Neptune vs CBDR
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Neptune
Prepare for USCG COLREG and OOD exams with a comprehensive study system. Features AI tutoring, interactive 3D visuals for lights and shapes, and a complete question bank with intelligent test modes and progress tracking.
- AI-powered tutor for rule explanations
- Interactive 3D lights and shapes trainer
- Official USCG question bank
- Verbatim memory trainer
- Intelligent exam simulator modes
- Advanced progress tracking
- Offline study capability
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PASS YOUR USCG COLREG & OOD EXAMS WITH CONFIDENCE Neptune: Navigation Rules is the only modern study system that combines the official USCG Question Bank with an AI Tutor, interactive 3D Visual Training, and verbatim cards. Whether you are an Ensign preparing for OOD Phase 1 or a Captain refreshing for a renewal, Neptune replaces heavy textbooks with a smart, pocket-sized coach. NEW: VERBATIm MEMORY TRAINER Level up recall: hide key phrases and type them back to prove you know the rule, not just the letter. Adaptive drills: auto-submit when blanks are filled, with instant feedback and retries to lock in weak spots. Inline citations: jump straight from a missed phrase to the exact rule text. 3D LIGHTS & SHAPES TRAINER Stop memorizing static flashcards. Interactive 3D Models: Rotate vessels to see lights and shapes from any angle. Quiz Mode: Answer questions based on target angle, vessel ID, cardinal direction, and rules of the road. AI-POWERED REFERENCE Don't just memorize the answer—understand the Why. Ask Neptune: Chat with an AI trained specifically on COLREGS and over 500 maritime court cases. Instant Explanations: Get plain-English breakdowns for every question with citations to the rules and cases. Legal Context: Using the court cases see how rules are adjudicated in the real world. COMPLETE USCG QUESTION BANK & BOOK Official Pool: Full access to Inland and International questions. Smart Citation: Every question is linked directly to the specific Rule it tests. Custom Tags: Add your own notes, highlights and rule references. INTELLIGENT TEST MODES Exam Simulator: Mimic the real test by creating presets with precise filters for question number, specific words to be omitted, and rules. Or enable the Smart algorithm to dish you out trouble questions. Study Mode: Filter by "Least Confident" to drill the questions you get wrong. Daily Challenges: Keep your streak alive with quick, timed quizzes to build a daily study habit. ADVANCED PROGRESS TRACKING Confidence Scores: Visualize your mastery of every Rule based on SM-2 Algorithm. Heat Maps: Instantly see if you are weak on "Steering & Sailing" or "Sound Signals." Detailed History: Review past attempts to track your improvement over time. THE MODERN STANDARD Offline Ready: Study in the SCIF or underway—no internet required. Dark Mode: Fully optimized for night watch study sessions. Cloud Sync: Start on your iPhone, finish on your iPad.
CBDR
This app trains junior deck officers and watchstanders in essential radar watch skills, including contact evaluation, COLREGS classification, and generating contact reports. It features a live radar scope, generated scenarios for various navigation situations, and drills for recognition and maneuvering.
- Live radar scope with vectors and trails
- Generated navigation scenarios
- COLREGS classification
- Contact report scoring
- Maneuvering board drills
- Recognition drills
- USCG Rules of the Road test bank
- Offline group testing
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CBDR is a training app for junior deck officers. Eight subjects cover radar, Rules of the Road, maneuvering boards, navigation calculations, positioning, tides and currents, shiphandling, and vessel identification. RADAR. Practice contact assessment, CPA, relative motion and contact reports. Use the scenario library or build a picture with up to six contacts. Edit positions, courses and speeds, then share the scenario by code or QR. Give a report by voice with on-device recognition, or type it. Eleven radar explainers cover the signal, the receiver controls and propagation, and a tuning simulator lets you clear a poor picture while checking that weak returns survive. RULES. Practice with the 954-question Rules of the Road bank and read the governing Navigation Rules passages in the app. Optional Guided Practice directs questions toward material that needs more work. Lights, shapes and sound-signal drills include their rules and explanations. MANEUVERING BOARD. Work nine Pub 1310 problem types with step-by-step constructions, including CPA avoidance, stationing, limiting range, bearings-only TMA, advance and transfer, and wind. Practice a generated problem or enter your own values. CALCULATIONS. Work time, speed and distance, compass conversion, mental minute rules, visibility, anchoring, time zones, ETA and speed of advance. Problems that allow a calculator include one; mental-only exercises are labeled. POSITIONING. Step through visual and radar fixes, soundings, celestial navigation, inertial navigation, GPS, running fixes, dead reckoning, and set and drift. Illustrated plots introduce each construction step by step, with focused labels and interactive controls. Study Aids to Navigation with an animated range and recognition practice. Search the bundled Chart No. 1 plates. Star Finder identifies navigational stars from the camera's star pattern without asking for, computing or storing your position. TIDES AND CURRENTS. Explore animated lessons on tides, reversing flow in San Diego Bay, rotary currents, and hydraulic flow in the Cape Cod Canal. Zoom into the displays and use the clocks, current meter and Moon dial to examine the models. The teaching days are illustrative. A separate lookup retrieves NOAA and Canadian Hydrographic Service station predictions, with saved datasets available offline and export options. SHIPHANDLING. Animated lessons show how a propeller works, how a rudder works, the pivot point under acceleration, restraint and tugs with a live throttle, and twisting off a pier. Man-overboard recoveries step through the Anderson, Williamson and racetrack turns, each opened by its use case. Hydrodynamic effects cover bank cushion and suction, interaction alongside an oiler, and squat, with pressure fields around the hulls. The squat lesson uses an Arleigh Burke class profile and enlarged sonar-dome clearance, with worked clearance and water-speed examples. VESSEL IDENTIFICATION. Recognize ship classes and vessel types from silhouettes, photographs, or both. This feature is marked Beta. Source and license credits accompany the images. CLASSROOM. Host and join group tests using QR or text codes, entirely offline. Return results by QR and export the instructor's record as PDF or CSV. Hosted exams reveal answers after the test is finished. Training works offline. The station-prediction lookup uses the internet when requested, including Apple's map service. No account, advertising, analytics or tracking. Training settings, optional question-level practice progress, custom scenarios and saved predictions stay on the device. There is no history of session scores.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Neptune at every 2 days against CBDR's weekly. Neptune also leads on ratings volume (13 vs 4) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Neptune against 5.0 for CBDR. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 4 respectively.
Neptune ships an update every 2 days, CBDR weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 8, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Neptune | CBDR |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (13 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 13 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 101 MB | 72 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Brice Brown | Sean Bowman |
Customer experience
Neptune
CBDR
In-app purchases
Neptune
No in-app purchases
CBDR
No in-app purchases









