Comparison

moodSailor vs BlueHelm Boating

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

Head to head
About

moodSailor

Features
Read full description

moodSailor is a nautical navigation app for sailors, boaters, kayakers and anyone who spends time on the water. It works offline, runs on your phone, and respects your privacy. NAVIGATION - Man overboard: MOB button on every screen, alarm, bearing and drift area - COG, SOG, max and average speed - Distance travelled, current GPS position, magnetic heading - Compass: fixed or rotating mode - Head-up course-over-ground compass - Reorderable metric cards - Custom cockpit panels: your cards, your sizes - Regatta mode: course marks, start sequence with flags and countdown, over-early alert - Signal K and NMEA instruments on the cockpit: heading, depth, wind - TVMDC calculator, units converter and IALA region card MAP - OpenStreetMap base layer with OpenSeaMap nautical chart overlay - Official charts where a hydrographic office publishes one free: Norway, US, Canada, Iceland, Netherlands, Spain - Offline tile caching: pick an area, layers and zoom - One-tap Map/Satellite view switch - Adjustable overlay opacity - Download tiles, weather, marine data and marks - Three rotation modes: north up, COG-aligned, compass-aligned - Follow mode with position marker and heading line - Route tool: draw, measure, save multi-leg routes - Sketches: draw freely on the map in eight colours, save by name, export as KML or GeoJSON - Route deviation watch: alarm when your heading leaves the course, even with the screen off - Anchor watch: circle or polygon around the drop point, alarm if the boat drags - Navigational warnings: French AVURNAV, Canada, Croatia and relayed authorities WEATHER, CURRENTS AND TIDES - Wind, ocean currents, waves and swell from Open-Meteo - Wave and swell height, direction and period - Choose the forecast sheet's weather fields - Animated particles or wind-barb arrows - Smooth heatmap with colour scale - Forecast time slider - Tide curve integrated in the sea-level row - Every recorded GPS point carries its weather, currents, waves and tide GPS TRACES - Recording interval: 1, 2 or 5 seconds - Background mode: keeps running with screen locked - Live trace coloured by speed - Resilient to GPS dropouts - Native iOS location manager for reliable background recording - Editor: mini-map, altitude graph, weather, currents, tide - Six denoising rules - Import via "Open With" from Files, Mail - Export to GPX, GeoJSON, CSV or KML POINTS OF INTEREST - Create, edit and delete POIs - Nautical marks: the full IALA set, incl. wreck and preferred channel - POIs on the map with type-specific icons - Mark detail pages: light rhythm, cardinal topmark - Lit marks flash their real light rhythm on the map - OpenSeaMap nautical marks: download as POIs, search by signal code - Export points, seamarks or your position as GPX, KML, CSV or GeoJSON AR POI FINDER - Live camera with augmented-reality POI markers - Compass ribbon with cardinal labels - Configurable distance range and marker size - Immersive full-screen mode - OpenSeaMap nautical marks and saved POIs visible in AR view - Camera detects the real horizon line - Night light ID: matches flash rhythm against charted lights AIS VESSEL TRACKING (optional) - Live nearby vessel positions on the map and in AR POI Finder - Course and speed indicators - Vessels rendered as kites under way and circles when stopped - AR vessels at real angular size - Status icons on vessel symbol - Predicted AR positions from last course/speed KNOWLEDGE - Built-in reference: glossary, beacons, ship lights, day marks, wind, magnetism, currents, tides - Search, sources, illustrations - Interactive tide tool: pick a point on the map - Morse & ICS signal flags: text->code/flag SETTINGS - 25 languages - Units: distance, speed, altitude, temperature, coordinates - Themes: light, system, dark - Weather model selector - Offline regions list with size and delete PRIVACY - No account, no ads, no tracking - Your data stays on your device - Train the fleet: opt-in sightings sharpen recognition

About

BlueHelm Boating

This navigation app provides an anchor alarm, trip planning, and marine weather forecasts. It acts as your boat's AI guide, offering offline access to vessel procedures and safety tools.

