WatchMate vs Marine Radar
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.
Marine Radar
View and control radar images from a compatible wireless radar sensor on your iOS device. This app aids in navigation by displaying radar data, but is not a substitute for fundamental navigation skills.
- View radar images on iOS devices
- Control radar images
- Connects to Furuno Wireless Radar Sensor DRS4W
- Aids in voyage
- Requires compatible Furuno hardware
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Descriptions: This Marine Radar App, in connection with the Furuno Wireless Radar Sensor DRS4W, enables to view and control Radar images on iOS devices. How to use: Get the Marine Radar App installed on your device. Connect your device to the DRS4W and launch the app to view the Radar images. For detailed setup and operation procedures, see the operation manual enclosed with the DRS4W. NOTE: This application is aimed for the help of the voyage. Electronic aids are not a replacement for basic navigation principles and common sense. NOTE for use in Japan: This application can be used only in situations where GP-1x71F of FURUNO Chart Plotter is equipped at the same time.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: WatchMate at 3.3 against Marine Radar's 2.7. WatchMate also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 11 months) and review sentiment (44% vs 31%). Marine Radar's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
WatchMate holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12 and 12 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of WatchMate's written reviews are positive against 31% of Marine Radar's.
WatchMate ships an update every 2 months, Marine Radar every 11 months. Both last shipped on October 23, 2026.
| Parameter | WatchMate | Marine Radar |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (12 ratings) — better | 2.7 (12 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 44.4% of reviews — better | 30.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 12 | 12 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 11 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Garmin New Zealand Ltd | 株式会社フルノソフテック |
Customer experience
WatchMate
Marine Radar
In-app purchases
WatchMate
No in-app purchases
Marine Radar
No in-app purchases









