Comparison

Boat Instruments vs NavLink HD

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

Head to head
About

Boat Instruments

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
Read full description

AIS, GPS and instruments for your boat. Essential and useful companion to boat instrumentation or to complement the GPS functions of your device. The app connects through Wifi to NMEA bridges that transmit instrumentation and AIS data. You can configure flexible pages of analog and digital instruments, which display realistic gauges and panels: ● Depth, speed, course, wind, location, rudder, rpm. More instruments in future versions. The AIS screen shows relative position, speed and course for nearby targets that the on board AIS receiver is reporting. A minimum safe distance can be used to show warnings about potential collisions. The relative direction of travel of targets is shown in colours to indicate relative position in 5, 10 and 20 minutes. ● Relative course and speed, collision detection, forecast position. ABOUT US Imray is the leading publisher of nautical charts, books and apps. Our charts, designed and published in England for nearly 200 years, feature popular, carefully edited and award-winning cartography. Look out for other applications in the Marine Navigation Series from Imray Follow us on Twitter @imray_charts Facebook @imraynautical LANGUAGES English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese

About

NavLink HD

Transform your Apple device into a comprehensive chart plotter for marine navigation. Access real-time GPS, AIS overlays, and route planning tools. Unlock advanced features like live internet AIS feeds and augmented reality through in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • Real-time GPS plotting
  • Live AIS ship overlay
  • Waypoint and route planning
  • NMEA instrument gauges
  • Augmented Reality HorizonView
  • S57 digital mapping
Features
Read full description

Marine Navigation App that turns your Apple Device in to a full function chart plotter. Includes all our navigation, AIS and NMEA instrument and trip planning tools. A catalog of high resolution vector charts providing coverage across US including US Great Lakes, CA, UK & Ireland, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Croatia and Spain are available via separate In App Purchases. Free features include: · Realtime GPS position plotted on the map · Live AIS ship overlay when connected to compatible wireless AIS system via a wireless NMEA link with CPA and TCPA alarms · NMEA Wind Speed and Direction gauges · Waypoints and routes with full route editing and planning function · Position, COG, SOG, VMG, bearing, distance and ETA displays · Weather buoy data · A-B chart ruler for quick and easy bearing and distance measurement · Favourite Place markers (POIs). Additional features available via In App Purchase subscription · Marine Charts - Yearly subscriptions for charts using the latest Hydrographic Office data including automatic updates for a year. · NavLink Pro - provides live internet AIS feeds for your area and an Augmented Reality HorizonView showing course, route, navaids, AIS targets, POIs and Air Draught on the camera display that makes Nav-Aid and vessel identification simple and reliable. Plan and sail routes Instant route and waypoint creation by tapping on screen. Route reverse function and route overview with inter-leg bearing and distance. Share your routes via dropbox and email with other users NavLink Charting NavLink utilises the latest S57 based digital mapping and features automatic updates for each year's subscription. With vector mapping, you can manage your layers of data to de-clutter the screen or maximise information. NavLink supports all key charting feature such as buoys, lights, bridges, depth contours, spot depths, depth contours, anchorage and military areas etc. Interfacing NavLink is compatible with all Digital Yacht's wireless NMEA devices such as the iAIS, WLN10, WLN10HS, NavLink, iNavHub and PilotLink that stream wireless AIS data to your Apple device If you have a WiFi-only iPad you will need an external Bluetooth GPS receiver to enable navigation. 3rd Party units are available such as the Garmin Glo. Please note: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life Subscriptions Our in-app purchases are 1 year subscriptions, which automatically renew at the end of the subscription period unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase, and will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the iTunes account holder and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to Account Settings after purchase. 
No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Our privacy policy and terms and conditions may be viewed here:- http://seanav.net/digitalyacht/privacy.php and here :- http://seanav.net/dyiostsandcs.php Safety Notice NavLink (including the NOAA charts) is intended to be used as an aid to navigation. Only official government charts and notice to mariners contain all of the current information needed for safe navigation. This product's features cannot be relied on to be complete or accurate and may vary locally. It is the Captain's or Boat Owner's responsibility to use official government charts, notice to mariners, caution, sound judgement and proper navigational skill when operating their vessel and using this or any other Digital Yacht product. By purchasing this App, you are accepting the limitations of this app and the charts.

Screenshots

Boat Instruments3 screens
NavLink HD4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Boat Instruments at 80% against NavLink HD's 0%. Boat Instruments also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 11) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). NavLink HD's advantage is price (Free vs $6.99). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

NavLink HD is free to download; Boat Instruments costs $6.99 up front. NavLink HD sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $8.49 per year. Boat Instruments asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Boat Instruments ships an update every 2 months, NavLink HD every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Boat Instruments versus NavLink HD: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBoat InstrumentsNavLink HD
Price$6.99Free — better
Rating—4.2 (11 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—11 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better11.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB52 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFB Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson GmbHDigitalYacht Ltd.

Customer experience

Boat Instruments

Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

NavLink HD

All ratings11 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative18.2%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

Boat Instruments

No in-app purchases

11 purchases

NavLink HD

Subscriptions11
  • Weather charts$8.491 Year
  • Pro Features$16.491 Year
  • German Charts$16.991 Year
Show 8 more
  • NL & BE Charts$17.991 Year
  • US & Great Lakes$19.991 Year
  • Portuguese charts$19.991 Year
  • French Charts$22.991 Year
  • Spanish Charts$24.991 Year
  • Croatia charts$28.991 Year
  • Canadian Charts$30.991 Year
  • Danish Charts$36.991 Year

Questions

Is Boat Instruments free?
Boat Instruments costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is NavLink HD free?
NavLink HD is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Boat Instruments or NavLink HD have ads?
Neither Boat Instruments nor NavLink HD shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Boat Instruments or NavLink HD?
Boat Instruments ships an update every 2 months, and NavLink HD every 5 months. Most recently, Boat Instruments was updated on October 13, 2026 and NavLink HD on October 3, 2026.

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