Comparison

Navionics® Boating vs PezCA

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

Head to head
About

Navionics® Boating

Access detailed nautical charts and advanced boating features offline on your mobile device. Plan trips with dock-to-dock guidance, check weather and tides, and connect with a community of boaters. Ideal for cruising, fishing, sailing, and diving.

Highlights
  • Offline nautical charts
  • HD bathymetry maps
  • Dock-to-dock route planning
  • Weather and tide forecasts
  • Community edits and recommendations
  • Track recording and sharing
Features
Read full description

Get up-to-date, detailed charts you can use offline plus a boatload of features on your mobile device, so they’re on hand wherever you go. The Boating app is a must-have for cruising, fishing, sailing, diving and all your activities on the water. Try it free for a limited time. To continue using charts and advanced features, you can purchase a yearly auto-renewable subscription*. A COMPLETE PACKAGE • INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED NAVIONICS® CHARTS: Use them offline along with multiple overlays, so you can be more aware of what’s above and below the water. - NAUTICAL CHART: Use this premier marine reference to study port plans, anchorages and safety depth contours, locate navaids, marine services and more. - SONARCHART™ HD BATHYMETRY MAPS: Extraordinary 1’ (0.5 meter) HD bottom contour detail is the ideal tool for locating new fishing areas. - U.S. GOVERNMENT CHARTS (NOAA): These are available within the following coverages: U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Caribbean to Brazil. - OVERLAYS: The relief shading overlay allows you to have a better understanding of bottom topography for improved fishing and diving. Sonar imagery reveals bottom hardness clearly and in vivid color on select lakes. Want more? Display satellite imagery on land and water. - MAP OPTIONS: Change chart-overlay combinations to customize chart views, activate night mode, highlight shallow areas, target multiple fishing ranges and more. - DAILY UPDATES: Benefit of thousands of daily updates worldwide. • TOOLS FOR PLANNING AND ENJOYING YOUR DAY - AUTO GUIDANCE+TM TECHNOLOGY**: Easily plan your trip with a suggested dock-to-dock path based on chart data and navigation aids. Get ETA, distance to arrival, heading to waypoint, fuel consumption and more. - WEATHER AND TIDES: Knowing conditions before heading out is crucial. Access real-time weather data, daily and hourly forecasts as well as wind, weather buoys, tides and currents. - MARKERS, TRACKS, DISTANCE: Place a marker on a good anchorage spot or where you reeled in a big fish. Record your track, take photos and videos within the app, and look back at your day anytime. Easily check distance among two points. • AN ACTIVE AND HELPFUL COMMUNITY - COMMUNITY EDITS and the ACTIVECAPTAIN® COMMUNITY: Obtain and contribute useful local knowledge along with thousands of fellow boaters, such as points of interest, navigation aids and valuable recommendations from people with firsthand experience of the local environment. - CONNECTIONS: Stay in touch with your friends and fellow boaters by sharing your live location, tracks, routes and markers to easily meet on the water or let them check out your adventures. - GPX IMPORT/EXPORT: Share your saved data outside the app or transfer it to your chartplotter. - SHARE MAP OBJECTS: Share a marina, repair shop or any other location outside the app. • EXTERNAL DEVICE-FRIENDLY FOR MORE FEATURES - PLOTTER SYNC: If you own a compatible chartplotter, sync it with the app to transfer routes and markers, activate, update or renew your Navionics chartplotter card subscription. - SONARCHART LIVE MAPPING FEATURE***: Connect with a compatible sonar/plotter, and create your own maps in real time while navigating. - AIS: Connect to a compatible AIS receiver with Wi-Fi® connectivity to see nearby marine traffic. Set a safe range, and receive visual and aural alerts to signal potential collisions. NOTES: *You can manage your subscription anytime, and you can turn auto-renewal off. **Auto Guidance+ is for planning purposes only and does not replace safe navigation operations ***Free features A tablet device with Wi-Fi connectivity locates your approximate position if it is connected to Wi-Fi. A tablet Wi-Fi + 3G model operates similarly to a phone device with GPS. Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. iOS is a trademark licensed to Apple, Inc.

