Comparison

SeaNav US vs Aqua Map Boating

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

Head to head
About

SeaNav US

Navigate boating trips with high-resolution NOAA marine charts for the USA and Great Lakes. Features include live AIS, augmented reality views, route planning, and offline chart access. Integrates with ActiveCaptain and external devices.

Highlights
  • High-resolution NOAA marine charts
  • Live AIS ship targets and collision alerts
  • Augmented Reality camera view
  • Route planning and tracking
  • Offline charts
  • ActiveCaptain integration
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Explore, Plan and Navigate your boating trips in real time and outstanding high-resolution with the latest NOAA Marine charts covering the USA and US Great Lakes. - Includes all US Coastal, ICW, Inland (USACE) and Great Lakes Digital Vector Charts - Buoys, lights etc. are tappable with bearing and distance - Free Apple Watch app - Live AIS Ship targets and collision alerts (requires Boat Beacon) - Seamless panning and zooming across charts - Unique live Augmented Reality camera view - Route Planning and tracking with Waypoints, ETA, XTE, etc. plus SeaNav autorouting - Offline charts - Route export and import to MFDs and other apps via gpx - ActiveCaptain Marinas, Anchorage, Hazards and reviews - US NOAA Raster charts available via IAP - Canadian charts via IAP - British Virgin Islands & Bermuda charts via IAP - External NMEA over Wifi SeaNav uses Digital Vector charts providing a wealth of benefits and advantages. Buoys, Lights, Bridges, Depth Contours, Depth Soundings, Rocks, Anchorage areas, NOAA Weather Buoys etc. are all selectable and have real time distance, bearing and detail information. Turn off layers to de-clutter the display and only show what is important at the time. Tides, moon and sun times and weather are also all available at your fingertips. SeaNav’s unique AR view mode allows you to view buoys, lights, ships, waypoints and track overlaid on your iPhone or iPad live camera view. With "AR LockOn" you can select a target on the chart and then be guided to it in the AR camera view. SeaNav lets you measure distances and bearings and record waypoints on routes. When at sea, the app’s Sailing HUD shows your position, Course over ground (COG), Speed over ground (SOG), Vector Made Good (VMG), Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA), Distance and bearing to next Waypoint. Waypoint reached alerts, auto-routing to the next waypoint and collision alerts. SeaNav comes with a free Apple Watch companion app . Lowrance, Simrad and B&G GoFree support included. Your purchase of SeaNav includes 12 months of free updates to the included US chart set. Further chart updates are then available via an in-app purchase. Charts for other regions including Canada may also be added to your product via optional in-app purchase. 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. Pricing for our 1 year US Charts update subscription is US$9.99. 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 may be accessed via http://seanav.net/privacy.php Requires iPhone or iPad. GPS only required for real time route navigation. Optional Real time AIS, Tides and Weather information require an active internet connection. iPhone devices and iPads with a cellular modem already have a built-in GPS, even if they do not have an active service plan. If you have a WiFi-only iPad you will need an external GPS receiver or GPS feed to enable navigation. Please note that continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. NOT FOR NAVIGATION This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful. SeaNav should only be used for basic navigation reference and should not be solely relied upon to determine precise locations, proximity, distance, or direction. Terms of Use: http://seanav.net/termsofuse.php Privacy Policy: http://seanav.net/privacy.php Support: help@pocketmariner.com Third Party Licenses and Notices NOTICE: US Marine Charts are derived from official NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts.

About

Aqua Map Boating

This app provides official, weekly updated nautical charts for marine navigation. It allows for offline map downloads, GPS track recording, and integration with onboard instruments. Enhance your boating safety and experience with advanced features like weather forecasts and AIS collision detection.

Highlights
  • Official NOAA nautical charts
  • Offline map downloads
  • GPS track recording
  • Tides and currents predictions
  • Anchor Alarm
  • NMEA instrument connectivity
  • AIS with collision detection
Features
Read full description

Free 14-day trial for all subscriptions   Aqua Map offers weekly updated OFFICIAL NAUTICAL CHARTS (NOAA) for marine navigation. Purchase a chart subscription for the area of your interest, download the map areas for offline use, and connect your onboard instruments for a complete experience. ● BASIC FEATURES - Switch between manual and auto route planning modes - Record your GPS tracks - Store and share your navigation data (markers, routes, and recorded tracks) - Display tides and currents predictions and simulations - Increase your safety with Anchor Alarm - Enable Live Sharing to interact with the Aqua Map community - Display points of interest from the "ActiveCaptain" and "Waterway Guide" communities ● EXPERT SUBSCRIPTION Note: this subscription does not include charts; it must be paired with a chart subscription. - Marine forecasts (wind, waves, currents, gusts, salinity, sea surface temperature + weather information for any point on the map) - Overlay satellite images on the charts - Advanced AnchorLink with anchorage mirroring and email/telegram notifications for greater peace of mind while anchored, even if you are away from the boat - Connect your NMEA instruments via WiFi (autopilot, depth sounder, wind sensor, compass, GPS) and use their data on the app - AIS with automatic collision detection - Route Explorer for real-time information on all elements along your route ● MASTER SUBSCRIPTION FOR THE BEST NAVIGATION EXPERIENCE Note: this subscription does not include charts; it must be paired with a chart subscription. - All features of the EXPERT subscription are included in the MASTER subscription. + LOCAL DATA: > US: Army Corps of Engineers surveys for safe navigation in shallow waters > US: LNMs and "List of Lights" navaids from the Coast Guard. > Canada: NAVWARNs from the Coast Guard. > France: Warnings, Notices and Regulations from the PING > Denmark: Warnings and Notices from the DMA > Western Australia: temporary Notices from the Transport WA   ● PURCHASE OPTIONS To access the charts, you need to purchase a chart subscription for the area of interest. Optionally, you can add the Expert subscription or the Master subscription to unlock extra navigation features and additional data. Subscription payments will be made through your account (Apple ID). The annual subscription will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before expiration. You can manage your subscription and disable automatic renewal in the account settings section after purchase. Terms of use: https://www.aquamap.app/terms-and-conditions Privacy policy: https://www.aquamap.app/privacy-policy

