# Boat Beacon vs NavLink UK

The clearest difference is price: Boat Beacon at $14.99 against NavLink UK's $35.99. Boat Beacon also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 8 months) and chart position (#40 vs unranked). NavLink UK's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.6). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Boat Beacon costs $14.99 and NavLink UK $35.99 up front. Boat Beacon sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and NavLink UK sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Boat Beacon ships an update every 2 months, NavLink UK every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and August 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Boat Beacon | NavLink UK |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$14.99** | $35.99 |
| Rating | **[4.6 (866 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boat-beacon/id494877039/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **866** | — |
| Positive reviews | **61.1% of reviews** | 60.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 8 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#40** | — |
| Size | 152 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **11.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pocket Mariner Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/719592131) | [DigitalYacht Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/394667310) |

## What reviewers say

### Boat Beacon

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

**Currently charting:** #40 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


### NavLink UK

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/navlink-uk/id775979776)

This marine navigation app transforms your Apple device into a full-featured chart plotter. It displays real-time GPS positions on marine charts, overlays AIS data, and allows for waypoint and route planning with editing capabilities. Additional features include weather buoy data, augmented reality camera views, and chart measurement tools.

**Highlights:** Real-time GPS plotting on marine charts, AIS overlay and alarms, Waypoint and route planning with editing, Augmented reality HorizonView, Weather buoy data, Chart measurement tools, Automatic free chart updates

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weather charts | $8.99 | per year |
| DE Charts | $20.99 | per year |
| BE & NL Charts | $20.99 | per year |
| French Charts | $22.99 | per year |
| GB Charts | $24.99 | per year |
| Spanish Charts | $26.49 | per year |
| Croatia charts | $28.99 | per year |
| Danish Charts | $36.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Boat Beacon free?

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

### Is NavLink UK free?

NavLink UK costs $35.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Do Boat Beacon or NavLink UK have ads?

Neither Boat Beacon nor NavLink UK shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Boat Beacon or NavLink UK?

Boat Beacon ships an update every 2 months, and NavLink UK every 8 months. Most recently, Boat Beacon was updated on September 24, 2026 and NavLink UK on August 24, 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.*