Comparison

NightPilot vs Boat Instrument

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

Head to head
About

NightPilot

Features
Read full description

A night pilotage training aid for sailors. 1 month or 1 year non-renewing subscriptions are available. A subscription will full access to a database of most lit buoys in the Solent and its main channels and ports. including:- Ashlett Creek, Beaulieu, Cowes, Fareham Lake, Fishbourne, Hamble, Itchen, Lymington, Port Solent, Portsmouth, Yarmouth Buoys or marks can be identified from their light phase and bearings can be taken. With this information, and by reference to the log and your pilotage chart, you are able to practise entries into unfamilier ports at night Directional lights (WRG), leading lights and lighthouses are included. Can also be used to practise finding an unlit mark at night. (a yachmaster exam favourite) Facility to specify a tidal stream (set and rate) to add the drift that would affect your course over the ground Track made good is recorded and shown on the chart Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Boat Instrument

This app displays boat instrument data through customizable boxes. It connects to a SignalK server, which processes NMEA data from your boat's systems. Ideal for boat owners who want a digital dashboard.

Highlights
  • Configurable data boxes
  • SignalK server integration
  • NMEA data display
  • Customizable dashboard
Features
Read full description

A Boat Instrument for displaying data in fully configurable Boxes. The data is received via a subscription to a SignalK server. The SignalK server should be fed from your boat's NMEA data. The SignalK server can run on any supported platform, but this is usually a Raspberry Pi running a marine specific OS build.

Screenshots

NightPilot4 screens
Boat Instrument4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Boat Instrument at none against NightPilot's 2. Boat Instrument also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.4). On price, 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. NightPilot sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Boat Instrument asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NightPilot ships an update every 3 weeks, Boat Instrument every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
NightPilot versus Boat Instrument: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNightPilotBoat Instrument
PriceFreeFree
Rating—1.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS18.413.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB59 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNavtech SoftwareVICTORIAN HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION INC

In-app purchases

2 purchases

NightPilot

One-time2
  • Solent 1 Month$2.99
  • Solent 1 Year$6.99
None

Boat Instrument

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NightPilot free?
NightPilot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Boat Instrument free?
Boat Instrument is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do NightPilot or Boat Instrument have ads?
Neither NightPilot nor Boat Instrument shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NightPilot or Boat Instrument?
NightPilot ships an update every 3 weeks, and Boat Instrument every 6 weeks. Most recently, NightPilot was updated on November 8, 2026 and Boat Instrument on October 30, 2026.

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