# Helmsman vs Ballistics

The clearest difference is rating: Ballistics at 4.4 against Helmsman's 1.9. Ballistics also leads on review sentiment (45% vs 22%) and ratings volume (71 vs 8). Helmsman's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 15) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Ballistics sells 15 one-off in-app purchases. Helmsman asks for nothing beyond the download.

Ballistics holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 1.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ballistics has 71 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of Helmsman's written reviews are positive against 45% of Ballistics's.

Helmsman ships an update fortnightly, Ballistics every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Helmsman | Ballistics |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [1.9 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/helmsman/id939511674/reviews) | **[4.4 (71 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ballistics/id1150935669/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 8 | **71** |
| Positive reviews | 22.2% of reviews | **45.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 57 MB | 35 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [无境科技](https://appshunter.io/developer/1138231168) | [Nimoh Scientific](https://appshunter.io/developer/1150935668) |

## What reviewers say

### Helmsman

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/helmsman/id939511674)

Control your boat's navigation and speed with this app. It offers waypoint navigation, cruise control for consistent speed, route recording for future trips, and an anchor function to maintain position.

**Highlights:** Waypoint navigation with online maps, Cruise control for set speed, Record and reuse routes, One-button anchor function

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Ballistics

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ballistics/id1150935669)

This app provides advanced ballistics calculations for riflemen, featuring multiple calculation methods, a comprehensive bullet database, and real-time adjustment updates. It offers custom virtual meters for environmental data and supports unlimited rifle/ammo configurations.

**Highlights:** Multiple ballistics calculation methods (Point Mass, Siacci, Pejsa), Comprehensive bullet database (3500+ entries), Real-time elevation/windage adjustment updates, Custom virtual meters (Anemometer, Inclinometer, etc.), Unlimited rifle/ammo configuration storage, Airgun mode with muzzle energy input, Stadiametric reticles with aiming pointers

**In-app purchases (15)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Primary Arms | $2.99 | one-time |
| Generic | $2.99 | one-time |
| Burris Optics | $2.99 | one-time |
| Leupold & Stevens | $2.99 | one-time |
| SWFA SS | $2.99 | one-time |
| Vortex Optics | $2.99 | one-time |
| Hawke Optics | $2.99 | one-time |
| Nightforce | $2.99 | one-time |
| Athlon Optics | $2.99 | one-time |
| Sightron USA | $2.99 | one-time |
| Vector Optics | $2.99 | one-time |
| Zeiss | $2.99 | one-time |
| Schmidt & Bender | $2.99 | one-time |
| Steiner | $2.99 | one-time |
| March | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Helmsman free?

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

### Is Ballistics free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Helmsman or Ballistics?

Ballistics is rated higher. Helmsman averages 1.9 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Ballistics averages 4.4 from 71 ratings.

### Do Helmsman or Ballistics have ads?

Neither Helmsman nor Ballistics shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Helmsman or Ballistics?

Helmsman ships an update fortnightly, and Ballistics every 2 months. Most recently, Helmsman was updated on October 24, 2026 and Ballistics on October 26, 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.*