Comparison

SEAiq Pilot vs Celestial Nav

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

Head to head
About

SEAiq Pilot

This navigation app provides advanced charting and real-time vessel data for professional marine pilots. It supports various chart formats and external NMEA/AIS devices, offering features like predicted vessel display and docking aids. A free trial is available, with an in-app purchase for permanent access.

Highlights
  • S-57, S-63, iENC, BSB/KAP chart support
  • External NMEA/AIS over WiFi
  • Predicted vessel display
  • Docking aids
  • Vessel catalog
  • NMEA/AIS record and playback
  • Mariners tools
Read full description

SEAiq Pilot is designed especially for use by river, channel, and harbor pilots. It includes support for charts in the S-57, S-63, iENC and BSB/KAP formats and use of external NMEA/AIS over WiFi. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ IMPORTANT: For non-pilots, we recommend SEAiq and SEAiq USA. This app is free to download. All features are available during a 7-day evaluation period. An in-app purchase is required to permanently upgrade the app, otherwise after the evaluation period only basic chart viewing is supported. Enterprise Subscriptions purchased through the iOS App Store are for iOS only. Access on other platforms is not included. SEAiq Pilot and SEAiq Pilot VPP are the exact same app and differ only in how they are purchased. Features unique to SEAiq Pilot include: * Support for official HO S-57/S-63 marine charts * Adheres to IHO S-52 chart display standards * Predicted vessel display (with ROT) * Docking aids displaying distance/velocity to wharf fenders * Vessel catalog * Supports WiFi based AIS plugs and Portable Pilot Units * NMEA/AIS record and playback * Waypoints, routes, ETA, XTD, speed limits * Route Meeting Point * Visual CPA * AIS "virtual boarding" * Mariners tools: VRM, EBL, Mariners Notes, Clearing Lines Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

About

Celestial Nav

This app provides tools for celestial navigation, offering computations for celestial bodies and sight reductions. It includes an offline perpetual almanac and allows for quick capture of observation data for accurate course adjustments.

Highlights
  • Celestial navigational computations
  • Offline perpetual almanac
  • Quick celestial observation data capture
  • High accuracy sight reductions
  • Sight planning and reduction tools
  • Celestial fix computations
Features
Read full description

We believe celestial navigation is an amazing skill and develop Celestial Nav to offer a simple, yet powerful and all encompassing app for our users. Celestial Nav is an easy to use, all-in-one tool which offers: • Celestial navigational computations for your device • Simple toolbar menu for quick access • Internally stored perpetual Almanac • Offline ready and functional without the need for other external tools • Quick and easy capture celestial observation data • High accuracy sight reductions • Star reference tables SIGHT PLANNING • Local Hour Angle (LHA) for Aries • Star tables sorted by name, magnitude, declination, and SHA • Sunrise, sunset, twilight, and location reference • Moon phase reference SIGHT REDUCTION • High accuracy sight reduction algorithm • Perpetual Almanac offering accurate data for years 1600 - 3000 • Almanac data for Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn • Detailed Almanac data for 58 navigational stars • Assumed Position (AP) for any user defined position • Line of Position (LOP) intercept data for accurate course and speed adjustments • Computational variables displayed for accuracy and validation CELESTIAL FIX • Computations by USNO algorithm in the Nautical Almanac • Save all your LOP in an easy reference table BASIC VERSION Free daytime celestial navigation tools using the sun: • Unlimited sextant sight reduction calculations • Sight reduction to a line of position using the sun • Perpetual almanac for the sun • Advanced sight corrections for index error, eye height, temperature, and pressure • Support for upper and lower limb reference • Star Table with navigational references • Detailed Sun references • Limited Moon references PRO FEATURES (IN-APP PURCHASE) Advanced Day & Night Celestial Navigation includes all BASIC features plus: • Almanac data for 65 navigational bodies for years 1600 through 3000 • Map display for saved LOPs • View intercepts with course and speed corrections • Metric and imperial unit support with automatic conversions • Support for coordinate entries in different formats (H° M’ S” or Decimals) • Save all your LOP calculations for future reference • Save user preferences and settings • Unrestricted moon references • Almanac and algorithmic models for 65 navigational bodies: • Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn • 58 navigational stars Supported stars: Acamar, Achernar, Acrux, Adhara, Aldebaran, Alioth, Alkaid, Alnair, Alnilam, Alphard, Alphecca, Alpheratz, Altair, Ankaa, Antares, Arcturus, Atria, Avior, Bellatrix, Betelgeuse, Canopus, Capella, Deneb, Denebola, Diphda, Dubhe, Elnath, Eltanin, Enif, Fomalhaut, Gacrux, Gienah, Hadar, Hamal, Kaus Australis, Kochab, Markab, Menkar, Menkent, Miaplacidus, Mirfak, Nunki, Peacock, Polaris, Pollux, Procyon, Rasalhague, Regulus, Rigel, Rigil Kent., Sabik, Schedar, Shaula, Sirius, Spica, Suhail, Vega, Zubengenubi REFERENCES Sight reductions and celestial calculations use various internationally accepted references for the most accurate results: • Jean Meeus - Astronomical Algorithms • US Naval Observatory (USNO) Almanac and Algorithms • Hipparcos New Astrometric Catalog, Published 2007 • ELP2000-85 SUBSCRIPTION TERMS Celestial Nav is free to download and the basic features free to use. A paid upgrade to the PRO version provides access to premium features and additional tools. We may offer trial subscriptions that give limited time access to all PRO features and premium content for the duration of the trial period. Trial subscriptions automatically expire and the app will revert back to the Basic version thereafter. No data is lost but access and use of premium features will no longer be available.