Screenshots

SeaNav US4 screens
Aqua Map Boating4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Aqua Map Boating at Free against SeaNav US's $19.99. Aqua Map Boating also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months) and rating (4.7 vs 4.3). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and chart position 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

Aqua Map Boating is free to download; SeaNav US costs $19.99 up front. SeaNav US sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $7.49 per year and Aqua Map Boating sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Aqua Map Boating holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Aqua Map Boating has 14K ratings behind it against 100, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of SeaNav US's written reviews are positive against 64% of Aqua Map Boating's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SeaNav US ships an update every 4 months, Aqua Map Boating weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
SeaNav US versus Aqua Map Boating: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSeaNav USAqua Map Boating
Price$19.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (100 ratings)4.7 (14K ratings) — better
Positive reviews48.5% of reviews64.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings10014K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#200#82 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size76 MB174 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPocket Mariner Ltd.GEC s.r.l.

Customer experience

SeaNav US

All ratings100 ratings
Positive85.0%
Neutral3.0%
Negative12.0%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive48.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative51.5%

Aqua Map Boating

All ratings13,793 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral3.0%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews295 reviews
Positive64.4%
Neutral9.2%
Negative26.4%

Bugs and requests

SeaNav US

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Aqua Map Boating

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Inconsistent GPS tracking and positioning
  • Compatibility issues on older devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved route planning and optimization
  • Offline map caching and seamless downloads
  • Tidal and wind data overlays
  • Sync capabilities across devices

In-app purchases

7 purchases

SeaNav US

Subscriptions6
  • Weather charts$7.491 Year
  • NOAA US Raster charts1 Month trial$9.991 Year
  • Bermuda and BVI Charts$12.991 Year
Show 3 more
  • UK Charts$13.991 Year
  • US Chart Updates$19.991 Year
  • Canada Charts$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Man Overboard & Anchor Watch$4.99
17 purchases

Aqua Map Boating

Subscriptions15
  • Florida - NOAA Nautical chart14 Days trial$4.991 Year
  • Alabama to Texas charts14 Days trial$4.991 Year
  • Cape Cod to Chesapeake Charts14 Days trial$4.991 Year
Show 12 more
  • New England - Nautical charts14 Days trial$4.991 Year
  • Virginia to Georgia - Charts14 Days trial$4.991 Year
  • Midwest-Minnesota lake charts14 Days trial$4.991 Year
  • Michigan & Great Lakes chart14 Days trial$4.991 Year
  • US - Nautical & Lakes charts14 Days trial$9.991 Year
  • Canada - nautical charts14 Days trial$9.991 Year
  • US & Canada - nautical charts14 Days trial$14.991 Year
  • Caribbean South Nautical chart14 Days trial$14.991 Year
  • Bermuda - nautical charts14 Days trial$14.991 Year
  • Aqua Map Expert14 Days trial$14.991 Year
  • Aqua Map Master14 Days trial$24.991 Year
  • Bahamas - Explorer Charts14 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time2
  • US & Canada - Nautical chart$49.99
  • Bahamas - Explorer Chartbooks$139.99

Questions

Is SeaNav US free?
SeaNav US costs $19.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Aqua Map Boating free?
Aqua Map Boating is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SeaNav US or Aqua Map Boating?
Aqua Map Boating is rated higher. SeaNav US averages 4.3 out of 5 from 100 ratings, while Aqua Map Boating averages 4.7 from 14K ratings.
Do SeaNav US or Aqua Map Boating have ads?
Neither SeaNav US nor Aqua Map Boating shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SeaNav US or Aqua Map Boating?
SeaNav US ships an update every 4 months, and Aqua Map Boating weekly. Most recently, SeaNav US was updated on October 16, 2026 and Aqua Map Boating on October 19, 2026.
Which is more popular, SeaNav US or Aqua Map Boating?
SeaNav US currently peaks at #200 in the App Store charts, and Aqua Map Boating at #82. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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