Highlights
  • Anchor-drift alarm
  • Live float plans
  • Marine weather forecasts
  • Offline vessel guide
  • Smart water routing
  • Find nearest marinas
Features
Read full description

Navigation, Anchor-drift alarm. Live float plans. Marine weather. And your boat's own guide — with you at the helm, even offline. BlueHelm is built around YOUR boat: its systems, procedures, and checklists become a guide you can actually use underway, with the safety tools running alongside. YOUR BOAT (AI) Ask questions and get answers drawn from your boat's guide plus current conditions. "Where's the A/C seacock?" "What do I shut off on the inverter?" Boating questions only — and it never replaces your own judgment or official sources. ANCHOR WATCH Drop anchor, set your rode, and BlueHelm watches your swing. If your boat drifts past your ring, the alarm sounds — even with the screen off. Adaptive monitoring is designed to be easy on your battery overnight. TRIPS & FLOAT PLANS Plan a trip with a suggested water route, or just tap Track Now and go. Share a live float plan so the people who worry can watch your track. Every trip is saved with distance and time. SMART WATER ROUTING Plan a trip and BlueHelm suggests a route over real water — out the harbor channel, around the headland, never a straight line across land. In US waters, routing is informed by NOAA chart data. A planning suggestion to refine, not navigation — always verify against official charts. FIND NEAREST The closest marinas, fuel docks, launch ramps, harbors, anchorages, and bays — sorted by distance from your position, with over 17,000 US coastal places built in. Works with zero signal, exactly when you need it. Tap any place to plan a route there, or just ask Your Boat. TRAVEL WINDOW A same-day read on wind and swell, scored hour by hour, so you can pick the calm window instead of guessing. Transparent about its sources and thresholds — a planning aid, not a go/no-go verdict. MARINE CONDITIONS Wind, tide, waves, and water temperature with hourly and 7-day forecasts, tide charts, and NOAA coastal alerts in US waters. VESSEL GUIDE Your boat's procedures — getting on, heading out, heading back, closing up — as living checklists that work fully offline. Multi-boat ready: every vessel keeps its own guide, log, and documents. MOB & EMERGENCY One-tap man-overboard marking and an emergency console with your position ready to read over the radio. MEMBERSHIP — STRAIGHT PRICES Free to download, and free forever for anchor watch, the map with your position, nearby places, today's conditions, float plans, SOS and your boat's guide. Premium adds the Premium chart (charted depths and hazards, water routing, tracked trips), Ask your boat and the week ahead, for up to three boats: $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year. Try each Premium feature free first: five 24-hour passes each, started with a tap, no card, nothing automatic. No ads. We never sell your data, and your guide content is never used to train AI. BlueHelm is an aid to seamanship — not a substitute for it. Always maintain a proper lookout, monitor official forecasts and notices, and carry required safety equipment. AI answers can be wrong; verify anything safety-critical against your boat's documentation. Questions? services@getbluehelm.com Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://getbluehelm.com/legal

Screenshots

moodSailor4 screens
BlueHelm Boating4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: moodSailor at none against BlueHelm Boating's 9. BlueHelm Boating's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 9 days). On price, ads, device support 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. BlueHelm Boating sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. moodSailor asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

moodSailor ships an update every 9 days, BlueHelm Boating every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
moodSailor versus BlueHelm Boating: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametermoodSailorBlueHelm Boating
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB49 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSociété Française d'InfonuagiqueBlue Helm LLC

In-app purchases

None

moodSailor

No in-app purchases

9 purchases

BlueHelm Boating

Subscriptions9
  • BlueHelm Premium$9.991 Month
  • Crew Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Captain Monthly$17.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Add a Boat$49.001 Year
  • Add a Boat (2nd)$49.001 Year
  • Add a Boat (3rd)$49.001 Year
  • BlueHelm Premium$59.991 Year
  • Crew Annual$99.001 Year
  • Captain Annual$199.001 Year

Questions

Is moodSailor free?
moodSailor is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BlueHelm Boating free?
BlueHelm Boating is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do moodSailor or BlueHelm Boating have ads?
Neither moodSailor nor BlueHelm Boating shows ads.
Which is updated more often, moodSailor or BlueHelm Boating?
moodSailor ships an update every 9 days, and BlueHelm Boating every 4 days. Most recently, moodSailor was updated on October 31, 2026 and BlueHelm Boating on October 31, 2026.

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