FerryDodger vs Boreas Marine Map
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
FerryDodger
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FerryDodger is the sailing planner that goes to sea with you: plan the route, check the weather along it, see where you'd cross a ferry lane, then sail LIVE with alerts — offline too. PLAN THE ROUTE Draw the route on the map: waypoints snap to water and the coastal path is computed automatically, keeping the boat off land and — with your draft set — out of the shallows. Set departure and average speed and every leg gets its passing time. WEATHER ALONG THE ROUTE Four forecast models (GFS, ECMWF, ICON, GEM) compared for wind, gusts, waves, swell and rain. A 2-hourly table for any point at sea, color-coded Quiet / Rock / War against YOUR thresholds; the route line itself is colored by the forecast at the time you'll pass. Weather mode lays wind, waves and point of sail over the route. DEPARTURE ANALYSIS The best windows to leave in the coming days, with the expected points of sail (close-hauled, reach, run), wave direction relative to the boat — all computed offline. ROUTE SUMMARY One glance: ferry crossings and when the first one comes, duration and arrival time, wind and waves expected for that departure, the points of sail you'll actually sail. DEPTHS AND HAZARDS, WORLDWIDE Download your region's data from the Maps page or with one tap from the route: coastline and harbours in vector detail, depth contours and shallow-water bands, rocks, wrecks and obstructions, and coastal place names, all offline. Europe uses EMODnet 2024 (~115 m grid), the rest of the world GEBCO 2024 (~460 m). This is open data, not an official nautical chart. Packs include the ferry lines and stay valid for 12 months from download, then you download them again for free. Optional: the offline base map. FERRY LANE CROSSINGS Every point where your route crosses a ferry lane mapped in OpenStreetMap, on the map and in a list with distance from departure and estimated crossing time. The app flags the crossing with the lane: it does not know where the ships actually are. LIVE NAVIGATION Follow your GPS position on the route: speed, miles run and remaining, next crossing with ETA, weather ahead, arrival time and daylight left. Get a notification + vibration before a crossing at the distance you choose, even with the screen off. Free navigation mode without a route, too. With an AIS receiver on the boat's Wi-Fi: nearby vessels, course vectors and collision alarms (CPA/TCPA), with the screen kept on. ANCHOR ALARM At anchor, set the anchor where you are or on the map and choose the radius: if the boat leaves the circle or GPS is lost, sound and notification. On iPhone with the screen off only the notification arrives. OFFLINE Ferry data, maps and the forecasts you've viewed stay on the phone. PRIVACY No account, NO ADS. Your data stays on the device: your GPS track is never uploaded, and the weather and map services receive only the coordinates needed to answer: in LIVE, your position goes to the weather service. FREE FerryDodger is free and ad-free: no subscription, no in-app purchases. Paid features may arrive in the future, always announced in advance and never as automatic charges: what you use today stays free. SAFETY DISCLAIMER FerryDodger is a planning-support and alert tool. Bathymetry and hazards are indicative open data (~115 m grid in Europe, ~460 m elsewhere) and do not replace official nautical charts, a certified AIS display, radar or a proper lookout. Responsibility always remains with the skipper. The anchor alarm does not replace an anchor watch. Contact: info@boomlab.it · https://www.ferrydodger.com/support/ Privacy Policy: https://www.ferrydodger.com/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://www.ferrydodger.com/terms/
Boreas Marine Map
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Boreas is an offline-first nautical chart and cruising companion. Built for boaters, sailors and fishermen: even with no signal, your chart, your route and your safety alerts stay with you. 87 regions in 23 countries, from the Norwegian fjords to the Florida Keys. • OFFLINE CHART AND SAFETY Downloaded regions work with no internet at all: coastline, depths, spot soundings, seamarks, and shallow-water and rock alerts in your pocket. • CHARTS FROM THE AUTHORITIES THEMSELVES Where a country publishes its own chart data, that is what you get. NOAA ENC in the United States, Kystverket in Norway, Vaylavirasto in Finland, EMODnet surveyed bathymetry across Europe. Lights carry their real characters. • YOUR FIRST REGION IS FREE Download one region, your own water, at no charge. See the depths and the marks before you decide whether Boreas is worth paying for. • PLAN BEFORE YOU CAST OFF Pre-departure check: weather, wind and sea state at your departure point, plus a shallow and hazard scan along your route. Automatic routing keeps to water with a depth margin, in every region you have. • WEATHER AND SEA STATE Wind, waves, currents, temperature and sea level, with up-to-date forecasts. • FISHING LAYER (NORWAY) Registered fishing grounds, spawning areas, shrimp fields, lobster reserves, closures and fish farm sites, from the Directorate of Fisheries. • FLEET (FREE) See your boat and nearby friendly boats live on the chart, and share your position. • HAZARDS NOT ON THE CHART Community notes, derived rock and shallow markers, and AIS vessel traffic. • 3D COASTAL VIEW (Pro Plus) See the shore in three dimensions as you approach. • WHERE BOREAS COVERS Norway - Oslofjorden, Sorlandet, Stavanger, Bergen, Sognefjorden Finland - Turku archipelago and Aland, Helsinki Sweden - Stockholm, Bohuslan, Oland, Gotland Denmark - Kattegat, Oresund, the South Funen archipelago, Limfjorden, Vadehavet Germany - Kiel, Ruegen, Ostfriesland, Elbe-Weser, Nordfriesland Netherlands - Waddenzee, Zeeland, IJsselmeer, Hollandse Kust United Kingdom - Solent, Thames, Dover Strait, North East, Clyde, Hebrides, South West Ireland - South Coast France - Bretagne, La Rochelle, Cote d'Azur, Corse Poland - Gdansk Bay Estonia - Tallinn and Saaremaa Spain, Portugal, Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Malta, Greece, Cyprus Turkiye - Marmara (built in), Aegean, Mediterranean, Black Sea United States - Florida, Chesapeake, Long Island Sound, New England, Maine, San Francisco, Puget Sound, the Great Lakes, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands Brazil - Angra, Rio, Ilhabela, Buzios, Florianopolis, Salvador Boreas starts free. Pro and Pro Plus subscriptions unlock extras such as weather and sea state, every downloadable region, unlimited routes and the 3D coastal view. Monthly, yearly and lifetime options; cancel anytime. Note: Boreas is a planning and awareness aid; it does not replace official nautical charts. Navigation safety remains the captain's responsibility. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Boreas Marine Map at every 2 days against FerryDodger's every 5 days. Boreas Marine Map also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. FerryDodger sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $8.99 per year and Boreas Marine Map sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
FerryDodger ships an update every 5 days, Boreas Marine Map every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | FerryDodger | Boreas Marine Map |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 29 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | domenico ceravolo | OGUZ BAYAR |
In-app purchases
FerryDodger
- FerryDodger Premium1 Year trial$8.991 Year
Boreas Marine Map
- Boreas Pro — Aylık7 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Boreas Pro+ — Aylık7 Days trial$5.991 Month
- Boreas Pro — Yıllık7 Days trial$29.991 Year
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- Boreas Pro+ — Yıllık7 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Boreas Pro — Ömür Boyu$99.99
- Boreas Pro+ — Ömür Boyu$149.99
Questions
Is FerryDodger free?
Is Boreas Marine Map free?
Do FerryDodger or Boreas Marine Map have ads?
Which is updated more often, FerryDodger or Boreas Marine Map?
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