WatchMate vs Raymarine
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Raymarine
This app connects to Raymarine marine electronics, allowing remote control and monitoring of radar, sonar, and chartplotters. Manage charts and stream data from compatible devices for a connected boating experience.
- View and control radar, sonar, and chartplotter
- Remote boat monitoring
- Manage LightHouse Charts
- Stream and control legacy chartplotters
- Connect with YachtSense Link router
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The Raymarine App is the official digital companion for Raymarine chartplotters and connected boating. Use the Raymarine App to view and control radar, sonar, and chartplotter from your Axiom chartplotter display. Connect and monitor your boat remotely with the Raymarine YachtSense Link mobile router and manage your Raymarine LightHouse Charts right from your mobile device. The Raymarine mobile app also allows streaming and control of Raymarine legacy eS and gS Series chartplotter displays. Please note that Element chartplotter displays are not compatible with the screen mirroring feature. - We no longer support Raymarine eS and gS series chart plotters. Please ensure you're using a compatible device for the best experience. Terms of Use (EULA ) : https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: WatchMate at 3.5 against Raymarine's 1.5. WatchMate also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 6) and review sentiment (44% vs 12%). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Raymarine sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. WatchMate asks for nothing beyond the download.
WatchMate holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 1.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 17 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of WatchMate's written reviews are positive against 12% of Raymarine's.
WatchMate ships an update every 2 months, Raymarine every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | WatchMate | Raymarine |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (11 ratings) — better | 1.5 (17 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 44.4% of reviews — better | 12.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 11 | 17 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 195 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Garmin New Zealand Ltd | Raymarine UK Limited |
Customer experience
WatchMate
Raymarine
Bugs and requests
WatchMate
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Raymarine
Reported bugs
48 issues- Connection lost message
- App closes immediately
- Fails to connect reliably
- Crashing frequently
- Disconnects and drops Wi-Fi
Show 43 moreShow fewer
- Poor connectivity
- Bad resolution
- Laggy performance
- Crashes every time
- Connects but no function
- Needs internet to connect
- Login server issues
- Owner login fails
- Pop-up never goes away
- Screen rotation not working
- Unstable connection
- Grainy display
- Ignores screen rotation
- Constantly loses connection
- Tiny text
- Screen displayed sideways
- Drops often
- Cannot log in on iPhone
- No alerts sent
- SMS alerts not working
- Support nonexistent
- Wi-Fi dropping out
- Cannot set up account
- Chart download issues
- Password incorrect message
- App does not recognize Wi-Fi
- Cannot set up boat
- Password not recognized
- Invalid login message
- Doesn't work with Element series
- Cannot interact with autopilot
- App sees connection but no access
- Frequently locks up
- Slow reaction speed
- Only read rights message
- Password symbol issues
- Account creation difficult
- Fix pinch to zoom
- Cannot create account
- Data not in correct format
- App does not recognize Wi-Fi connection
- Login issues
- Doesn't work with A series plotters
Requested features
22 requests- Improve resolution
- Simplify connection process
- Improve user-friendliness
- Allow screen rotation
- Add dark mode
Show 17 moreShow fewer
- Fix pinch to zoom
- Enable SMS alerts
- Improve alert priority settings
- Integrate with onboard network
- Improve chart download process
- Fix password symbol issues
- Allow chart updates via app
- Add demo mode
- Improve UI/UX
- Add pull-out sidebar
- Remove redundant close bar
- Improve screen real estate usage
- Improve graphics
- Make updates easier
- Support Element series mirroring
- Fix login issues
- Support A series plotters
In-app purchases
WatchMate
No in-app purchases
Raymarine
- One Boat Monthly6 Months trial$19.991 Month
- Two Boats Monthly6 Months trial$37.991 Month
- One Boat Six Monthly6 Months trial$109.996 Months
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- One Boat Yearly6 Months trial$199.991 Year
- Two Boats 6 Months6 Months trial$209.996 Months
- Two Boats 1 Year6 Months trial$399.991 Year









