Comparison

Great Depths 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

Great Depths

This app transforms your iOS device into a digital depth finder. It provides comprehensive US coastal and Great Lakes coverage with live tide data and nautical charts. Navigate safely and efficiently with offline chart storage and distance calculation features.

Highlights
  • Digital depth readouts
  • Live tide data
  • NOAA RNC nautical charts
  • Offline chart storage
  • Distance calculation
  • Automatic chart syncing
Features
Read full description

Turn your iOS device into a digital depth finder. Great Depths offers coverage of the entire US coast, the Great Lakes, Lake Champlain and more... Know exactly where you are on the water and cruise to your port of call directly and safely. Sail with Great Depths for iPhone and iPad. Great Depths offers digital depth readouts, live tide data and NOAA RNC nautical charts in 60 bargain-priced packages. Digital depth readouts are automatically adjusted based on current tide/lake level and are updated as you move or viewed anywhere with the touch of a finger. -- The handy mileage menu calculates distance between any two points instantly. -- Purchases are automatically synced across all your iOS devices and downloaded packages are stored locally on your devices so you don’t have to rely on cell service. -- Best of all, Great Depths is FREE and never has adds! You can download the app and preview the available charts packages without spending a dime. Chart coverage includes the entire coast of the contiguous USA, the Great Lakes, Lake Champlain, the Erie, Oswego and Champlain Canals, Lake Mead, Lake Oswego, Lake Pend Oreille, Lake Okeechobee, Lake Winnebago, Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake, Lake Cayuga, Lake Seneca Lakes, Wake Island and more....

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

Great Depths4 screens
Aqua Map Boating4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Aqua Map Boating at 4.7 against Great Depths's 4.2. Aqua Map Boating also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (14K vs 12). Great Depths's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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. Great Depths sells 19 one-off in-app purchases 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 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Aqua Map Boating has 14K ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 70% of Great Depths's written reviews are positive against 64% of Aqua Map Boating's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Great Depths ships an update every 6 weeks, Aqua Map Boating weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Great Depths versus Aqua Map Boating: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGreat DepthsAqua Map Boating
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (12 ratings)4.7 (14K ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.0% of reviews — better64.4% of reviews
Number of ratings1214K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#74 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB174 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWalk About AppsGEC s.r.l.

Customer experience

Great Depths

All ratings12 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative25.0%

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

Great Depths

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

19 purchases

Great Depths

One-time19
  • Lake MichiganFree
  • Huge East Coast ChartsFree
  • Mississippi and West Florida CoastFree
Show 16 more
  • Midwest Florida CoastFree
  • Southwest Florida CoastFree
  • Southeast Florida CoastFree
  • Northern NC, Virginia and Delaware CoastFree
  • The Chesapeake BayFree
  • New Jersey Coast and The Delaware RiverFree
  • Connecticut and New York CoastFree
  • Maine, New Hampshire and Northern Mass.Free
  • All the ChartsFree
  • Florida Keys and the Dry TortugasFree
  • Lake SuperiorFree
  • Northern SC and Southern NCFree
  • The Border LakesFree
  • Lake ChamplainFree
  • Lake ErieFree
  • Lake Champlain$0.99
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 Great Depths free?
Great Depths is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Aqua Map Boating free?
Aqua Map Boating is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Great Depths or Aqua Map Boating?
Aqua Map Boating is rated higher. Great Depths averages 4.2 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Aqua Map Boating averages 4.7 from 14K ratings.
Do Great Depths or Aqua Map Boating have ads?
Neither Great Depths nor Aqua Map Boating shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Great Depths or Aqua Map Boating?
Great Depths ships an update every 6 weeks, and Aqua Map Boating weekly. Most recently, Great Depths was updated on October 23, 2026 and Aqua Map Boating on October 25, 2026.

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