Comparison

OpenSeaMap vs SeaBase

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

OpenSeaMap

This app provides a free, worldwide nautical chart with detailed sea information, including lights, weather data, and harbor details. It offers chartplotting, waypoint management, and offline map caching for navigation. Users can mark locations, enter coordinates, and adjust chart zoom for optimal viewing.

Highlights
  • Free worldwide sea chart
  • Chartplotting with tracking
  • Waypoint creation and export
  • Offline map caching
  • Mark and search locations
  • Adjustable chart zoom
Features
Read full description

OpenSeaMap is a worldwide Opensource-project for creating a free nautical chart. Founded in 2009 the project gained a lot of attention lately adding more and more nautical information for free. Not even lights and other nautical infos are provided, but also more and more info layers like weather data, information about harbours and so on. As an add on to the OpenStreetMap this provides all missing info for nautical activities. OpenSeaMap is part of OpenStreetMap and uses the same database. FEATURES: - Free worldwide sea chart (incl. HD chart graphics) - Search for geolocations worldwide - Chartplotting with continuous tracking - Waypoints can easily be created, edited, deleted & exported - Mark locations in the chart - Zoom chart optically to fit your preferred reading size - Enter coordinates directly to be displayed in the chart - Offline caching of up to 1 million map tiles - Cleanup of chart cache data at any time To ensure future development and support of the OpenSeaMap app we encourage you to buy the In-App-Product "PRO". This will help keeping new updates and features coming. DISCLAIMER: OpenSeaMap is part of the OpenStreetMap and uses the same database. As an experienced navigator you should NEVER rely your descisions on one source of information alone. Please keep in mind that the OpenSeaMap can not replace official sea charts on bord of your boat. Please use the OpenSeaMap app only in conjunction with official sea charts and conforming to national and international regulations. Please recognize that no depth information is provided by this product. IMPORTANT: The continued use of the GPS can significantly decrease the battery level.

About

SeaBase

This offline-first sailing companion provides essential tools for life on the water. It includes an anchor alarm, nautical charts, GPS navigation, tide information, and a logbook, all functioning without a cellular signal. Enjoy a comprehensive suite of features with a single, one-time purchase.

Highlights
  • Offline nautical charts
  • Anchor alarm with drift detection
  • GPS navigation and route planning
  • Offline tide predictions
  • Harbor and anchorage finder
  • Auto-tracking logbook
  • Reference guides and emergency tools
Features
Read full description

Less apps. More sailing. Seabase is the offline-first sailing companion. Anchor alarm, offline nautical charts, GPS navigation, tides, and a logbook — every tool you need on the water, all working without a signal. No accounts. No ads. PAY ONCE Seabase is a paid app — a single one-time purchase, and it's yours forever. No subscription, nothing auto-renews, no in-app purchases, no ads. Every offline chart region offered is included with unlimited downloads. You pay once and get the whole app. ANCHOR ALARM Drop a virtual anchor and Seabase watches your position with phase-based drift detection — scope warnings, drift alerts, and critical alarms with sound and vibration. A sliding-window filter rides out GPS noise instead of waking you for it. Arm it after the fact with "Already Anchored" mode, pause and resume on the fly, and control the whole watch from your wrist. Replay any past anchor session on a scrubbable radar track. Built to wake you before your boat does. OFFLINE CHARTS Download nautical chart regions to your phone with OpenSeaMap seamarks built in. A global base layer keeps you covered when you sail past your downloaded zone. NOAA depth overlays for US waters when online. GPS NAVIGATION Long-press the chart to plan a route — built-in land detection flags legs that cross land. Live navigation gives you bearing, distance, ETA, cross-track error, and remaining distance with heading-up auto-rotation. Save routes and replay them. A dedicated GPS Navigator adds a radar HUD plus point-to-point go-to. APPLE WATCH Native watchOS companion — speed, heading, anchor radar, and a navigation arrow on your wrist. Arm, disarm, pause, and resume the anchor alarm from the watch. Start and stop trip recording remotely. Mirrors your iPhone's dark/light theme. TIDES 3,500+ tide stations worldwide, completely offline. NOAA-accurate harmonic prediction from a bundled database — no API call, no signal needed. A clear "now" hero card with a trend chart and high/low times. NEARBY PLACES An offline harbor and anchorage finder covering 25 cruising regions worldwide — marinas, fuel docks, pump-outs, ramps, and more — with a searchable list and an offline map view. Hand off any place straight to the GPS Navigator. LOGBOOK Auto-tracking trip recorder with idle detection, photos, notes, and a speed graph. Shareable trip cards with a route preview. CSV export. Sail Recap turns any recorded trip into a shareable highlight video. REFERENCE Knots with animations · COLREGS rules · NATO phonetic alphabet · Safety-equipment guide (US, EU, AU, UK) · VHF MAYDAY / PAN PAN / SÉCURITÉ guide · IALA buoyage. EMERGENCY Always-dark emergency screen so it works at night. Heave-to guide, quick-reference distress procedures, MOB tracker, and rescue contacts. PRIVACY Your trips, photos, and routes never leave your phone, and your GPS position is never sent anywhere. The only network calls are to map/chart tile hosts for first-time region downloads. No accounts, no analytics, no tracking. LICENSE Recreational use only. Not a substitute for professional navigation equipment, official charts, or sailing certifications. You are responsible for your safety on the water. Built by sailors. Yeoman Ventures LLC, California. www.seabase.app · gosailing@seabase.app

Screenshots

OpenSeaMap4 screens
SeaBase4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: SeaBase at 5.0 against OpenSeaMap's 1.0. SeaBase also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, 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

Both are free to download. OpenSeaMap sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SeaBase asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SeaBase holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OpenSeaMap ships an update every 2 months, SeaBase every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
OpenSeaMap versus SeaBase: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenSeaMapSeaBase
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews38.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS18.616.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB80 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerappdoctors UGYeoman Ventures LLC

Customer experience

OpenSeaMap

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews47 reviews
Positive38.3%
Neutral12.8%
Negative48.9%

SeaBase

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

OpenSeaMap

One-time1
  • OpenSeaMap Professional$1.99
None

SeaBase

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is OpenSeaMap free?
OpenSeaMap is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SeaBase free?
SeaBase is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, OpenSeaMap or SeaBase?
SeaBase is rated higher. OpenSeaMap averages 1.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while SeaBase averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do OpenSeaMap or SeaBase have ads?
Neither OpenSeaMap nor SeaBase shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OpenSeaMap or SeaBase?
OpenSeaMap ships an update every 2 months, and SeaBase every 6 days. Most recently, OpenSeaMap was updated on October 21, 2026 and SeaBase on September 30, 2026.

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