Boat Watch vs FerryWatch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Boat Watch
Track ships and boats globally in real-time. Identify vessels, view their details, and receive alerts for arrivals and departures. Explore nautical charts and use augmented reality for an enhanced viewing experience.
- Real-time AIS ship tracking
- Vessel identification and details
- Favorite boat tracking
- Arrival and departure alerts
- Augmented reality view
- Nautical chart integration
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Ever wanted to know more about ships and boats, or track a vessel around the globe? Boat Watch lets you spot and identify boats and ships in an instant. The Pro In-App purchase even sends you alerts when a boat you track sets sail or arrives - perfect for people with loved ones at sea, for tracking ferries and rescue vessels - or following cargo across the world! Boat Watch is free to use for 1 month and offers... * Spot any boat or ship via real-time AIS network * See the name, type and destination of each vessel * Set any boat as a favorite, and track it on the map * Search and find boats and places After 1 month a Pro upgrade is needed to continue getting live ship positions. Pro upgrade ( lifetime or yearly subscription):- * Real-time ship positions updates * Full boat information - picture, speed, where its from, etc. * Show boats' recent tracks * Set multiple favorite boats, to find them easily * Get alerts when a tracked boat arrives or departs * OpenSeaMap charts with buoys, lighthouses & shipping lanes * Filter ships on type to declutter the view and show more vessels of the type required. 3 other optional IAP upgrades are also available:- Live View upgrade ( one time purchase):- *Augmented Reality view to identify and spot boats using your camera *View boats true to scale and with Apple Maps amazing 3D views when zoomed in PortWatch (subscription):- - set a radar alarm ring around an area (0.5 to 10nm) - get notified when any ship is entering or exiting a port or area. Early alert for all ferries, cruise or cargo ships arriving at a port. - alerts when ships are passing or approaching a location. Great for folks who live by the water and want to know when a ship is approaching. You can set your gps position or the current map centre as the PortWatch location and the radar alert range from 0.5nm to 10nm. Fleet upgrade ( subscription): * Fleet - set and receive arrival and departure alerts for multiple boats Boat Watch also gives you the option to buy official NOAA nautical charts for the US and UKHO Admiralty derived charts for the UK&IE so you get the same view of the ocean as the ship's navigator. See the shipping channels, buoys, lights and hazards and why a ship is taking a particular route. Our ship coverage is global and amongst the best in the world. You can find out how our system works and check our coverage here :- http://pocketmariner.com/coverage Pocket Mariner are committed to providing great customer service and continually improve our Boat Watch apps. If you have any questions please email us via help@pocketmariner.com and we'll be happy to help. Terms of Use: http://seanav.net/termsofuse.php Privacy Policy: http://seanav.net/privacy.php Support: help@pocketmariner.com Subscriptions:- Pro and Fleet upgrade" subscriptions are yearly and will 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. 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 NOT FOR NAVIGATION Boat Watch should only be used for basic navigation reference and should not be solely relied upon to determine precise locations, proximity, distance, or direction.
FerryWatch
This app helps travelers by providing real-time information on Washington State Ferry sailings. It allows users to track favorite routes, view upcoming departures, and check the availability of drive-up spaces on vessels, simplifying travel planning around Puget Sound.
- Real-time ferry sailing information
- Favorite route tracking
- Next departing ferry alerts
- Drive-up space availability
- Companion Apple Watch app
- Location-based departure finder
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Travelers rely on the Washington State Ferries to travel to the many destinations around Puget Sound. The FerryWatch app tells you when the next sailing is going to be, making the decision on whether to hustle through the terminal much easier. No need to navigate through a full list of ferries every time you want to check on a sailing. FerryWatch lets you add favorite routes to your ‘Watch List’ and finds the next departing ferry closest to your location. It also lets you know how many drive up spaces are still available on that vessel, so you know whether your vehicle will be able to board. The companion Apple Watch app provides a quick glance at your favorite route to find out whether you are going to make the boat. No need to stop and open the app on your phone as you rush to the terminal. Whether you are rushing downtown for a morning meeting or heading to Bainbridge Island for a winery tour, the FerryWatch app can make the trip across the Sound a little less stressful.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Boat Watch at 4.6 against FerryWatch's 4.0. Boat Watch also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 9 months). FerryWatch's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and review sentiment (50% vs 38%). On price 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
Both are free to download. Boat Watch sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per year. FerryWatch asks for nothing beyond the download.
Boat Watch holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Boat Watch has 3.9K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 38% of Boat Watch's written reviews are positive against 50% of FerryWatch's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Boat Watch ships an update every 6 weeks, FerryWatch every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Boat Watch | FerryWatch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (3.9K ratings) — better | 4.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 37.8% of reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3.9K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 9 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Pocket Mariner Ltd. | Dogfish Technologies, LLC |
Customer experience
Boat Watch
FerryWatch
Bugs and requests
Boat Watch
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes and freezes
- Inability to track ships in certain regions
- Incorrect ship positions and directions
Requested features
4 requests- Route history for ships
- Improved cruise ship tracking
- Automatic notifications for ship movements
- More detailed ship information
FerryWatch
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Boat Watch
- PortWatch$1.991 Year
- BoatWatch Pro upgrade$1.991 Year
- Fleet Upgrade$5.991 Year
- Full Version Upgrade$4.99
- Live View$4.99
- NOAA US Charts$4.99
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- UK & IE Marine Charts$4.99
FerryWatch
No in-app purchases









