Comparison

app4sail 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

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'

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

app4sail2 screens
Celestial Nav4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Celestial Nav at Free against app4sail's $4.99. Celestial Nav also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months). app4sail's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Celestial Nav is free to download; app4sail costs $4.99 up front. Celestial Nav sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. app4sail asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

app4sail ships an update every 4 months, Celestial Nav every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 7, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
app4sail versus Celestial Nav: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterapp4sailCelestial Nav
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating—4.3 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—58.3% of reviews
Number of ratings—10 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developeranton van oostenSkytip LLC

In-app purchases

None

app4sail

No in-app purchases

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 app4sail free?
app4sail costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Celestial Nav free?
Celestial Nav is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do app4sail or Celestial Nav have ads?
Neither app4sail nor Celestial Nav shows ads.
Which is updated more often, app4sail or Celestial Nav?
app4sail ships an update every 4 months, and Celestial Nav every 3 weeks. Most recently, app4sail was updated on June 7, 2026 and Celestial Nav on September 13, 2026.

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