Comparison

Link vs VesselView Mobile

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

Head to head
About

Link

Control your Simrad, Lowrance, or B&G marine electronics remotely from your smartphone or tablet. Duplicate your display's screen, manage charts, sonar, radar, and entertainment, and back up your data wirelessly. Stay connected to your boat's systems from anywhere on board.

Highlights
  • Remote display mirroring
  • Control charts, sonar, and radar
  • Manage entertainment systems
  • View engine and instrument data
  • Wireless waypoint backup and restore
  • Wireless settings backup and restore
Features
Read full description

The Link app gives you remote control of wirelessly connected Simrad, Lowrance, or B&G multifunction displays from your smartphone or tablet. Link lets you select any wirelessly connected display on board, duplicates the screen in real-time on your mobile device, and puts control of most display functions at your fingertips. Work with charts, sonar, and radar, control your on-board entertainment system, view data from connected engines and instruments, and much more. With Link, you’re constantly connected to your boat’s key systems from anywhere on board – making it easier to plan trips, fish, sail, handle maintenance, and otherwise make the best of your time on the water. Link also gives you the ability to wirelessly back up and restore waypoints, routes, tracks, and display settings directly to your mobile device. This makes it easier than ever to protect your valuable boating data against loss or theft, and to keep your backups up-to-date with zero hassle. The Link app is compatible with Simrad NSS evo3, NSS evo2, NSO evo2, NSS7/8/12*, and GO series displays; Lowrance HDS Carbon, HDS Gen3, HDS Gen2 Touch*, HDS Gen2**, and Elite Ti fishfinder/chartplotters; and B&G Zeus³, Zeus², Zeus Touch*, and Vulcan sailing chartplotters. Displays without built-in wireless connectivity require an additional WIFI-1 module. To enable the Link app, a free software update may be required for your display. Link works with the Apple iPhone 5s and later devices running iOS 9 or above. * Mirroring only. ** View only.

About

VesselView Mobile

Monitor your Mercury Marine SmartCraft® engine data in real-time, track fuel consumption, and receive maintenance alerts. Connect wirelessly for full functionality or use basic tools like a speedometer and map without the module.

Highlights
  • Live engine data monitoring
  • Fuel usage tracking
  • Fault alerts and descriptions
  • Maintenance reminders
  • Speedometer tool
  • Map with points of interest
  • Location-tagged moment capture
Features
Read full description

VesselView Mobile provides Mercury Marine SmartCraft® engine owners with the ability to view live engine data, monitor fuel usage, obtain detailed descriptions when a fault occurs and receive maintenance alerts when due. The full functionality of the app is available when used in conjunction with the Bluetooth Low Energy VesselView Mobile module. This app collects and shares your precise geolocation. When the app is open and connected to your vessel it requires a continuous connection and therefore may impact the battery life of your device. Without the module, users still have access to a speedometer tool, a map with POIs, the ability to capture moments with the location tagged, plus other useful features. Mercury Marine’s VesselView Mobile app also provides users with a Web-based account. Features: • View live SmartCraft® engine data : RPM, Battery Voltage, Engine Temperature, Engine Hours, Oil Temperature, Oil Pressure, Coolant Temperature, Sea Temperature and more! • Speed is determined from your device • Your Top Speed is captured so you can share with friends • Holeshot. A racing game that uses your device's GPS to see how soon you can get to 20mph or 30mph • Enter fuel on-board and the app tracks fuel usage • Average speed and fuel economy is calculated and used to estimate Distance to Empty and Time to Empty • Receive active fault alerts and corresponding descriptive fault information • Enter Maintenance records and get appropriate reminders in the future • See your location on a map with nearby Points of Interest • Capture Moments such as pictures or fish caught with a location tag • Use the timeline to review Moments or Maintenance • Weather and wind conditions updated periodically • Communicate wirelessly to your SmartCraft® engine through a Bluetooth Low Energy connection • Allows for normal phone operation – call, text, streaming music, search the web, etc. while connected to your Mercury Marine SmartCraft® engine ************ IMPORTANT INFORMATION ************************* • Mercury Marine’s VesselView Mobile app is free to install. The VesselView Mobile module can be purchased through Mercury Marine dealers or through a link inside the app. • The VesselView Mobile module works with SmartCraft® capable engines built since 2003 (40HP and up). One to four engines can be viewed simultaneously. • The VesselView Mobile module simply connects to a SmartCraft® connector located either at the helm or on the engine. • Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

Screenshots

Link3 screens
VesselView Mobile4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: VesselView Mobile at 3.1 against Link's 2.2. VesselView Mobile also leads on review sentiment (47% vs 25%). Link's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

VesselView Mobile holds the better App Store score, 3.1 against 2.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 148 and 150 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of Link's written reviews are positive against 47% of VesselView Mobile's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Link ships an update every 4 months, VesselView Mobile every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Link versus VesselView Mobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLinkVesselView Mobile
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.2 (148 ratings)3.1 (150 ratings) — better
Positive reviews24.6% of reviews46.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings148150 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better10.0
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB96 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNavico Norway ASMercury Marine LLC

