SeaNav vs Helm Boating
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SeaNav
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.
- High-resolution marine charts
- Autoroute planning
- Real-time GPS navigation
- AIS ship tracking
- Tides and weather
- Offline chart access
- Augmented Reality View
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SeaNav combines high-resolution marine charts, route planning and real-time navigation in one simple boating app for your iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Charts, Autoroute planning, AIS ship tracking, tides and weather in one powerful and affordable navigation app. Built from official hydrographic data with extensive coverage across North America, Europe and Australia. Professional marine navigation features including: Planning • Create and edit routes with auto-routing for creating waypoints • Measure distance & bearing • Import & export GPX routes • Tides, Streams & Weather • Works offline Navigate with Confidence • Real-time GPS navigation • Course Up & North Up modes • ETA, XTE, VMG, SOG & COG • Sailing HUD display • Background navigation • Automatic Waypoint advancing & alerts Live AIS & Safety (Optional IAP) • Real-time AIS ship positions • Collision alarms • AIS position sharing • Internet AIS integration • Free AIS when used with Boat Beacon • MOB and Anchor alarm (IAP) - NMEA Link for Depth, Wind & AutoPilot - Real time local wind feed and Sailing laylines display (IAP) Alongside this SeaNav offers advanced onboard capabilities rarely found in a single app: Apple Watch app SeaNav for Apple Watch is included at no extra cost, giving you route data, key navigation information and quick access controls directly from your wrist. Sophisticated AIS Display and Position sharing The leader in the field with global coverage and clear, information-rich vessel tracking with intelligent filtering and collision prediction tools. CPA and TCPA alerts help you assess risk early and act confidently. Augmented Reality View Overlays navigation, AIS and chart data directly onto the real-world camera view for intuitive situational awareness. Includes night mode support for compatible thermal cameras such as FLIR. SeaNav Autoroute and Autopilot Integration - Just choose where you want to go and SeaNav will create the route for you - Go one step further and let SeaNav pilot the route with compatible autopilot systems from Raymarine, SIMRAD, Lowrance and B&G SeaNav comes with a built-in tutorial mode with free access to all features including charts, AIS, AR & wind The free version includes all navigation and trip planning tools. High resolution vector charts are available by In App Purchase (IAP) including updates for 12 months. Requirements: GPS only required for real time route navigation. Optional Real time AIS, Tides and Weather information require an active internet connection. WiFi-only iPad will need an external GPS receiver for navigation. Please note that continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. Subscriptions Our in-app purchases are 1 year subscriptions, which automatically renew at the end of the subscription period unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase, and will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the iTunes account holder and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. NOTICES: This product has been derived in part from material obtained from the UK Hydrographic Office with the permission of the UK Hydrographic Office, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.” “© British Crown Copyright, [2026]. All rights reserved. The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) and its licensors make no warranties or representations, express or implied, with respect to this product. The UKHO and its licensors have not verified the information within this product or quality assured it. Terms of Use: http://seanav.net/termsofuse.php Privacy Policy: http://seanav.net/privacy.php Support: help@pocketmariner.com
Helm Boating
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Helm is a US marine navigation app for boaters who run shallow, unfamiliar or poorly charted water and want to know what is under the hull before they get there. YOUR DRAFT IS PART OF THE CHART Enter your boat's draft once. Helm shades the water you cannot safely cross and plans routes around it, instead of drawing a straight line through a two-foot shoal. DEPTH AGAINST YOUR DRAFT Helm reads depth from NOAA electronic navigational charts on the coast and the Great Lakes, and from the US Army Corps of Engineers Inland ENC on the rivers. Where a NOAA tide station is close enough, it adds the predicted tide and tells you whether that leaves enough water under your keel. TIDES AND CURRENTS Tide predictions come from NOAA CO-OPS against the MLLW datum. Tidal current arrows rotate with the time you scrub to, so you can see whether you will be pushed or held back before you commit to a pass. WEATHER YOU CAN READ AT A GLANCE Animated wind, wave and current overlays on the chart. A multi-day strip with three-hour columns for wind, gusts, air temperature and rain, plus water temperature where data exists. Outside US waters the forecast falls back to a global model so the app still works. OFFLINE FIRST Coverage is packaged into downloadable chart packs. Take the ones you need and leave the rest. Once a pack is on the device, the chart, depth and the anchor alarm keep working with no cell service, and so does routing in the coastal and Great Lakes regions. That is the point on open water. WHILE YOU ARE UNDERWAY - Depth, speed over ground and course over ground on one strip - Anchor alarm that wakes you if you drag - Nearby vessels on AIS - Satellite and night chart styles - Trips you run recorded to a logbook you can replay QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK Does it work without cell signal? Yes. Download the chart packs for your area first and the app keeps working offline, including depth, the anchor alarm and routing in the coastal and Great Lakes regions. Is it only for the ocean? No. Coastal water, the intracoastal, the Great Lakes and the major commercial rivers are charted, and the lakes in every state are on the map by name and shoreline. What makes it different from other chart apps? Most of them render a chart and leave the depth judgement to you. Helm knows your draft, reads the charted depth against it with the predicted tide, and plans around water that is too thin for your boat. Does it work on iPad? Yes, natively — a real iPad layout rather than a stretched phone screen. Can I use it for fishing? Yes. Save spots, read the depth contours around them and return to the same place later from your recorded trips. Is it good for a small boat? That is the case it was built for. Small boats in shallow water are where a generic chart app is least useful and where knowing your draft matters most. Helm is built by Loop Mobile FZCO. Privacy Policy: https://loopmobile.io/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://loopmobile.io/tos.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: SeaNav at none against Helm Boating's shown. SeaNav also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Helm Boating's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. SeaNav sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year and Helm Boating sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
SeaNav ships an update monthly, Helm Boating weekly. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.
| Parameter | SeaNav | Helm Boating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (251 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 54.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 251 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 158 MB | 72 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Pocket Mariner Ltd. | LOOP MOBILE FZCO |
Bugs and requests
SeaNav
Reported bugs
8 issues- Frozen/locked app
- Not picking up vessels or ship traffic
- App does not open
- Crashes after crashes
- Sailing mode crash
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- Confused and buggy, buttons hidden
- Crashes when pressing boat button
- French charts missing information (buoys, wind farms)
Requested features
7 requests- 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
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- Course integration with NMEA 2000 devices
- Easy export/import of route plans between iOS devices
Helm Boating
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SeaNav
- Weather charts$4.991 Year
- NOAA US Raster Charts$9.991 Year
- US Charts$9.991 Month
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- Pro Features$10.491 Year
- US Charts$19.991 Year
- UK & IE Charts$24.991 Year
- French Charts$24.991 Year
- Canadian Charts$26.991 Year
- Man Overboard & Anchor Watch$4.99
- Pro Features$14.99
Helm Boating
- Premium3 Days trial$19.991 Month
- Premium3 Days trial$99.991 Year









