlights:** View and control radar, sonar, and chartplotter, Remote boat monitoring, Manage LightHouse Charts, Stream and control legacy chartplotters, Connect with YachtSense Link router

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| One Boat Monthly | $19.99 | per month |
| Two Boats Monthly | $37.99 | per month |
| One Boat Six Monthly | $109.99 | per 6 months |
| One Boat Yearly | $199.99 | per year |
| Two Boats 6 Months | $209.99 | per 6 months |
| Two Boats 1 Year | $399.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Works when connected
- 👍 Screen mirroring functional
- 👍 Good for replicating screen
- 👍 Can control plotter from iPad
- 👍 Adds another touchscreen

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Fails to connect reliably
- 🐛 Closes immediately
- 🐛 Connection lost message
- 🐛 Unusable due to crashing
- 🐛 Continuously disconnects

**Reported bugs**

- Connection lost message
- App closes immediately
- Fails to connect reliably
- Crashing frequently
- Disconnects and drops Wi-Fi

**Requested features**

- Improve resolution
- Simplify connection process
- Improve user-friendliness
- Allow screen rotation
- Add dark mode


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Boat Beacon free?

Boat Beacon costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Raymarine free?

Raymarine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Boat Beacon or Raymarine?

Boat Beacon is rated higher. Boat Beacon averages 4.6 out of 5 from 871 ratings, while Raymarine averages 1.5 from 17 ratings.

### Do Boat Beacon or Raymarine have ads?

Neither Boat Beacon nor Raymarine shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Boat Beacon or Raymarine?

Boat Beacon ships an update every 2 months, and Raymarine every 4 months. Most recently, Boat Beacon was updated on November 1, 2026 and Raymarine on October 29, 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.*