# SEAiq vs BlueHelm Boating

The clearest difference is review sentiment: BlueHelm Boating at 100% against SEAiq's 61%. BlueHelm Boating also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). SEAiq's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ratings volume (194 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SEAiq sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $15.00 per year and BlueHelm Boating sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

BlueHelm Boating holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SEAiq has 194 ratings behind it against 1, 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 100% of BlueHelm Boating's.

SEAiq ships an update every 3 weeks, BlueHelm Boating every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SEAiq | BlueHelm Boating |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (194 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/seaiq/id529514298/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bluehelm-boating/id6781840043/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **194** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 61.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 54 MB | 49 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sakhalin](https://appshunter.io/developer/517213477) | [Blue Helm LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6781840045) |

## What reviewers say

### SEAiq

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/seaiq/id529514298)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Annual | $15.00 | per year |
| Upgrade for Premium Features | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Highly reliable navigation app
- 💡 Tons of features
- ✨ Clean and sensical interface
- 🚀 Versatile for plotting routes/waypoints
- 📊 Estimating AIS target crossing range

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😩 Tedious to plot a course
- 🔧 Complicated chart setup initially
- 🤔 Not user friendly
- 📚 Instructions not very helpful
- ⏳ Time wasted on simple things

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- Simplify course plotting
- Add support for .MBTiles
- Add VMG feature
- Add support for .MBTiles
- Add support for .MBTiles


### BlueHelm Boating

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bluehelm-boating/id6781840043)

This app provides advanced navigation tools for boaters, including an anchor alarm, trip planning with smart routing, and marine weather forecasts. It also acts as a personalized AI guide for your vessel, offering offline access to your boat's systems and procedures.

**Highlights:** Anchor-drift alarm, Live float plans, Marine weather forecasts, AI-powered boat guide, Offline vessel procedures, Smart water routing, Find nearest marinas and fuel docks

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BlueHelm Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Crew Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Captain Monthly | $17.99 | per month |
| Add a Boat | $49.00 | per year |
| Add a Boat (2nd) | $49.00 | per year |
| Add a Boat (3rd) | $49.00 | per year |
| BlueHelm Premium | $59.99 | per year |
| Crew Annual | $99.00 | per year |
| Captain Annual | $199.00 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SEAiq free?

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

### Is BlueHelm Boating free?

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

### Which has better reviews, SEAiq or BlueHelm Boating?

BlueHelm Boating is rated higher. SEAiq averages 4.7 out of 5 from 194 ratings, while BlueHelm Boating averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do SEAiq or BlueHelm Boating have ads?

Neither SEAiq nor BlueHelm Boating shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SEAiq or BlueHelm Boating?

SEAiq ships an update every 3 weeks, and BlueHelm Boating every 4 days. Most recently, SEAiq was updated on October 29, 2026 and BlueHelm Boating on October 28, 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.*