Comparison

Signal Deck vs CBDR

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

Head to head
About

Signal Deck

Features
Read full description

SignalDeck is the essential training companion for mariners, naval cadets, offshore sailors, and maritime enthusiasts who want to master the International Code of Signals (ICS) flag system — the visual language of the sea. Study the Full ICS Flag Set Browse all 36 ICS flags — the complete 26-letter alphabet (Alpha through Zulu) plus 10 numeral pennants (0 through 9) — presented as beautifully rendered flashcards. Each card shows the flag's name, NATO phonetic pronunciation, and its official maritime meaning. Swipe through at your own pace, filter by letters or numerals, or shuffle the deck to keep every session fresh. Three Drill Modes to Test Your Knowledge Visual ID: A flag appears on screen. Can you name it before time runs out? Tap the correct NATO name from four options and build your streak as the pace intensifies. Flag Bag: The challenge flips — you're given a NATO letter or name and must pick the correct flag from four choices. Perfect for cementing the visual recognition you've built in study mode. Flag IQ: A memory match game with a nautical twist. Flip face-down cards on a grid to pair each flag image with its NATO letter or official ICS meaning. Choose Easy (4×4, letter cards), Medium (4×5, meaning cards), or Hard (6×6, mixed) — and earn your rating from Bridge Apprentice to Master Chief Signalman based on how few mismatches you make. Built for Serious Learners Animated flags rendered with authentic nautical proportions and a sea-breeze waving effect Streak tracking with escalating visual feedback as your streak climbs "Needs Practice" summary after every drill — instantly see which flags to revisit Fleet Readiness Heatmap in your drill log — colour-coded badges show your mastery level for every flag at a glance Drill log that records every session so you can track progress over time Timed pressure in Visual ID and Flag Bag mirrors the urgency of real-world flag communication A Living Reference at Sea and Ashore Whether you're preparing for a maritime exam, brushing up before an offshore passage, training cadets, or simply fascinated by the tradition of visual signaling, SignalDeck gives you a focused, distraction-free environment to drill the flags that matter. Free to Start — Go Premium for Unlimited Access New users get free drill sessions to explore the app. Watch a short ad to unlock another round, or upgrade to Premium for unlimited drills, no ads, and full access to every mode and difficulty tier. The sea doesn't wait. Neither should your training.

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

Signal Deck4 screens
CBDR4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CBDR at none against Signal Deck's 1. CBDR also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). Signal Deck's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price and device support 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. Signal Deck sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. CBDR asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Signal Deck ships an update every 2 weeks, CBDR weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Signal Deck versus CBDR: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSignal DeckCBDR
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—4 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB72 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperErnest JessopSean Bowman

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Signal Deck

One-time1
  • Signal Deck Pro$0.99
None

CBDR

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Signal Deck free?
Signal Deck is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CBDR free?
CBDR is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Signal Deck or CBDR have ads?
Signal Deck shows ads; CBDR does not.
Which is updated more often, Signal Deck or CBDR?
Signal Deck ships an update every 2 weeks, and CBDR weekly. Most recently, Signal Deck was updated on September 9, 2026 and CBDR on September 18, 2026.

Other comparisons