Comparison

KnowWake vs Float Hartwell

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

Head to head
About

KnowWake

This marine navigation platform offers detailed waterway information for numerous global locations. Discover waterfront destinations, access real-time community reports on hazards and marine life, and utilize advanced navigation features for a safer and more informed boating experience.

Highlights
  • Waterfront destinations
  • Real-time waterway reports
  • Wake zone indicators
  • Marine weather forecasts
  • Anchor alarm
  • Location sharing
  • Offline mode
Features
Read full description

KnowWake is a FREE marine navigation platform packed with waterfront destinations in the United States, Canada, Caribbean, Mexico, South Africa, United Kingdom, parts of Europe, Arabian Peninsula and NOW all of Australia and New Zealand!! Salt and freshwater points of interest include 50,000+ VERIFIED: restaurants, marinas, fuel docks, yacht clubs, lodging, vessel services, dive shops, boat ramps, dive & snorkel areas, bridges, locks, popular spots, town docks, anchorages, inlets and more! KnowWake also uses real-time waterway reports from the community to see and share things like hazards, marine life, police and other important information. Features include: · Wake zones - Simplified, color-coded waterways · Marine Weather Suite - Current and forecasted marine conditions · NAVAIDS - Navigation Channel Markers, Buoys & Beacons · Anchor Alarm - Get notified if your vessel moves outside of a predetermined area · Virtual Dive Flag - Alert other vessels of swimmers in the water · Routing - Point to point waterway routing with distance to location · Depth - See depth based on current NOAA bathymetry charts · Location sharing - Share location with a single person, group or everyone · Vessel Tracks - Leave tracks along the way to see or share later · Offline mode - Use KnowWake anywhere, even with bad network service · Augmented Reality - See what's ahead including all KnowWake points of interest · Safety First - An SOS button, Safety Checklists and Float Plan generator Sharing with friends is easier than ever. Simply click the share button on any point, route or favorite location and choose who you want to share it with - This feature is perfect to retrace steps, show friends how to get somewhere or just share your adventures. Adding to the chart helps everyone. Whether posting a waterway report, adding a missing point or updating an existing one, you can help keep the chart current with local knowledge. Thank you to everyone helping keep the chart updated and we'll see you on the water soon!!

About

Float Hartwell

Navigate Lake Hartwell with this comprehensive boating app. Discover marinas, boat launches, and restaurants, and save your favorite spots. Access real-time lake news, water levels, and weather forecasts.

Highlights
  • Map navigation to points of interest
  • Save and share favorite locations
  • Create custom places on the map
  • Real-time lake news and conditions
  • Customizable map styles and overlays
  • Locate yourself instantly on the map
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Lake Hartwell's boating app. Learn your way around Lake Hartwell. Navigate to marinas, boat launches, restaurants, and more. Save your favorite spots and share them with friends. Favorites - Save your favorite marinas, boat launches, restaurants, and other points of interest for easy access later. With favorites you can quickly orient to your preferred spots without searching every time. Places - Create and customize your own places on the map. Whether it’s a quiet cove for relaxation, a prime wake surfing area, or a popular hangout spot, places allows you to mark and personalize locations important to you. Locate Yourself Instantly - See your exact location on the map to orient with ease. Current - Check the latest lake news, water level and temperature, and weather forecast. Choose Your Map Style - Choose from various base maps to find the view that best suits your needs, whether it’s a standard map, satellite imagery, or a dark mode map for nighttime adventures. Map Overlays - Toggle on and off overlays to see additional information on the map. Overlays include fuel docks, boat launches, navigational markers, and more.

Screenshots

KnowWake4 screens
Float Hartwell4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: KnowWake at Free against Float Hartwell's $2.99. KnowWake also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (250 vs 3). Float Hartwell's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 55%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.1). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

KnowWake is free to download; Float Hartwell costs $2.99 up front. Float Hartwell sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. KnowWake asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Float Hartwell holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: KnowWake has 250 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of KnowWake's written reviews are positive against 100% of Float Hartwell's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

KnowWake ships an update every 11 days, Float Hartwell every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
KnowWake versus Float Hartwell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKnowWakeFloat Hartwell
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating4.1 (250 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews55.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings250 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
Best chart rank—#127 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size123 MB80 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperApplication Generation, IncJason Sanford

Customer experience

KnowWake

All ratings250 ratings
Positive74.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative22.0%
Written reviews103 reviews
Positive55.3%
Neutral4.9%
Negative39.8%

Float Hartwell

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

KnowWake

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • App crashes immediately upon opening
  • App freezes after 30 seconds of use
  • Login/registration fails or times out indefinitely
  • Routing returns error messages and crashes
  • Tapping on location icons does nothing or crashes app
Show 9 more
  • Filtering options don't work (removed items still appear)
  • Depth chart feature returns 'error tap on water area' message
  • Freshwater/saltwater detection incorrect
  • NOAA overlay charts work once then fail
  • Vessel picture change causes symbol display issues
  • Buoy recognition inconsistent (only recognizes one random buoy)
  • Contact form CAPTCHA rejects valid input
  • App won't load or appear in app list after download
  • Force closing and random shutdowns

Requested features

12 requests
  • Improved stability and crash prevention
  • Course-up/heading-up map orientation option
  • Depth layer integration for navigation safety
  • NOAA raster charts availability
  • Better routing algorithm with estimated time and distance
Show 7 more
  • Ability to save multiple vessel profiles
  • Layer on/off toggle functionality
  • Bridge information with contact details and height specifications
  • Water amenities for canal boaters (water points, Elsan disposal, pump out sites)
  • Improved filtering system that actually works
  • Better icon explanations or legend
  • Expanded lake coverage in central Florida and other regions

Float Hartwell

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

KnowWake

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Float Hartwell

Subscriptions2
  • Float+ Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Float+ Annual$19.991 Year

Questions

Is KnowWake free?
KnowWake is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Float Hartwell free?
Float Hartwell costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, KnowWake or Float Hartwell?
Float Hartwell is rated higher. KnowWake averages 4.1 out of 5 from 250 ratings, while Float Hartwell averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do KnowWake or Float Hartwell have ads?
Neither KnowWake nor Float Hartwell shows ads.
Which is updated more often, KnowWake or Float Hartwell?
KnowWake ships an update every 11 days, and Float Hartwell every 6 weeks. Most recently, KnowWake was updated on October 7, 2026 and Float Hartwell on September 30, 2026.

Other comparisons