CH16 vs Compass Observation App
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
Compass Observation App
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The compass check and celestial navigation toolkit for deck officers, yachtsmen and navigation students. Everything is calculated on your phone, offline, with no account, no ads and no data collection. PHONE COMPASS β’ Your heading, magnetic or true, with the Sun, the Moon and your chosen body marked on the dial β’ Find your phone's own compass error by aligning it to the Sun or the Moon; AR Sky uses the same correction COMPASS & GYRO ERROR β’ Gyro and standard compass error from any body's true bearing, with variation (World Magnetic Model) and deviation worked out for you β’ SOLAS gyro-error limit check for your latitude β’ Amplitude worksheet: compass error at sunrise or sunset, with the exact bearing for the Sun's centre on the visible horizon (dip, refraction and parallax applied) as well as the classic formula β’ Deviation cards with a fitted deviation curve and a PDF report SIGHT REDUCTION & FIX β’ Enter your sextant altitude in degrees and minutes as the sextant reads it β’ Index error, dip, refraction (with air temperature and pressure), semi-diameter and parallax, including the Moon's augmentation β’ Intercept and azimuth (Marcq St-Hilaire), drawn on a plotting sheet β’ Show calculation: every step written out with its formula, then with your sight's numbers β’ Fix from two or more saved sights by least squares, including running fixes with course and speed, plotted with every line of position β’ Meridian Passage: the time of noon for your DR, course and speed, and your latitude from the noon sight, every step shown; a morning sun line run up to noon gives the noon position β’ A countdown to meridian passage on your chronometer, in UTC or ship's time: it ticks faster over the last minute and sounds a tone at the passage β’ Latitude by Polaris at any time of the night, worked out exactly for the moment of the sight (northern hemisphere) β’ Ship's time: set the zone your ship keeps, and times are shown on the ship's clock β’ Twilight Stars: the best 3 to 5 stars for a fix at the next morning or evening twilight, spread round the horizon, with the altitude to preset on the sextant and the bearing to face; tap one to find it in AR Sky COASTAL NAVIGATION β’ Distance off a lighthouse, cliff or charted peak by its vertical sextant angle, to its waterline or to the sea horizon, with the tide below high water springs, your height of eye, the earth's curve and refraction (Bowditch's tables) β’ The vertical danger angle: the most the sextant may read to stay outside a clearing distance β’ Where a light rises or dips over the horizon: its distance from its height and yours, for a fix with one bearing SKY & EPHEMERIS β’ Sun, Moon, planets and the 57 navigational stars plus Polaris, computed to almanac accuracy (VSOP87 and Meeus algorithms, with nutation, aberration, refraction and ΞT) β’ Rise, set, transit and twilight times β’ Star Dome: the whole sky at a glance, with GoTo to any body β’ AR Sky: point your camera at the sky to see stars, planets, the Sun and Moon, all 88 constellations, classic Hevelius constellation art and the Milky Way. Search any star, planet or constellation and the app points you to it. AT SEA β’ Logbook of compass checks, sights and fixes, with CSV export β’ Dark, light and red night-vision themes that protect your night vision on the bridge Star data: HYG Database (CC BY-SA 4.0). Moon and Milky Way imagery: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio. Constellation art: Johannes Hevelius (1690), public domain. Compass Observation App is a training and cross-checking aid. It is not a substitute for official nautical publications or the ship's primary means of navigation; always verify with approved sources.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Compass Observation App at none against CH16's 2. Compass Observation App also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months). CH16's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). 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
Both are free to download. CH16 sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Compass Observation App asks for nothing beyond the download.
CH16 ships an update every 2 months, Compass Observation App every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CH16 | Compass Observation App |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | β |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 days β better |
| Ads | Yes | No β better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No β better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | β |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod β better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 β better | 15.0 |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 80 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Global SAR Hub | Burak Yesilirmak |
In-app purchases
CH16
- CH16 Pro7 Days trial$0.991 Month
- CH16 Pro Lifetime$4.99
Compass Observation App
No in-app purchases









