# Boat Watch vs Ship Tracker

The clearest difference is ads: Boat Watch at none against Ship Tracker's shown. Boat Watch also leads on review sentiment (38% vs 24%). Ship Tracker's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks) and chart position (#165 vs unranked). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Boat Watch sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per year and Ship Tracker sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Boat Watch against 4.6 for Ship Tracker. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3.8K and 1.8K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 38% of Boat Watch's written reviews are positive against 24% of Ship Tracker's.

Boat Watch ships an update every 6 weeks, Ship Tracker fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Boat Watch | Ship Tracker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (3.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boat-watch-ship-tracking/id669023760/reviews) | [4.6 (1.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ship-tracker/id6471243761/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.8K** | 1.8K |
| Positive reviews | **38.0% of reviews** | 23.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#165** |
| Size | 31 MB | 68 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pocket Mariner Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/719592131) | [Rocketech sp. z o.o.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1764757195) |

## What reviewers say

### Boat Watch

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boat-watch-ship-tracking/id669023760)

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.

**Highlights:** Real-time AIS ship tracking, Vessel identification and details, Favorite boat tracking, Arrival and departure alerts, Augmented reality view, Nautical chart integration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PortWatch | $0.99 | per year |
| BoatWatch Pro upgrade | $1.99 | per year |
| Fleet Upgrade | $5.99 | per year |
| Full Version Upgrade | $4.99 | one-time |
| Live View | $4.99 | one-time |
| NOAA US Charts | $4.99 | one-time |
| UK & IE Marine Charts | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent for ship tracking
- 📍 Accurate ship location information
- 🗺️ Useful NOAA chart overlay
- 👍 Great app for enthusiasts

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inconsistent ship detection
- 💰 Excessive in-app purchases
- 🔍 Limited search functionality
- 🕰️ Outdated ship position data

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes and freezes
- Inability to track ships in certain regions
- Incorrect ship positions and directions

**Requested features**

- Route history for ships
- Improved cruise ship tracking
- Automatic notifications for ship movements
- More detailed ship information


### Ship Tracker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ship-tracker/id6471243761)

**Currently charting:** #165 Top Grossing · Travel (US App Store)

Track ships live on the ocean, view their routes, destinations, and arrival times. Access detailed port information and manage your own fleet. Ideal for maritime enthusiasts, professionals, and travelers.

**Highlights:** Real-time vessel monitoring, Expected arrivals, Port details, Customizable fleet management, User-friendly search

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Access | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited Access | $7.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Access | $17.99 | per year |
| Unlimited Access | $34.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app
- 🚀 Excellent tool
- 👍 Accurate app
- 👍 Helpful app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitchy app
- 🐛 Outdated information
- 🐛 Doesn't work properly
- 🔒 Forced subscription
- 🐛 Unreliable tracking

**Reported bugs**

- Ads not working
- Crashes frequently
- Tracking issues
- Incorrect vessel locations

**Requested features**

- Free vessel pictures
- Ability to set location
- Improve search functionality
- Better open sea tracking


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Boat Watch free?

Boat Watch is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Ship Tracker free?

Ship Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Boat Watch or Ship Tracker?

Boat Watch and Ship Tracker are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3.8K and 1.8K ratings respectively.

### Do Boat Watch or Ship Tracker have ads?

Ship Tracker shows ads; Boat Watch does not.

### Which is updated more often, Boat Watch or Ship Tracker?

Boat Watch ships an update every 6 weeks, and Ship Tracker fortnightly. Most recently, Boat Watch was updated on September 23, 2026 and Ship Tracker on September 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*