# Sextant vs Messina Strait Currents

The clearest difference is price: Messina Strait Currents at Free against Sextant's $9.99. Messina Strait Currents also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 5 weeks) and iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). Sextant's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Messina Strait Currents is free to download; Sextant costs $9.99 up front. Messina Strait Currents sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per year. Sextant asks for nothing beyond the download.

Sextant ships an update every 5 weeks, Messina Strait Currents every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sextant | Messina Strait Currents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Size | 2 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Stolk.cc](https://appshunter.io/developer/313529099) | [Aldo Buongarzone](https://appshunter.io/developer/445250102) |

## What reviewers say

### Sextant

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sextant-celestial-nav/id6758679821)

This app provides a comprehensive celestial navigation toolkit for sailors and enthusiasts. It allows users to navigate using celestial bodies like the sun, moon, planets, and stars, even when GPS is unavailable. The app guides users through taking sextant readings, performing calculations, and plotting positions on a map.

**Highlights:** Celestial body identification using camera and ephemeris, Sextant sight reduction with manual correction checks, Offline celestial navigation, Noon sight for latitude calculation, Line of position plotting on a real map, Polaris one-shot latitude, Solar Compass for deviation checks

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Messina Strait Currents

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/messina-strait-currents/id6799481803)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 year | $3.99 | per year |
| 7 days | $0.99 | one-time |
| 1 month | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sextant free?

Sextant costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Messina Strait Currents free?

Messina Strait Currents is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Sextant or Messina Strait Currents have ads?

Neither Sextant nor Messina Strait Currents shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sextant or Messina Strait Currents?

Sextant ships an update every 5 weeks, and Messina Strait Currents every 8 days. Most recently, Sextant was updated on October 10, 2026 and Messina Strait Currents on October 15, 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.*