# SeaNav vs AV Assistant

The clearest difference is rating: AV Assistant at 5.0 against SeaNav's 4.4. AV Assistant also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and iOS requirement (12.4 vs 16.0). SeaNav's advantage is ratings volume (251 vs 4). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SeaNav sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. AV Assistant asks for nothing beyond the download.

AV Assistant holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SeaNav has 251 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

SeaNav ships an update monthly, AV Assistant every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SeaNav | AV Assistant |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (251 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/seanav/id857841271/reviews) | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/av-assistant/id1381484046/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **251** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 54.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 158 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **12.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pocket Mariner Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/719592131) | [Clint O'Connor](https://appshunter.io/developer/1381484045) |

## What reviewers say

### SeaNav

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/seanav/id857841271)

This app provides high-resolution marine charts, route planning, and real-time navigation for boaters. It offers features like AIS ship tracking, tide and weather information, and offline chart access. Advanced capabilities include augmented reality views and autopilot integration.

**Highlights:** High-resolution marine charts, Autoroute planning, Real-time GPS navigation, AIS ship tracking, Tides and weather, Offline chart access, Augmented Reality View

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weather charts | $4.99 | per year |
| NOAA US Raster Charts | $9.99 | per year |
| US Charts | $9.99 | per month |
| Pro Features | $10.49 | per year |
| US Charts | $19.99 | per year |
| UK & IE Charts | $24.99 | per year |
| French Charts | $24.99 | per year |
| Canadian Charts | $26.99 | per year |
| Man Overboard & Anchor Watch | $4.99 | one-time |
| Pro Features | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and great price
- 👍 Much easier to use than competitors
- 👍 UKHO Charts at a reasonable price
- 👍 Intuitive interface, clear and uncluttered
- 👍 Supports NMEA data integration

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frozen/locked app
- 💰 Neil and dime for everything
- ❌ Not picking up vessels or ship traffic
- ❌ Charts not good, weather not working
- ❌ Difficult to download and update charts

**Reported bugs**

- Frozen/locked app
- Not picking up vessels or ship traffic
- App does not open
- Crashes after crashes
- Sailing mode crash

**Requested features**

- Can you see water depth on Apple Watch?
- Download all purchased charts button
- Update all purchased charts button
- Legend for symbols and colors
- Brief chart reading explainer


### AV Assistant

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/av-assistant/id1381484046)

This app provides U.S. waters navigation information, displaying your location and details of surrounding aids like buoys and lights. It downloads weekly U.S. Coast Guard Light List data and includes relevant Local Notice for Mariners information. It also allows users to report discrepancies in navigation aids to the U.S. Coast Guard.

**Highlights:** Location-based aid display, U.S. Coast Guard Light List data, Local Notice for Mariners integration, Discrepancy reporting to USCG, Informational aid for U.S. waters

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SeaNav free?

SeaNav is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is AV Assistant free?

AV Assistant is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, SeaNav or AV Assistant?

AV Assistant is rated higher. SeaNav averages 4.4 out of 5 from 251 ratings, while AV Assistant averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do SeaNav or AV Assistant have ads?

Neither SeaNav nor AV Assistant shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SeaNav or AV Assistant?

SeaNav ships an update monthly, and AV Assistant every 2 months. Most recently, SeaNav was updated on November 11, 2026 and AV Assistant on November 2, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*