Customer experience

Link

All ratings148 ratings
Positive27.0%
Neutral6.8%
Negative66.2%
Written reviews126 reviews
Positive24.6%
Neutral5.6%
Negative69.8%

VesselView Mobile

All ratings146 ratings
Positive45.2%
Neutral18.5%
Negative36.3%
Written reviews90 reviews
Positive46.7%
Neutral18.9%
Negative34.4%

User reviews

Link

From 148 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to set up and use once connected
  • 📱 Allows remote viewing of chart plotter on iPad/iPhone
  • 🎮 Remote control functionality for chart plotter
  • 📡 WiFi connectivity to marine devices
  • 🖥️ Screen mirroring capability

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent connection drops and disconnections
  • 🐛 Login failures with Genesis and single sign-on systems
  • 📱 Portrait mode only - no landscape/full screen support
  • 🔌 Incompatible with cellular data when connected to WiFi
  • ⚠️ Poor compatibility with newer iOS versions

VesselView Mobile

From 150 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📊 Comprehensive engine data display
  • 🎯 Easy setup and installation
  • ⚡ Fast synchronization with module
  • 🔧 Useful for maintenance tracking
  • 💰 Cost-effective alternative to analog gauges

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent Bluetooth disconnection issues
  • 📵 iOS compatibility problems (especially iOS 18)
  • 🔌 Unreliable connection stability
  • ❌ Limited engine data from expensive module
  • 🎨 Basic, outdated interface design

Bugs and requests

Link

Reported bugs

20 issues
  • App won't connect to Genesis after Simrad SSO update
  • Connection drops when cellular data is enabled
  • Sonar log uploads fail with 'Can't Login' error
  • Screen mirroring shows lower resolution than expected
  • App crashes when taking screenshots
Show 15 more
  • Full screen mode removed in recent updates
  • Portrait mode lock prevents landscape viewing
  • Black screen display issues
  • App freezes during interaction with chart plotter
  • WiFi connection prevents internet/cellular access
  • Incompatibility with iOS 14 and newer versions
  • Remote control functionality broken after device firmware updates
  • App doesn't detect MFD devices on network
  • Panning/scrolling causes disconnection
  • Distorted video display on non-text screens
  • Shake-to-report triggers during normal boat motion
  • Zoom controls unresponsive
  • App won't connect to specific device models
  • Screen rotation not working on iPhone
  • Truncated display on larger phones

Requested features

14 requests
  • Apple Watch compatibility and autopilot control
  • Dark mode for night boating
  • Full screen landscape mode support
  • Autopilot remote control capability
  • Sound/audio alerts for alarms
Show 9 more
  • Easy screenshot download to photos app
  • Waypoint and route upload functionality
  • Support for newer chart plotter models
  • Ability to use cellular data while connected to WiFi
  • Zoom functionality via trackpad
  • French language support
  • File transfer capability (GRIB files, etc.)
  • Backup file location visibility
  • Independent display views on tablet vs plotter

VesselView Mobile

Reported bugs

15 issues
  • App won't connect after iOS updates
  • Bluetooth disconnects constantly
  • App crashes on startup
  • Touchpad unresponsive after iOS 18
  • Freezes when opening or switching apps
Show 10 more
  • Won't open on iPad despite working on iPhone
  • Fuel consumption readings tripled after update
  • Speedometer fluctuates randomly
  • Language settings change unexpectedly
  • Checklists revert to original after closing
  • Device sync issues across multiple devices
  • Connection drops when moving phone
  • App won't accept password setup
  • No data received from engine despite connection
  • Fuel remaining calculations inaccurate

Requested features

20 requests
  • Landscape/portrait orientation support
  • Trim and tilt angle display
  • Dial/analog gauge options
  • Apple Watch app integration
  • Simulation mode for setup
Show 15 more
  • Miles per gallon (MPG) on main screen
  • Water pressure monitoring
  • Rev limiter with alarm
  • Troll control feature
  • Engine performance history and analytics
  • Individual hour tracking by RPM range
  • Customizable gauge layouts
  • Bluetooth auto-connect functionality
  • Offline data storage and access
  • User-defined maintenance categories
  • Mixed metric/imperial unit support
  • Oil pressure display
  • Fuel level via Bluetooth (without SmartCraft harness)
  • Screen rotation for charging
  • Remote boat control capability

In-app purchases

None

Link

No in-app purchases

None

VesselView Mobile

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Link free?
Link is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is VesselView Mobile free?
VesselView Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Link or VesselView Mobile?
VesselView Mobile is rated higher. Link averages 2.2 out of 5 from 148 ratings, while VesselView Mobile averages 3.1 from 150 ratings.
Do Link or VesselView Mobile have ads?
Neither Link nor VesselView Mobile shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Link or VesselView Mobile?
Link ships an update every 4 months, and VesselView Mobile every 3 months. Most recently, Link was updated on November 6, 2026 and VesselView Mobile on November 2, 2026.

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