# Navily vs Anchor Basic

The clearest difference is price: Navily at Free against Anchor Basic's $0.99. Navily also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.5) and review sentiment (94% vs 67%). Anchor Basic's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Navily is free to download; Anchor Basic costs $0.99 up front. Navily sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.49 per year. Anchor Basic asks for nothing beyond the download.

Navily holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Navily has 832 ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of Navily's written reviews are positive against 67% of Anchor Basic's.

Navily ships an update fortnightly, Anchor Basic every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Navily | Anchor Basic |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (832 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/navily/id881103205/reviews)** | [3.5 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/anchor-basic/id1496724273/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **832** | 17 |
| Positive reviews | **93.6% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#193** | — |
| Size | 242 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [The Navigation Family](https://appshunter.io/developer/1716340641) | [Roy Cadman](https://appshunter.io/developer/1496724272) |

## What reviewers say

### Navily

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/navily/id881103205)

**Currently charting:** #193 Top Grossing · Navigation (US App Store)

This app serves as a comprehensive mobile cruising guide for boaters. It offers a vast database of marinas and anchorages, user-generated reviews and photos, and seamless berth booking across Europe. Connect with other users and marinas through in-app chat and receive real-time warnings.

**Highlights:** 35,000+ marinas and anchorages, 350,000+ community photos and comments, Easy berth booking in 700+ European marinas, In-app chat with users and marinas, Real-time anchorage warnings, Emergency SOS feature

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Navily Premium | $9.49 | per year |
| Navily Premium | $18.49 | per year |
| Navily Premium | $24.99 | per year |
| Navily Premium 30 days | $17.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent resource for cruisers
- 👍 Helpful community reviews
- 🌟 Essential app for sailing
- 💯 Indispensable for planning
- 🗺️ Detailed anchorage information

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🗺️ Limited coverage in some regions
- 💰 Expensive premium subscription
- 🔍 Difficult to add new locations
- 🔢 Inaccurate or outdated information
- 🤖 Unreliable weather forecasts

**Reported bugs**

- Booking cancellations not working
- Spinning icon issue with past bookings
- Difficulty accessing messages from map view

**Requested features**

- Offline map downloads
- Improved route planning tools
- Live chat with other users
- Customizable notifications
- Better integration with navigation apps


### Anchor Basic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/anchor-basic/id1496724273)

This app provides a reliable anchor alarm for boats, offering drift warnings and low battery alerts. Users can pause the alarm and resume monitoring later, or set the anchor by current location, bearing, and distance. It also allows remote monitoring of other users' Anchor Plus alarms.

**Highlights:** Drift warning alerts, Low battery alarms, Pause and resume alarm function, Set anchor by location, bearing, or distance, Remote monitoring of Anchor Plus alarms

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Navily free?

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

### Is Anchor Basic free?

Anchor Basic costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Navily or Anchor Basic?

Navily is rated higher. Navily averages 4.8 out of 5 from 832 ratings, while Anchor Basic averages 3.5 from 17 ratings.

### Do Navily or Anchor Basic have ads?

Neither Navily nor Anchor Basic shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Navily or Anchor Basic?

Navily ships an update fortnightly, and Anchor Basic every 2 months. Most recently, Navily was updated on October 13, 2026 and Anchor Basic on October 7, 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.*