Comparison

Galvanic Sailing vs CH16

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

Head to head
About

Galvanic Sailing

Features
Read full description

Every phone or tablet on the major mobile platforms, anywhere on board or remotely, becomes more than a multi-function display (MFD). Most boats run one app or instrument for the chart, another for the weather, and more for the traffic, the anchor alarm, the logbook and the crew: Galvanic Sailing connects them together in one app. Putting all the information together, in everyone's hand, raises awareness and safety on board. Your logbook writes itself, your maintenance falls due on real engine hours and miles under way, and the Galvanic Voice intelligent alert system raises the man-overboard alarm by itself, even when nobody saw the fall. FREE COMPANION APP: unleash its full functionality with the Galvanic Voice, the intelligent marine voice alert system that speaks aloud when it matters. The Galvanic Voice connects your mobile devices together with the Galvanic Pulse bracelets, for MOB detection and fatigue assessment, with the NMEA 2000 sources available on board, and with dedicated weather forecast servers and chart providers. WHAT IT DOES FOR YOU Provided suitable NMEA 2000 sources are available on board: - Someone falls overboard and nobody sees it: when the crew wear Galvanic Pulse bracelets, the boat knows and raises the alarm by itself. - The boat knows automatically whether it is in harbour, at anchor or under way, offshore or near the coast, and adjusts its alerts. You never have to tell it. - At anchor, the boat checks the wind, the barometric pressure and the drag, and sounds the alarm when one of them goes wrong. From the dinghy, a compass points you back to the boat. - Your logbook writes itself: every trip and everything in it, the name of your location, your anchorages and harbours, the distance, the wind, who was aboard and every alert, recorded automatically without pressing a button, searchable by place and exportable as CSV or PDF. - Know what your engine really burns, leg by leg, and log your fuel stops automatically. - Your position, track and AIS traffic on the chart, with satellite and seamark layers (offline mode available). - Predicts where your boat and the other ship meet at the point of closest approach, and guides you to the most sensible manoeuvre. - Learns and predicts your boat's real sailing performance, from what it has actually sailed and with the actual crew. - Create watch schedules that automatically remind the crew, with reminders for duties and vigilance on watch, and know who is too tired to be on watch, with fatigue shown as a blood alcohol equivalent. - Everyone in their own role: owner, captain and crew each see and change what their role allows, on board and remotely. - Lets the captain and the owner define the sailing rules and the settings that should be enforced and monitored. - Never miss a service: due dates from real engine hours and miles under way. - The weather ahead, with multiple forecast models next to the live readings from your own instruments (offline mode available). - Every instrument, laid out the way you want to see it, including historical charts and the sustained wind as the WMO defines it. - Every alert on record, searchable and exportable. - The most serious alarms reach your phone when you are ashore, with the highest priority your phone allows (internet connection required). Functions that use the boat's own data require suitable NMEA 2000 sources on board. DESIGNED FOR A CONNECTED AND A DISCONNECTED BOAT Takes advantage of the internet when it is available, with the boat in your hand from anywhere, encrypted end to end, and keeps working without it: alerts, crew, anchor watch, logbook and the maintenance list are shared on board with no connection, and charts and forecasts come with you for the water you sail into. NO GALVANIC VOICE YET? Use what works on your phone alone, and explore everything else possible with the Galvanic Voice using real data recorded on a real boat.

About

CH16

This maritime safety app provides instant access to global rescue coordination centers and features tools for generating distress messages and planning voyages. It offers real-time location tracking for man overboard situations and works offline, ensuring safety at sea.

Highlights
  • Global maritime rescue center directory
  • Interactive SRR zone map
  • GMDSS-compliant distress message generator
  • Man Overboard (MOB) mode with GPS tracking
  • Passage Plan for voyage declaration
  • Offline functionality
  • Multilingual support
Features
Read full description

CH16 by Global SAR Hub is the essential maritime safety app for every seafarer. Instantly access contact details for over 350 maritime rescue coordination centers (MRCC, MRSC, JRCC, JRSC) worldwide. View Search and Rescue Regions (SRR) on an interactive map and identify the center responsible for your current position in real time. Generate IMO/GMDSS-compliant MAYDAY and PAN PAN distress messages with audio playback. Activate Man Overboard (MOB) mode to record a GPS position and guide you back to the drop point. NEW - Passage Plan: declare your route and automatically notify all rescue centers along your way, in their own language. An essential step for your safety at sea. Get notifications when you cross into a new SRR zone. Save your vessel and captain information to automatically include them in your messages and passage plans. Available in 6 languages. Works offline. Key features: β€’ Global directory of 350+ maritime rescue centers β€’ Interactive SRR zone map with automatic detection β€’ GMDSS-compliant MAYDAY / PAN PAN message generator β€’ Audio playback of distress messages β€’ Man Overboard mode with GPS tracking and DMD format β€’ Real-time MOB map view β€’ Passage Plan: multilingual voyage declaration to RCCs β€’ Persistent vessel and captain profiles β€’ Voice recording of vessel name β€’ SRR zone change notifications β€’ Multilingual country search β€’ 6 languages: EN, FR, ES, PT, IT, DE β€’ Full offline mode Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.globalsarhub.com/terms-of-use.html Privacy Policy: https://www.globalsarhub.com/privacy-policy.html

Screenshots

Galvanic Sailing4 screens
CH163 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Galvanic Sailing at none against CH16's 2. Galvanic Sailing also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months). CH16's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.5). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. CH16 sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Galvanic Sailing asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Galvanic Sailing ships an update every 6 days, CH16 every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences Β· 4 level
Galvanic Sailing versus CH16: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGalvanic SailingCH16
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviewsβ€”100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 6 days β€” betterEvery 2 months
AdsNo β€” betterYes
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
Monetizationβ€”Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.513.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size155 MB80 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperGalvanic Works S.L.Global SAR Hub

In-app purchases

None

Galvanic Sailing

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

CH16

Subscriptions1
  • CH16 Pro7 Days trial$0.991 Month
One-time1
  • CH16 Pro Lifetime$4.99

Questions

Is Galvanic Sailing free?
Galvanic Sailing is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CH16 free?
CH16 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Galvanic Sailing or CH16 have ads?
CH16 shows ads; Galvanic Sailing does not.
Which is updated more often, Galvanic Sailing or CH16?
Galvanic Sailing ships an update every 6 days, and CH16 every 2 months. Most recently, Galvanic Sailing was updated on November 5, 2026 and CH16 on November 5, 2026.

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