Rivanaut vs RiverPilot
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Rivanaut
This app transforms your Apple devices into a modern chartplotter for inland waterways. Plan routes, navigate live on the water, and discover essential points of interest like marinas and fuel docks. It offers offline map downloads and vessel-aware routing to avoid obstacles.
- Automatic waterway routing
- Vessel-aware obstacle avoidance
- Live navigation with cockpit display
- Offline map downloads
- Points of interest (marinas, locks, fuel)
- Anchor watch and logbook
- Live water level data
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Rivanaut turns your iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch into a modern chartplotter for Europe's inland waterways. Plan a trip across rivers, canals and lakes, follow live navigation on the water, and find the marina, lock or fuel dock you need — all in one app. PLAN SMARTER ROUTES • Automatic waterway routing that follows real rivers, canals and the buoyed fairway — not straight lines across land. • Vessel-aware: enter your boat's draft, air draft, beam and length and Rivanaut avoids bridges, locks and shallows it can't pass (where data exists). • Multi-stop trips and a multi-day cruise planner with suggested overnight harbours. NAVIGATE WITH CONFIDENCE • Live cockpit: speed, course, distance-to-go, ETA and cross-track error. • Day / dusk / night chart palettes and north-up / head-up / course-up orientation. • Voice and haptic alerts for waypoints, off-route and over-speed. • Live Activities on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island, plus a full Apple Watch app. KNOW THE WATER • Live water levels from official gauges in Germany (PEGELONLINE), the Netherlands (Rijkswaterstaat) and France (Vigicrues). • Weather and wind forecasts along your route. • Speed limits and depth soundings overlays where mapped. POINTS OF INTEREST • Marinas, harbours, locks, slipways, moorings, fuel and waterside restaurants. • Save favourites and add them straight to your route. ANCHOR WATCH & LOGBOOK • Drop anchor, set a swing radius and get a repeating alarm if you drag — even with the screen locked. • Automatic trip recording with distance, time and speed, GPX import/export and a logbook. • Track running costs and see boating statistics. OFFLINE READY • Download whole regions — maps, POIs and routing — to navigate without a signal. SAFETY FIRST Rivanaut is a planning and information tool, not a certified navigation system. Always check water levels, closures, locks, bridge clearances and local regulations from official sources before setting out. Rivanaut Pro (auto-renewing subscription) • Monthly or yearly plans; the price is shown in the app before you buy. • Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. • Your subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://rivanaut.donner.io/terms Privacy Policy: https://rivanaut.donner.io/privacy
RiverPilot
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RiverPilotX Lite is the pocket companion for the Danube: official river kilometers on an offline nautical chart, plus water levels, shallows and nautical notices when you are online. See the river kilometre nearest to you, check gauges and forecasts, and read fairway announcements before you get there. YOUR RIVER KILOMETRE — EVEN OFFLINE The app resolves your GPS position to the official Danube river kilometre (rkm / fkm), including navigable branches. A bundled nautical chart keeps the map and the kilometre reading available without a network. WATER ALONG THE DANUBE Live gauges, water temperature and forecasts for stations from Germany to Romania. Filter by country and tap a station to see it on the map. NAUTICAL NOTICES ON YOUR STRETCH Fairway announcements for Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania. Open PDFs and attachments, and show notices on the map. SHALLOWS AND BOTTLENECKS See reported shallow sections and bottlenecks — including minimum depth and width — before you arrive. MAP THE WAY YOU WORK Switch between nautical, satellite and OSM backgrounds. Follow your position, zoom to your stretch, and keep speed in view. WHO IT IS FOR Skippers, crew and anyone who needs a reliable Danube river kilometre on their phone — without a shipboard AIS installation. RiverPilotX Lite is a navigation companion. It does not replace official nautical publications, ENC charts or the skipper’s duty to navigate safely. Location is used only to show your position and nearest river kilometre. Naviscon Zrt. https://naviscon.hu/riverpilotx/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: RiverPilot at none against Rivanaut's 4. On price, update cadence, ads 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
Both are free to download. Rivanaut sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. RiverPilot asks for nothing beyond the download.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Rivanaut | RiverPilot |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | Every 3 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 49 MB | 173 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dennis Donner | Naviscon Mérnöki Tanácsadó Zártkörűen Működő Részvénytársaság |
In-app purchases
Rivanaut
- Rivanaut Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Rivanaut Pro (Monthly)$3.991 Month
- Rivanaut Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$19.991 Year
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- Rivanaut Pro (Yearly)$19.991 Year
RiverPilot
No in-app purchases