Screenshots

SEAiq Pilot2 screens
Celestial Nav4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: SEAiq Pilot at 4.9 against Celestial Nav's 4.3. SEAiq Pilot also leads on review sentiment (93% vs 64%) and ratings volume (453 vs 10). Celestial Nav's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. SEAiq Pilot sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $179.99 per year and Celestial Nav sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SEAiq Pilot holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SEAiq Pilot has 453 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 93% of SEAiq Pilot's written reviews are positive against 64% of Celestial Nav's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SEAiq Pilot ships an update every 2 months, Celestial Nav every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
SEAiq Pilot versus Celestial Nav: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSEAiq PilotCelestial Nav
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (453 ratings) — better4.3 (10 ratings)
Positive reviews93.5% of reviews — better64.3% of reviews
Number of ratings453 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSakhalinSkytip LLC

Customer experience

SEAiq Pilot

All ratings453 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral0.7%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews92 reviews
Positive93.5%
Neutral1.1%
Negative5.4%

Celestial Nav

All ratings10 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive64.3%
Neutral7.1%
Negative28.6%

Bugs and requests

SEAiq Pilot

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • 🐛 Graphics are poor
  • 🐛 Hard to see own ship AIS for boarding
  • 🐛 iOS 14 position acquisition issues with AIS pilot plug Wifi
  • 🐛 Waypoints can be accidentally deleted
  • 🐛 Chartworld map loading issues
Show 1 more
  • 🐛 AIS target display issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add Vietnamese to language section
  • Allow waypoints to be locked
  • Make active tools (EBL, VRM) a different color than orange
  • Ability to use voice record through Bluetooth for VDR functionality
  • Dark mode option

Celestial Nav

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

SEAiq Pilot

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Annual1 Month trial$179.991 Year
  • Enterprise Annual1 Month trial$359.991 Year
One-time1
  • Upgrade for Premium Features$399.99
6 purchases

Celestial Nav

Subscriptions3
  • PRO Version$1.991 Month
  • PRO Version$7.996 Months
  • PRO Version$9.991 Year
One-time3
  • 7 Day Trial License$0.99
  • 30 Day Trial License$2.99
  • PRO Version Lifetime$24.99

Questions

Is SEAiq Pilot free?
SEAiq Pilot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Celestial Nav free?
Celestial Nav is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SEAiq Pilot or Celestial Nav?
SEAiq Pilot is rated higher. SEAiq Pilot averages 4.9 out of 5 from 453 ratings, while Celestial Nav averages 4.3 from 10 ratings.
Do SEAiq Pilot or Celestial Nav have ads?
Neither SEAiq Pilot nor Celestial Nav shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SEAiq Pilot or Celestial Nav?
SEAiq Pilot ships an update every 2 months, and Celestial Nav every 3 weeks. Most recently, SEAiq Pilot was updated on October 16, 2026 and Celestial Nav on October 17, 2026.

Other comparisons