Comparison

SEAiq Pilot vs app4sail

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

app4sail

Features
Read full description

Nautical navigation app. uses free S57 vector charts Not everywhere in the world those maps are available and not all of the available maps are implemented at this moment. Instead you can use maps of the project 'Openstreetmap'

Screenshots

SEAiq Pilot2 screens
app4sail2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: SEAiq Pilot at Free against app4sail's $4.99. SEAiq Pilot also leads on chart position (#174 vs unranked). app4sail's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

SEAiq Pilot is free to download; app4sail costs $4.99 up front. SEAiq Pilot sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $179.99 per year. app4sail asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SEAiq Pilot ships an update every 2 months, app4sail every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
SEAiq Pilot versus app4sail: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSEAiq Pilotapp4sail
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.9 (453 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews93.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings453 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#174 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSakhalinanton van oosten

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

app4sail

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
None

app4sail

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SEAiq Pilot free?
SEAiq Pilot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is app4sail free?
app4sail costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do SEAiq Pilot or app4sail have ads?
Neither SEAiq Pilot nor app4sail shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SEAiq Pilot or app4sail?
SEAiq Pilot ships an update every 2 months, and app4sail every 3 months. Most recently, SEAiq Pilot was updated on October 29, 2026 and app4sail on October 24, 2026.

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