Comparison

River Thames Guide vs Smart Water Care

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

Head to head
About

River Thames Guide

This comprehensive guide and planner helps you navigate and explore the River Thames and Wey Navigation. It offers an offline interactive map, a journey planner with distance and lock information, and details on bridges, weather, and river conditions.

Highlights
  • Interactive offline river map
  • Journey planner with distance and lock counts
  • Detailed lock and bridge information
  • Current river conditions and weather forecasts
  • Boating advice and emergency guidance
Features
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The complete planner and guide for travel and leisure on the River Thames (from its source to the Thames Barrier) and the Wey Navigation including where you can go, how you get there and what’s on the way - includes these key features: Thames Map and Guide: •Interactive River Map: self-contained - no internet connection needed •Journey Planner: time (at 5, 3 , 1 mph), distance and number of locks between any two of 102 River Thames points (45 on Wey) •Locks: need to know detail on every lock •Bridges: headway in metres and feet •River draught (depth of water) •Weather and other conditions for each lock •Current river conditions (non-tidal and tidal) Boating Advice: •Rules for the River •Preventing Problems •Emergency Help and Guidance (RNLI approved) INTERACTIVE RIVER MAP: pinch or squeeze to zoom to the required level of detail. Add any combination of locks, moorings, boatyards, fuel, marinas, pubs, restaurants, lodgings, sanitation, fishing, emergency RVP and/or bridges; tapping any icon pops up further details including phone number, post code, maximum stay etc (where available). The interactive map is built-in to the App so you do not need an Internet connection to see where you are and facilities near you; tap the boat icon (top left of map) for location, speed & heading (when under way on rive). (PLEASE NOTE: this means a large download - please be patient, it’s worth it!). JOURNEY PLANNER: select a starting point and destination from the supplied list of 102 landmarks (including locks, marinas, moorings, bridges and places of interest (from Lechlade to the Thames Barrier) and immediately see the sailing distance, direction (up or downstream), sailing time (at 5 mph, 3 mph and 1 mph) and the number of locks to transit to complete your journey; Wey navigation planner features 45 locations. LOCK FEATURES: every Thames lock is listed in order from Cricklade Bridge to Teddington with distance to next lock both up and downstream. Touch any lock to see much more information including: telephone number; post code; lock type; width, drop and length; lock keeper’s hours; facilities available (such as WC, water, pump out etc). From the lock detail just tap to highlight this lock in the middle of the interactive map. Portage Maps for Sonning to Teddington locks. BRIDGE HEADWAY: every bridge listed in order with headway in feet and metres; bridge headways are colour coded for ease of use and instant check to see if you need to lower any masts. All the above features are built-in so are available even without an Internet connection. WEATHER: select any lock for an up-to-date weather forecast for today and tomorrow (includes temperature, winds, humidity, visibility, sunrise and sunset). Requires an Internet connection. The weather popup includes the current nautical twilight (the correct time to strike your ensign). CURRENT RIVER CONDITIONS: for safer river use always verify the current official conditions before setting off; non-tidal conditions are provided by the Environment Agency (the River Thames authority) and categorised as Red, Yellow or Green – tap to view an explanation of the colours. Tidal conditions are provided by the Port of London Authority. Requires an Internet connection. Includes current and planned river closures and river restrictions. IN CASE OF EMERGENCY: River Thames Guide includes an SOS section with information, endorsed by the RNLI, on how to deal with various problems including: Man Overboard; Boat Sinking; Boat on Fire; Boat Drifting. NOTE: these sections should be studied before embarking so that you can react properly to any emergency. Better still: take an appropriate course before using the river. HELP: every page contains tips on using River Thames Guide to help plan your journey, find somewhere to eat or stay, using the map, and more.

About

Smart Water Care

This app monitors your spa or pool water 24/7, analyzing key parameters to provide personalized maintenance recommendations. It takes the guesswork out of water balance, pH, sanitization, and salt levels, saving you time and money.

Highlights
  • 24/7 water monitoring
  • Analysis of water parameters
  • Personalized maintenance recommendations
  • Automated water balance management
  • Salt level monitoring
  • Water quality tracking
Features
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Smart Pod is a complete digital water monitoring system, intelligently designed to save you time and money. Always connected, SmartPod monitors the behavior of your spa water 24 hours a day. SmartPod analyses a number of different water parameters and anticipates in advance their impact on your spa water. SmartPod takes the guesswork out of your spa maintenance by giving you personalised recommendations. You can relax knowing that the complexity of managing the balance in water pH, sanitisation, salt levels and water quality is done for you with SmartPod. Find out more about Smart Pod's functionalities on smartwatercare.co.uk A Smart Pod device is necessary to take full advantage of this application.

Screenshots

River Thames Guide4 screens
Smart Water Care4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Smart Water Care at 14 against River Thames Guide's 17.6. On price, review sentiment, 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

River Thames Guide ships an update every 6 weeks, Smart Water Care every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
River Thames Guide versus Smart Water Care: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRiver Thames GuideSmart Water Care
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.614 — better
Further details — not scored
Size294 MB76 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJeff MaynardErgo Group LTD

Customer experience

River Thames Guide

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative40.0%

Smart Water Care

Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

None

River Thames Guide

No in-app purchases

None

Smart Water Care

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is River Thames Guide free?
River Thames Guide is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Smart Water Care free?
Smart Water Care is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do River Thames Guide or Smart Water Care have ads?
Neither River Thames Guide nor Smart Water Care shows ads.
Which is updated more often, River Thames Guide or Smart Water Care?
River Thames Guide ships an update every 6 weeks, and Smart Water Care every 5 weeks. Most recently, River Thames Guide was updated on October 23, 2026 and Smart Water Care on October 15, 2026.

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