About

PezCA

This app provides near real-time oceanographic data for Central America, including sea surface temperature, currents, and tides. It also offers fishing information, local regulations, and weather event notifications, accessible even offline.

Highlights
  • Near real-time satellite data maps
  • Offline data access
  • Tide and moon phase forecasts
  • Fish species information
  • Local fishing regulations
  • Weather event notifications
Features
Read full description

Developed by the Federación Costarricense de Pesca (FECOP) in Costa Rica in collaboration with Sancochero Labs, pezCA is a near-real-time satellite and model data distribution platform for the Central America region designed to allow monitoring of the ocean confitions while promoting good fishing practices. PezCA allows free access to information, even while offline, offering updated maps of sea surface temperature, chlorophyll concentration, currents speed and direction, altimetry, bathymetry, and the depth of the thermocline. In addition, tide forecast, moon phases, and fishing information are available. A great tool for commercial and recreational fishermen, the tourism industry, and communities in general, with pezCA you can: Access near real time maps of satellite data for the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans along Central America (0-19°N, 76.5-96°W) and get data values for your points of interest. View the bathymetry and get bottom depth readings. Overlay high-resolution satellite sea surface temperature and surface chlorophyll concentrations and get data for your points of interest, even while offline. View maps with the latest speed and direction of the ocean currents, the depth of the thermocline, and sea level anomalies, and get values for your area. Access information on tides and moon phases. Review facts on the most common fish species in the region, including sizes, reproductive periods, and fishing information. Review local laws and regulations. Purchase your Costa Rica fishing license online! Stay up to date on everything that’s happening with real-time notifications of weather events, red tides, fishing bans, tournaments, etc. If you have questions or need additional information, please visit www.fecop.org

Screenshots

Navionics® Boating4 screens
PezCA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PezCA at 5.0 against Navionics® Boating's 2.9. PezCA also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 15) and iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.0). Navionics® Boating's advantage is ratings volume (2.4K vs 3) and chart position (#5 vs unranked). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Navionics® Boating sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $49.99 per year. PezCA asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PezCA holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Navionics® Boating has 2.4K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Navionics® Boating versus PezCA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNavionics® BoatingPezCA
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.9 (2.4K ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.4K — better3
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#5 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size154 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGarminMarina Marrari

Customer experience

Navionics® Boating

All ratings2,354 ratings
Positive41.9%
Neutral11.0%
Negative47.1%
Written reviews1,109 reviews
Positive22.3%
Neutral12.1%
Negative65.6%

PezCA

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Navionics® Boating

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • GPS signal loss and position tracking issues
  • Inability to download or access previously purchased maps
  • Constant requirement to log in, even offline

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add anchor alarm feature
  • Improve route planning and waypoint functionality
  • Provide better support for multiple devices
  • Enhance user interface and customization options

PezCA

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

15 purchases

Navionics® Boating

Subscriptions15
  • Norway$49.991 Year
  • Baltic Sea3 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Australia & New Zealand7 Days trial$49.991 Year
Show 12 more
  • Africa & Middle East7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Mexico, Caribbean to Brazil7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Indian Ocean and South China7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Pacific Islands7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • US & Canada7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • UK, Ireland & Holland7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Chile, Argentina&Easter Island$49.991 Year
  • China Sea & Japan$49.991 Year
  • Central and West Europe7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Mediterranean & Black Sea7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Adriatic & Ionian Seas7 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Scandinavia S. & Germany N.$99.991 Year
None

PezCA

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Navionics® Boating free?
Navionics® Boating is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PezCA free?
PezCA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Navionics® Boating or PezCA?
PezCA is rated higher. Navionics® Boating averages 2.9 out of 5 from 2.4K ratings, while PezCA averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Navionics® Boating or PezCA have ads?
Neither Navionics® Boating nor PezCA shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Navionics® Boating or PezCA?
Navionics® Boating ships an update every 6 weeks, and PezCA every 6 weeks. Most recently, Navionics® Boating was updated on November 1, 2026 and PezCA on October 24, 2026.

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