Comparison

Marinus vs VHF Trainer Lite

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

Head to head
About

Marinus

This app provides comprehensive guidance on maritime navigation rules and signals. It offers detailed information on flags, lights, sounds, and buoyage systems, along with interactive quizzes and a map feature. Designed for sailors, it ensures safe navigation on any vessel.

Highlights
  • Maritime flags and meanings
  • Weather scales and cloud identification
  • Sound signal guidance
  • Vessel navigation light diagrams
  • Day shape identification
  • Safe navigation maneuvers
  • Morse code decoder
  • IALA Buoyage System
  • Radio communication guidelines
  • COLREGs text
Features
Read full description

Not just another app for navigation rules… this is THE app for navigation rules! Created by sailors, for sailors, Marinus COLREGs is designed to provide clear and instant answers to your questions anytime, anywhere. It's the essential app for your sailboat or motorboat. Key Features: • Flags – All maritime flags with their meanings. • Meteo – Beaufort and Douglas scales, plus cloud identification. • Sounds – Navigate safely with sound signal guidance. • Lights – Detailed views of every vessel's navigation lights from all angles. • Day Shapes – Learn and identify the correct day shapes for any situation. • Maneuvers – Clear guidance on safe navigation maneuvers. • Morse – Decode Morse signals with ease. • Buoys (IALA) – Understand the International Buoyage System. • Radio – Key radio communication guidelines. • ColRegs – Full text of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (IRPCS). • Quiz – Test your knowledge with interactive quizzes. • Map – Visualize navigation concepts on an interactive map. Access PRO Features Unlock all PRO features with an affordable annual subscription. Your support helps us maintain and improve the app, keeping it the trusted tool for sailors around the world. Join thousands of sailors who trust Marinus ColRegs every day on their iPhone. Whether you're an experienced seafarer or just starting your nautical journey, this is the app you’ve been looking for! For any questions, feel free to contact us at info@marinus.es.

About

VHF Trainer Lite

Learn and practice VHF radio, Digital Selective Calling, and GMDSS with an immersive experience. This app offers learning modules, tests, and 3D simulations to help you master maritime radiocommunication equipment and distress procedures in a safe environment.

Highlights
  • VHF radio, DSC, and GMDSS learning
  • Interactive tests and quizzes
  • 3D maritime simulation
  • Distress alert practice
  • Progress tracking and scoring
Features
Read full description

Changing the way of learning VHF Trainer Lite is the most complete application on the market for learning and practicing about VHF radio, Digital Selective Calling and GMDSS. It is divided into three sections (Learning, Test and Simulation) so you can have an immersive experience aboard a ship, read, train and test all your knowledge in a didactic and fun way. in the full version you will get : - 9 illustrated chapters in full color and with great quality that will allow you to learn in an easy and attractive way everything related to the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System and radiocommunication equipment at sea. - More than 20 scenarios: The 3D simulation allows you to navigate aboard a ship using a marine VHF equipment with all its functions: you will receive radio communications, send alerts and you will be able to experience situations of distress. Get ready to navigate and experience an interaction with the ocean in a safe and controlled environment. - More than 200 questions about the VHF equipment: Answer questions, join concepts with arrows and choose the right option from a list of possibilities in a trivia that will allow you to evaluate the knowledge that you have assimilated. VHF Trainer Lite will score your answers and congratulate you or invite you to continue studying according to your performance. Our focus is on advancing, growing and evolving, always thinking about the end user experience, and to be able to offer products of quality and easy assimilation following the principle "if I listen, I forget; If I see it, I remember it; If I do and I practice it, I understand." ----------------------- Keywords: VHF, DSC,VHF-DSC, SRC, GMDSS, Skipper, PNB, PER, LRC, General operator, Short range certificate

Screenshots

Marinus4 screens
VHF Trainer Lite4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: VHF Trainer Lite at 5.0 against Marinus's 4.4. VHF Trainer Lite also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). Marinus's advantage is ratings volume (215 vs 2) and review sentiment (65% vs 50%). On price, update cadence 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. Marinus sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $8.99 per year. VHF Trainer Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

VHF Trainer Lite holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Marinus has 215 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Marinus's written reviews are positive against 50% of VHF Trainer Lite's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Marinus ships an update every 5 weeks, VHF Trainer Lite monthly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Marinus versus VHF Trainer Lite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarinusVHF Trainer Lite
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (215 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews65.3% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings215 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksMonthly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS13.07.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size113 MB471 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlejandroAdvenio Software

Customer experience

Marinus

All ratings215 ratings
Positive87.0%
Neutral7.4%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews95 reviews
Positive65.3%
Neutral10.5%
Negative24.2%

VHF Trainer Lite

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

Marinus

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App not working, ads won't clear
  • App crashes frequently
  • Mistake with sounds
  • App crashes after 10-15 seconds

Requested features

7 requests
  • Settings for Buoyage A & B & combined
  • Search feature
  • Combine sounds and lights
  • Add tides information
  • More free version functionality
Show 2 more
  • More detail in maneuvers section
  • Lights with silhouette and head-on/stern-on views

VHF Trainer Lite

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Marinus

Subscriptions1
  • Marinus PRO3 Days trial$8.991 Year
None

VHF Trainer Lite

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Marinus free?
Marinus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is VHF Trainer Lite free?
VHF Trainer Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Marinus or VHF Trainer Lite?
VHF Trainer Lite is rated higher. Marinus averages 4.4 out of 5 from 215 ratings, while VHF Trainer Lite averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Marinus or VHF Trainer Lite have ads?
Marinus shows ads; VHF Trainer Lite does not.
Which is updated more often, Marinus or VHF Trainer Lite?
Marinus ships an update every 5 weeks, and VHF Trainer Lite monthly. Most recently, Marinus was updated on October 24, 2026 and VHF Trainer Lite on October 24, 2026.

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