Comparison

MarineWaves vs SkyBound Dashboard

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

Head to head
About

MarineWaves

Features
Read full description

CROWD-SOURCED CONDITIONS See wave height, weather, debris, wildlife, and Coast Guard sightings reported by other boaters nearby — updated live, with a clear distinction between a report at someone's actual position and one pinned to a spot on the chart. ROUTE CHARTING Draw a route by hand, drop waypoints with a tap, or import one straight from Navionics as a GPX file. FLOAT PLANS Log your vessel, your crew, departure and ETA, and a rescue authority contact before you leave the dock — then share it. LIVE POSITION SHARING Share your real-time position and ETA with the crew and contacts on your float plan while you're underway. WEATHER, TIDES & ALERTS NWS weather alerts and a live NOAA tide curve for your nearest station, right on the chart screen. BOAT & CREW PROFILES Save your boat's details and your regular crew once, then reuse them across every trip. MarineWaze is an informational aid, not a substitute for official navigation resources or prudent seamanship. See the in-app Navigation and Safety Disclaimer for details.

About

SkyBound Dashboard

This platform helps hot air balloon pilots and crew track flights in real time, coordinate with each other, and plan routes with integrated weather data. It also offers tools for business management, competition support, and flight logging.

Highlights
  • Real-time GPS flight tracking
  • Crew coordination with shared maps
  • Integrated weather forecasts
  • Flight planning with KML/GPX import
  • Competition task extraction via AI
  • Automatic flight logging
  • Commercial pilot business tools
Features
Read full description

SkyBound is the all-in-one platform for hot air balloon pilots and crew. Track flights in real time with precision GPS, coordinate with your crew, plan flights with integrated weather, and manage your ballooning business — all from one app. FLIGHT TRACKING Track every flight with live GPS including altitude, speed, heading, and vertical rate. Your crew sees your position in real time and gets navigation to your landing spot. Background tracking keeps working even when the app is minimized. Pair an external GPS or Balloon Live Sensor (BLS) for competition-grade position — or use your phone's GPS, which takes over automatically if a sensor drops. CREW COORDINATION Create teams with your pilots and crew. Everyone sees live positions on a shared map during flights. No more constant calls and texts — your crew knows exactly where you are and where you're headed. Talk to crew and spotters with push-to-talk voice, and let a spotter mark your map with a laser pointer to call out targets and hazards. CARPLAY CHASE Plug into Apple CarPlay and your crewed pilots load automatically — no need to unlock your phone. Follow each pilot's color-coded live track and drift projection on your car's display, with directions to the landing spot. WEATHER INTELLIGENCE Get flight-specific weather forecasts right at your launch coordinates. View wind speed and direction at multiple altitudes, hourly breakdowns, and sunrise/sunset times. Pick the forecast model that fits your flight — ECMWF, GFS, HRRR, NBM, or RAP. Check active TFRs and NOTAMs with an interactive map. SKYCAST WIND SIMULATOR Drop a takeoff, dial in a wind profile by altitude, and fly the app manually before you ever leave the ground. SkyCast uses the real flight HUD — gauges, target cards, drift cones — so you can see how altitude choices steer you across the map. Perfect for practicing competition tasks or briefing new crew. FLIGHT PLANNING Plan routes on an interactive map with zone overlays. Import KML and GPX files for competition targets, restricted areas, and custom boundaries. Set altitude floors and ceilings with color-coded rules. COMPETITION SUPPORT Snap a photo of your task sheet and let AI extract targets, coordinates, and scoring rules. Import task sheets directly from WatchMeFly. See task overlays on your flight map in real time. Share any target with another pilot — it lands in their pre-flight, in their own UTM zone. FLIGHT LOG Every flight is automatically logged with full GPS tracks, altitude profiles, duration, and distance. Replay any flight on the map. FOR COMMERCIAL PILOTS List your business in our nationwide pilot directory. Manage bookings, track your customer pipeline, send invoices with Stripe payments, and view revenue analytics. SUBSCRIPTIONS All features require an active subscription. Flight Plan — $9.99/month or $109.99/year (auto-renewable subscription) Includes: Flight tracking, weather briefings (ECMWF / GFS / HRRR / NBM / RAP), TFR/NOTAM alerts, flight logging, crew coordination, pilot-to-pilot connections, flight groups, pilot directory access, SkyBound AI Assistant, competition task sheet analysis, SkyCast wind simulator, lift calculator, and drift planning tools. Commercial Plan — $34.99/month or $379.99/year (auto-renewable subscription) Includes everything in Flight Plan, plus: Public pilot profile on skybounddashboard.com, online booking system, customer management, invoicing with Stripe payments, revenue analytics, and priority support. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. You can manage or cancel subscriptions in your Apple ID account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.skybounddashboard.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.skybounddashboard.com/privacy

Screenshots

MarineWaves3 screens
SkyBound Dashboard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MarineWaves at none against SkyBound Dashboard's 4. SkyBound Dashboard's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads and iOS requirement 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. SkyBound Dashboard sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. MarineWaves asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
MarineWaves versus SkyBound Dashboard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarineWavesSkyBound Dashboard
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (8 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—8 — better
Update frequency—Weekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Subscription
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB74 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRGKloudaLuke Thompson

In-app purchases

None

MarineWaves

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

SkyBound Dashboard

Subscriptions4
  • Flight Plan Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Commercial Plan Monthly$34.991 Month
  • Flight Plan Yearly$109.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Commercial Plan Yearly$379.991 Year

Questions

Is MarineWaves free?
MarineWaves is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SkyBound Dashboard free?
SkyBound Dashboard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MarineWaves or SkyBound Dashboard have ads?
Neither MarineWaves nor SkyBound Dashboard shows ads.

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