Comparison

River Thames Guide Lite vs WaterNav

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

Head to head
About

River Thames Guide Lite

Navigate and plan your journeys on the River Thames and Wey Navigation with this comprehensive guide. Discover points of interest, lock details, bridge clearances, and real-time river conditions. Essential information for boaters and travelers.

Highlights
  • Interactive River Map
  • Journey Planner (time, distance, locks)
  • Lock Details
  • Bridge Headway Information
  • Weather Forecasts
  • Current River Conditions
  • Boating Rules and Emergency Guidance
Features
Read full description

The complete planner and guide for travel and leisure on the River Thames (from its source to the Thames Barrier) and the Wey Navigation including where you can go, how you get there and what’s on the way - includes these key features: Thames Map and Guide: •Interactive River Map* •Journey Planner: time (at 5, 3 , 1 mph), distance and number of locks between any two of 102 River Thames points (45 on Wey) •Locks: need to know detail on every lock •Bridges: headway in metres and feet •River draught (depth of water) •Weather for selected locations* •Current river conditions (non-tidal and tidal)* Boating Advice: •Rules for the River •Preventing Problems •Emergency Help and Guidance (RNLI approved) INTERACTIVE RIVER MAP*: pinch or squeeze to zoom to the required level of detail. Add any combination of locks, moorings, boatyards, fuel, marinas, pubs, restaurants, lodgings, sanitation, fishing, emergency RVP and/or bridges; tapping any icon pops up further details including phone number, post code, maximum stay etc (where available). JOURNEY PLANNER: select a starting point and destination from the supplied list of 102 landmarks (including locks, marinas, moorings, bridges and places of interest (from Lechlade to the Thames Barrier) and immediately see the sailing distance, direction (up or downstream), sailing time (at 5 mph, 3 mph and 1 mph) and the number of locks to transit to complete your journey; Wey navigation planner features 45 locations. LOCK FEATURES: every Thames lock is listed in order from Cricklade Bridge to Teddington with distance to next lock both up and downstream. Touch any lock to see much more information including: telephone number; post code; lock type; width, drop and length; lock keeper’s hours; facilities available (such as WC, water, pump out etc). From the lock detail just tap to highlight this lock in the middle of the interactive map. Portage Maps for Sonning to Teddington locks. BRIDGE HEADWAY: every bridge listed in order with headway in feet and metres; bridge headways are colour coded for ease of use and instant check to see if you need to lower any masts. WEATHER*: select one of 20 location on the river for an up-to-date weather forecast for today and tomorrow (includes temperature, winds, humidity, visibility, sunrise and sunset). Requires an Internet connection. The weather page includes the current nautical twilight (the correct time to strike your ensign). CURRENT RIVER CONDITIONS*: for safer river use always verify the current official conditions before setting off; non-tidal conditions are provided by the Environment Agency (the River Thames authority) and categorised as Red, Yellow or Green – tap to view an explanation of the colours. Tidal conditions are provided by the Port of London Authority. Includes current and planned river closures and river restrictions. IN CASE OF EMERGENCY: River Thames Guide includes an SOS section with information, endorsed by the RNLI, on how to deal with various problems including: Man Overboard; Boat Sinking; Boat on Fire; Boat Drifting. NOTE: these sections should be studied before embarking so that you can react properly to any emergency. Better still: take an appropriate course before using the river. HELP: every page contains tips on using River Thames Guide to help plan your journey, find somewhere to eat or stay, using the map, and more. * requires an active Internet connection

About

WaterNav

This app provides offline waterway maps and navigation tools, displaying points of interest, locks, bridges, and closures. It offers route planning with customizable journey times and speed, and includes special features for River Canal Rescue members.

Highlights
  • Offline map access
  • Real-time GPS location tracking
  • Points of interest display
  • Waterway information (locks, bridges, closures)
  • Route planning with customizable options
  • Exclusive RCR member features
Features
Read full description

WaterNav is unique in that it has been developed so that you can access all date even without an active internet connection. (It works offline once the maps are downloaded) It monitors you location using the phones inbuilt GPS, giving your precise location on the map. The maps display thousands of continually updated points of interest (such as pubs, shops, vets, diesel, moorings, etc), as well as all the waterway information such as locks, bridges, turning points, etc, and canal closures. It is the essential towpath companions for boaters, ramblers, cyclists, or anyone else enjoying the waterways. The route planning options and enhanced options are available once you create an account (no charges or obligations) and with options of picking location, searching for a location or using your own current position it provides lots of flexibility. You can also chose journey times, lock delays and speed. River Canal Rescue members will automatically be granted access to a special RCR interface that will offer exclusive features. RCR members will be able to access their membership details, see their RCR history, log callouts, book services, and request additional works. They will also be able to utilise a new arrival aid system which will allow them to track their engineer in real time. The WaterNav App is in ongoing development (our inhouse developers will respond to all requests or issues - just remember it can take time to get issues updated). There are new updates and development of new features and we are resolving issues continually. ( so make sure you regularly update, and let us know if we can make things easier for you)

Screenshots

River Thames Guide Lite4 screens
WaterNav4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: River Thames Guide Lite at 93% against WaterNav's 13%. WaterNav's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (15 vs 17.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

River Thames Guide Lite ships an update every 6 weeks, WaterNav fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
River Thames Guide Lite versus WaterNav: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRiver Thames Guide LiteWaterNav
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.2 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews92.9% of reviews — better12.9% of reviews
Number of ratings—6 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.615 — better
Further details — not scored
Size178 MB74 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJeff MaynardRiver Canal Rescue Ltd

Customer experience

River Thames Guide Lite

Written reviews28 reviews
Positive92.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.1%

WaterNav

All ratings6 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive12.9%
Neutral21.0%
Negative66.1%

In-app purchases

None

River Thames Guide Lite

No in-app purchases

None

WaterNav

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is River Thames Guide Lite free?
River Thames Guide Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is WaterNav free?
WaterNav is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do River Thames Guide Lite or WaterNav have ads?
Neither River Thames Guide Lite nor WaterNav shows ads.
Which is updated more often, River Thames Guide Lite or WaterNav?
River Thames Guide Lite ships an update every 6 weeks, and WaterNav fortnightly. Most recently, River Thames Guide Lite was updated on October 15, 2026 and WaterNav on October 13, 2026.

Other comparisons