# Aqua Map Boating vs Sail Buddy

The clearest difference is price: Aqua Map Boating at Free against Sail Buddy's $4.99. Aqua Map Boating also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 6 months) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). Sail Buddy's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 64%) and in-app purchases (none vs 17). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Aqua Map Boating is free to download; Sail Buddy costs $4.99 up front. Aqua Map Boating sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Sail Buddy asks for nothing beyond the download.

Aqua Map Boating holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Aqua Map Boating has 14K ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 64% of Aqua Map Boating's written reviews are positive against 100% of Sail Buddy's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Aqua Map Boating ships an update weekly, Sail Buddy every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Aqua Map Boating | Sail Buddy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $4.99 |
| Rating | **[4.7 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aqua-map-boating/id919552329/reviews)** | [4.4 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sail-buddy/id1100095207/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **14K** | 14 |
| Positive reviews | 64.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#72** | — |
| Size | 174 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [GEC s.r.l.](https://appshunter.io/developer/675562886) | [Tim Herzog](https://appshunter.io/developer/1100095206) |

## What reviewers say

### Aqua Map Boating

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aqua-map-boating/id919552329)

**Currently charting:** #72 Top Grossing · Navigation (US App Store)

This app provides official, weekly updated nautical charts for marine navigation. It allows for offline map downloads, GPS track recording, and integration with onboard instruments. Enhance your boating safety and experience with advanced features like weather forecasts and AIS collision detection.

**Highlights:** Official NOAA nautical charts, Offline map downloads, GPS track recording, Tides and currents predictions, Anchor Alarm, NMEA instrument connectivity, AIS with collision detection

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

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Florida - NOAA Nautical chart | $4.99 | per year |
| Alabama to Texas charts | $4.99 | per year |
| Cape Cod to Chesapeake Charts | $4.99 | per year |
| New England - Nautical charts | $4.99 | per year |
| Virginia to Georgia - Charts | $4.99 | per year |
| Midwest-Minnesota lake charts | $4.99 | per year |
| Michigan & Great Lakes chart | $4.99 | per year |
| US - Nautical & Lakes charts | $9.99 | per year |
| Canada - nautical charts | $9.99 | per year |
| US & Canada - nautical charts | $14.99 | per year |
| Caribbean South Nautical chart | $14.99 | per year |
| Bermuda - nautical charts | $14.99 | per year |
| Aqua Map Expert | $14.99 | per year |
| Aqua Map Master | $24.99 | per year |
| Bahamas - Explorer Charts | $49.99 | per year |
| US & Canada - Nautical chart | $49.99 | one-time |
| Bahamas - Explorer Chartbooks | $139.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent navigation tool
- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive
- 🗺️ Detailed and accurate charts
- 💡 Helpful features like AIS, weather, and fuel prices
- 🤝 Responsive and helpful customer support

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional issues with map downloads and disappearing charts
- 🔍 Lack of intuitive route planning functionality
- 🔍 Slow map loading and tracking issues in certain areas
- 💰 Subscription model with additional costs for map downloads

**Reported bugs**

- Inconsistent GPS tracking and positioning
- Compatibility issues on older devices

**Requested features**

- Improved route planning and optimization
- Offline map caching and seamless downloads
- Tidal and wind data overlays
- Sync capabilities across devices


### Sail Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sail-buddy/id1100095207)

This app provides a clean, easy-to-read display for course, speed, and NMEA data, complementing other navigation tools. It supports various devices, including iPads in split-screen mode and Apple Watches for hands-free data access. Route tracking and export are also available.

**Highlights:** Large, readable course and speed display, NMEA data reception via WiFi, Route tracking and export (CSV, KML, GPX, GeoJSON), Apple Watch integration for hands-free data, Split View support on iPads, Alarms for data loss and grounding

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Aqua Map Boating free?

Aqua Map Boating is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Sail Buddy free?

Sail Buddy costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Aqua Map Boating or Sail Buddy?

Aqua Map Boating is rated higher. Aqua Map Boating averages 4.7 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while Sail Buddy averages 4.4 from 14 ratings.

### Do Aqua Map Boating or Sail Buddy have ads?

Neither Aqua Map Boating nor Sail Buddy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Aqua Map Boating or Sail Buddy?

Aqua Map Boating ships an update weekly, and Sail Buddy every 6 months. Most recently, Aqua Map Boating was updated on October 26, 2026 and Sail Buddy on October 24, 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.*