Comparison

SEAiq vs WatchMate

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

Head to head
About

SEAiq

This marine navigation app offers comprehensive charting capabilities, allowing users to load various standard chart formats and download NOAA charts. It includes essential navigation tools like waypoints, routes, and an anchor alarm, along with weather overlays and NMEA/AIS integration.

Highlights
  • Load custom S-57, S-63, iENC, BSB, KAP charts
  • Automatic NOAA chart downloads
  • Waypoints, routes, and tracks
  • Anchor alarm
  • Automatic weather downloads
  • NMEA and AIS integration
Read full description

SEAiq is a full-featured marine navigation app. It lets you load your own charts in standard formats, including S-57, S-63, iENC, BSB, and KAP. It also automatically downloads charts from NOAA for the United States. Features include: * Waypoints * Routes * Tracks * Night color modes * Anchor alarm * Automatic download and display of weather (wind & isobar) * Chart measuring tools (EBL/VRM) * Wi-Fi-based NMEA and AIS No purchase is required to view charts. Premium navigation features are enabled during a 7-day evaluation period. After that, an annual subscription is required. Existing one-time purchases retain the features they unlocked. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

WatchMate

This app provides remote control and situational awareness for your Vesper Marine AIS Transponder. View AIS targets, manage alarms, and control transponder settings directly from your mobile device.

Highlights
  • View AIS targets
  • Manage collision prevention alarms
  • Control Anchor Watch alarm
  • View GPS position, course, and speed
  • Remote control transponder settings
  • Configure vessel AIS static data
  • Perform firmware upgrades
Read full description

The WatchMate App connects with your Vesper Marine AIS Transponder to place remote control functionality and situational awareness in the palm of your hand on your iPhone or on your iPad. The WatchMate App becomes the user interface for configuring and remote control of your Vesper Marine AIS Transponder, especially where it does not have its own display such as the Vesper Marine XB-8000. - View AIS Targets received by your Vesper Marine AIS Transponder. - Setup and manage collision prevention alarm profiles. - Manage your MOB alarms. - Control and view your Anchor Watch alarm. - View your AIS Transponder's own GPS Position, Course and Speed. - Check the operational status of your AIS Transponder. - Remote control of your AIS Transponder settings. - Switch easily between Silent Mode and Normal Transmitting mode. - Configure your Vessel's AIS Static data. (MMSI, Call Sign, Vessel Type, Vessel Size) - Perform firmware upgrades. Connects to your WatchMate device's WIFI access point or by being on the same wifi network. - Supports Vesper Marine XB-8000 AIS Transponder. - Supports Vesper Marine WatchMate Vision®. The complex nature of our innovative WatchMate App makes coding mishaps difficult to eliminate despite the superhuman efforts of our developers so please remember Vesper Marine does not warrant that this product is error-free. As the adventurous user it's your job to exercise common sense and the best navigational judgement you can muster. Although we think the WatchMate App is awesome nothing beats using all your human senses, so best you still rely on these at least as much as you rely on the WatchMate App for making navigational safety decisions. Our advice is; even with the WatchMate App it’s still a clever idea to maintain a permanent watch and use more than one aid for navigation.

Screenshots

SEAiq2 screens
WatchMate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: SEAiq at 4.7 against WatchMate's 3.3. SEAiq also leads on review sentiment (61% vs 44%) and ratings volume (194 vs 12). WatchMate's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, 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. SEAiq sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $15.00 per year. WatchMate asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SEAiq holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SEAiq has 194 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of SEAiq's written reviews are positive against 44% of WatchMate's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SEAiq ships an update every 3 weeks, WatchMate every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 23, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
SEAiq versus WatchMate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSEAiqWatchMate
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (194 ratings) — better3.3 (12 ratings)
Positive reviews61.3% of reviews — better44.4% of reviews
Number of ratings194 — better12
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSakhalinGarmin New Zealand Ltd

Customer experience

SEAiq

All ratings194 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral3.6%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews75 reviews
Positive61.3%
Neutral6.7%
Negative32.0%

WatchMate

All ratings11 ratings
Positive45.5%
Neutral27.3%
Negative27.3%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive44.4%
Neutral22.2%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

SEAiq

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • No access to premium features after payment
  • Chart downloads fail if app is not on screen
  • App freezes when trying to delete
  • App crashes

Requested features

13 requests
  • Simplify course plotting
  • Add support for .MBTiles
  • Add VMG feature
  • Add support for .MBTiles
  • Add support for .MBTiles
Show 8 more
  • Allow selection of discreet chart areas
  • Add GPS data from TCP/IP source
  • Allow disabling internal GPS
  • Provide good integration/complement to OpenCpn
  • Provide TCP/IP support for NMEA data
  • Broadcast waypoint and NMEA data to external systems
  • Lower price for waypoints creation
  • Allow using purchased charts across devices

WatchMate

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

SEAiq

Subscriptions1
  • Premium Annual$15.001 Year
One-time1
  • Upgrade for Premium Features$49.99
None

WatchMate

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SEAiq free?
SEAiq is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is WatchMate free?
WatchMate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SEAiq or WatchMate?
SEAiq is rated higher. SEAiq averages 4.7 out of 5 from 194 ratings, while WatchMate averages 3.3 from 12 ratings.
Do SEAiq or WatchMate have ads?
Neither SEAiq nor WatchMate shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SEAiq or WatchMate?
SEAiq ships an update every 3 weeks, and WatchMate every 2 months. Most recently, SEAiq was updated on October 23, 2026 and WatchMate on October 23, 2026.

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