Bearing Pilot vs MagVar
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bearing Pilot
This navigation tool helps sailors take quick apparent bearings, displaying the bearing, target course, and required correction. It also provides real-time speed, position, and aids in determining wind direction.
- Apparent bearing measurement
- Target course display
- Wheel correction in degrees
- Real-time speed and position
- Wind direction estimation
- Simple interface
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Bearing Pilot is a new tool for both beginners and profesional sailors. Its extreme simplicity let us take quick apparent bearings, showing us in the screen the bearing taken, the target course and also the correction required at the wheel (in dregrees). Additionally, it provides speed and real-time position. Using a piece of wool or tasting winds, it also help us to get the wind direction easily. Several tools in just one easy App. A great tool for racers, buoy tenders, professionals and recreational sailors. Marinus Apps www.marinusapps.com
MagVar
This navigation tool calculates magnetic variation, the difference between true and magnetic north, essential for plotting courses on maps. It's designed for pilots, sailors, cartographers, and anyone using maps and a compass.
- Magnetic variation calculation
- True vs. magnetic north difference
- Map overlay display
- Accurate for 2025-2029
- Declination and inclination calculation
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MagVar is targeted towards anyone interested in navigation. This includes, pilots of aircraft, captains of sea going vessels, cartographers, engineers and surveyors. Anyone who uses maps and a compass will find the declination calculation (also referred to magnetic variation) very useful. (Declination is the difference between true and magnetic north and used when plotting a course on a map.) MagVar calculates the magnetic flux density for any location on the Earth and then uses this data to calculate magnetic variation. The model is accurate for dates ranging from January 1, 2025 up through December 31, 2029. Using the model, the app calculates declination and inclination. As the user pans the map, the magnetic variation is calculated and graphically shown as a map overlay.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: MagVar at $0.99 against Bearing Pilot's $8.99. MagVar also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and chart position (#189 vs unranked). Bearing Pilot's advantage is update cadence (every 8 months vs every 23 months) and ratings volume (9 vs 1). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Bearing Pilot costs $8.99 and MagVar $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
MagVar holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bearing Pilot has 9 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of Bearing Pilot's written reviews are positive against 100% of MagVar's.
Bearing Pilot ships an update every 8 months, MagVar every 23 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bearing Pilot | MagVar |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $8.99 | $0.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (9 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 88.2% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 9 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months — better | Every 23 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #189 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alejandro | Robert Walker |
Customer experience
Bearing Pilot
MagVar
In-app purchases
Bearing Pilot
No in-app purchases
MagVar
No in-app purchases
