Comparison

River Thames Guide Lite vs Canals.UK

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

Canals.UK

This app is a comprehensive guide for navigating over 2,000 miles of UK canals. It provides detailed information on locks, bridges, facilities, and points of interest for boaters and walkers. An optional upgrade offers advanced features like route planning and boat tracking.

Highlights
  • 2000+ miles of UK canals mapped
  • Locks, bridges, and facilities information
  • Mile markers and linear canal diagrams
  • Canal & River Trust notices
  • Boat details and tracking
  • Route planning and points of interest
Read full description

Canals.UK is a useful companion for anyone who uses the canals; boating or walking! Navigate the 2,000 miles of UK canals. The App shows locks, bridges, aqueducts, tunnels, mooring and facilities and much more, along our canal network. The FREE version includes: • All the UK canals mapped with locks, bridges and facilities. • Shows: Mile markers, Boatyards, CRT Notices, Fish & Chips, Launderettes, Canal side Pubs, local convenience stores. • A list of all canals in a useful linear diagram which will show you where you are on a specific canal and update your location if tracking is on. • Canal & River Trust Notices of any navigation restrictions. • Useful phone numbers and links to websites. • My Boat - keep relevant details about your boat. • Get estimated boat speed, location and sunrise/sunset times. • Notifications Upgrade ‘Go Pro’ with in-App purchase includes: • Nearby: find useful points or interest that are near your current location • Daily Boat Log to record any diary details to show you are a continuous boater! • Create your own Points of Interest (POI) and plot them on the map e.g. your favourite mooring spots, where to pick blackberries or favourite pub. • Canal Rings: shows the major canal rings that you can journey along. • Route Planner: plan a canal route and get an estimate of how long it will take. • Boat Tracker - track your boat position even when the App is not running (obviously the iPhone/iPad needs to be on). • TV Aerial Finder - find the location of the best reception from nearby Freeview TV masts • Show All CRT Notices on the Map • Show GOV.UK Stream Levels on the Map • Show CRT Stream Warnings on the Map • Show CRT Winter Moorings • Cruise mode to show nearest point, next location, time and distance to next mooring, lock, bridge, waterpoint, winding hole; current speed and GPS location

Screenshots

River Thames Guide Lite4 screens
Canals.UK4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: River Thames Guide Lite at none against Canals.UK's 6. River Thames Guide Lite also leads on review sentiment (93% vs 65%). Canals.UK's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Canals.UK sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. River Thames Guide Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

River Thames Guide Lite ships an update every 6 weeks, Canals.UK weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
River Thames Guide Lite versus Canals.UK: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRiver Thames Guide LiteCanals.UK
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.7 (55 ratings) — better
Positive reviews92.9% of reviews — better65.3% of reviews
Number of ratings—55 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size178 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJeff MaynardMARK MANSER

Customer experience

River Thames Guide Lite

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

Canals.UK

All ratings55 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral5.5%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews49 reviews
Positive65.3%
Neutral14.3%
Negative20.4%

Bugs and requests

River Thames Guide Lite

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Canals.UK

Reported bugs

32 issues
  • Saved plans glitching
  • Route planner dropdown won't drop down
  • Search bar won't search
  • Location not working
  • Purchasing Pro problems
Show 27 more
  • Boat tracking feature not activating
  • Demo mode persistent
  • Pro features not showing
  • Odd distances when planning
  • CRT notices unreliable
  • Distance calculation errors
  • Paid for Pro twice, no access
  • Basic version has little content
  • Missing Crinan Canal data
  • Missing wide beam/dimension data
  • Missing water points data
  • No way to report missing data
  • Missing River Great Ouse navigation
  • Difficult to change destinations
  • Expensive for features offered
  • Not a substitute for Nicholson's Guide
  • Route planner basic without detailed waypoints
  • No obvious way to save/export
  • POI addition unintuitive
  • No help facility
  • Menu flags Pro modules as restricted
  • Internet connection needed
  • Not ideal for solo boaters
  • Can't reach 'locate me' arrow easily
  • No info on Pro option benefits
  • No 'report an error' option
  • Not accurate, needs work

Requested features

20 requests
  • Add 'via' points to journey plans
  • Option to choose shortest/quickest routes
  • Add a speed display
  • More logical and relevant logging feature
  • Better background map
Show 15 more
  • Filter CRT notices by current location
  • Show CRT notices on the map
  • Tap two or more points for info (distance, locks)
  • Search canal list for specific locks/bridges
  • Route planning option
  • Select start and end points for the day
  • Start navigation mode to track progress
  • Ability for boaters to add notes (issues, helpful info)
  • Move 'locate me' arrow to bottom corner
  • Editable map with 'report an error' option
  • Enter start and end points by name in Route Planning
  • User adjustable boat speeds and lock operating speeds
  • Route planning to pick up relevant CRT notices
  • Include width, length, depth, and height information
  • Alert developers to missing/wrong information feature

In-app purchases

None

River Thames Guide Lite

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Canals.UK

One-time6
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$1.99
  • Large Tip$4.99
Show 3 more
  • Generous Tip$9.99
  • Go Pro$17.99
  • Enormous Tip$19.99

Questions

Is River Thames Guide Lite free?
River Thames Guide Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Canals.UK free?
Canals.UK is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do River Thames Guide Lite or Canals.UK have ads?
Neither River Thames Guide Lite nor Canals.UK shows ads.
Which is updated more often, River Thames Guide Lite or Canals.UK?
River Thames Guide Lite ships an update every 6 weeks, and Canals.UK weekly. Most recently, River Thames Guide Lite was updated on October 3, 2026 and Canals.UK on October 13, 2026.

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