# Boat Instruments vs Sail Buddy

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Sail Buddy at 100% against Boat Instruments's 80%. Sail Buddy also leads on price ($4.99 vs $6.99). Boat Instruments's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 16.4). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Boat Instruments costs $6.99 and Sail Buddy $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Boat Instruments ships an update every 2 months, Sail Buddy every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Boat Instruments | Sail Buddy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $6.99 | **$4.99** |
| Rating | — | **[4.4 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sail-buddy/id1100095207/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **14** |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 19 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [FB Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1871410394) | [Tim Herzog](https://appshunter.io/developer/1100095206) |

## What reviewers say

### Boat Instruments

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boat-instruments/id594170910)

This app provides AIS, GPS, and instrument data for boats, acting as a companion to onboard systems or a standalone GPS tool. It displays real-time data like depth, speed, and wind, and shows the position and course of nearby vessels with collision warnings.

**Highlights:** AIS and GPS data display, Real-time instrument readings, Collision detection warnings, Configurable instrument pages, NMEA bridge connectivity via WiFi, Target position and course tracking

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Sail Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sail-buddy/id1100095207)

This app provides a clean, easy-to-read display for course, speed, and NMEA data, complementing other navigation tools. It supports various devices, including iPads in split-screen mode and Apple Watches for hands-free data access. Route tracking and export are also available.

**Highlights:** Large, readable course and speed display, NMEA data reception via WiFi, Route tracking and export (CSV, KML, GPX, GeoJSON), Apple Watch integration for hands-free data, Split View support on iPads, Alarms for data loss and grounding

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Boat Instruments free?

Boat Instruments costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Sail Buddy free?

Sail Buddy costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Boat Instruments or Sail Buddy have ads?

Neither Boat Instruments nor Sail Buddy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Boat Instruments or Sail Buddy?

Boat Instruments ships an update every 2 months, and Sail Buddy every 6 months. Most recently, Boat Instruments was updated on October 13, 2026 and Sail Buddy on October 12, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*