# WatchMate vs AIS Live

The clearest difference is rating: AIS Live at 5.0 against WatchMate's 3.5. AIS Live also leads on review sentiment (86% vs 44%). WatchMate's advantage is ratings volume (11 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

AIS Live holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: WatchMate has 11 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of WatchMate's written reviews are positive against 86% of AIS Live's.

WatchMate ships an update every 2 months, AIS Live monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | WatchMate | AIS Live |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.5 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/watchmate/id557485481/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ais-live/id1108657025/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **11** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 44.4% of reviews | **85.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 14 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Garmin New Zealand Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/557485484) | [Automotive Integration](https://appshunter.io/developer/1160120604) |

## What reviewers say

### WatchMate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/watchmate/id557485481)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### AIS Live

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ais-live/id1108657025)

Monitor the real-time location of your assets with this GPS tracking application. Access historical playback and modify asset information directly from your account.

**Highlights:** Real-time asset tracking, Historical playback, Asset information modification, GPS tracking account login, View asset location

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is WatchMate free?

WatchMate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is AIS Live free?

AIS Live is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, WatchMate or AIS Live?

AIS Live is rated higher. WatchMate averages 3.5 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while AIS Live averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do WatchMate or AIS Live have ads?

Neither WatchMate nor AIS Live shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, WatchMate or AIS Live?

WatchMate ships an update every 2 months, and AIS Live monthly. Most recently, WatchMate was updated on October 8, 2026 and AIS Live on October 21, 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.*