Comparison

pathRecorder vs Open Sea OpenSeaMap Browser

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

Head to head
About

pathRecorder

Features
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Do you love hiking in the mountains? Do You follow the mountain trails with your jeep or your mountain bike? Do you like sailing? Do you want to mark your points of interest on the route, the points where you have to be careful, etc...? Do you want to save a position of interest (ex. for fishing or diving) and return to the saved point of interest in the next days? Do not want to get lost and be sure to return to the starting point (home) of your trip? Do you want to be able to send an SOS with your current position, the registration of the route taken and the request for help? Do you want to share the recording (numerical data of position, speed, route, orientation, timestamp) of your route with the related navigation data? "pathRecorded - come back" is the right application for you. You can also: - Register your trip by pressing the "Rec" (route recording) button - Record a single point of interest by pressing "Rec" and "Stop" - Go back (return to the initial position of the voyage or go to the saved point of interest by pressing the "ComeBack" button) During the "Comeback" function it will be possible to start a new path by pressing the "Rec" button: the application will continue the journey from the current position. Other characteristics: - Ability to save the recorded routes using text files - Archive for saved routes - File manager to load, rename and delete saved routes - "AirDrop", "iTunes File Sharing", "Open In", "iCloud Drive", "Dropbox", etc ... "SOS email" to share the recorded route data - Recording of the path on a text file (format: .csv) that can be imported into any Text Editor, Excel, Numbers, Openoffice Calc, etc... for future analysis: * registered .csv file: latitude (deg); longitude (deg); course (deg); speed (m/s); altitude (m); heading (deg); timestamp (sec); waypointID (int); * possible waypointsID (integer) (stored points of the route): 0: NORMAL, 1: INTEREST, 2: ALERT, 3: SOS * course error led indicators * graphical indicator for next waypoint and home waypoint * sound indicator for approaching and home waypoint * walking or sailing mode * meters or nautical miles as units of measure for distance * meters/second or knots as unit of measure for speed * high contrast for the interface components (the interface is visible also when the device is illuminated by sun) NOTES FOR NAVIGATION: This route navigator / recorder has been designed to work in different places than commercial car navigators. It is therefore suitable for routes where cars can not travel (ex. in the sea or in the mountains) but can also be used on cars, on normal urban or rural roads or on mountain / forest paths. INTERNET CONNECTION NOT NECESSARY: Internet connection is not required for navigation, route recording ("Rec") and return home ("ComeBack"). Application type: - UNIVERSAL APP

About

Open Sea OpenSeaMap Browser

This app provides access to nautical chart data and map image tiles generated by a collaborative open-source mapping project. It serves as a browser for freely usable marine navigation information.

Highlights
  • Nautical chart data access
  • Map image tile generation
  • Open-source mapping project browser
  • Freely usable marine navigation info
Features
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Open Sea is a browser for the maps produced by the OpenSeaMap project. OpenSeaMap is a subproject of OpenStreetMap, and generates freely usable nautical chart data and map image tiles.

Screenshots

pathRecorder4 screens
Open Sea OpenSeaMap Browser2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Open Sea OpenSeaMap Browser at Free against pathRecorder's $1.99. pathRecorder's advantage is update cadence (every 31 months vs every 102 months). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

Open Sea OpenSeaMap Browser is free to download; pathRecorder costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

pathRecorder ships an update every 31 months, Open Sea OpenSeaMap Browser every 102 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
pathRecorder versus Open Sea OpenSeaMap Browser: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterpathRecorderOpen Sea OpenSeaMap Browser
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating—3.2 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—28.6% of reviews
Number of ratings—5 — better
Update frequencyEvery 31 months — betterEvery 102 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.615.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGianluca NataliniMobile Geographics

In-app purchases

None

pathRecorder

No in-app purchases

None

Open Sea OpenSeaMap Browser

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is pathRecorder free?
pathRecorder costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Open Sea OpenSeaMap Browser free?
Open Sea OpenSeaMap Browser is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do pathRecorder or Open Sea OpenSeaMap Browser have ads?
Neither pathRecorder nor Open Sea OpenSeaMap Browser shows ads.
Which is updated more often, pathRecorder or Open Sea OpenSeaMap Browser?
pathRecorder ships an update every 31 months, and Open Sea OpenSeaMap Browser every 102 months. Most recently, pathRecorder was updated on November 6, 2026 and Open Sea OpenSeaMap Browser on November 1, 2026.

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