# Helmsman vs SmartCraft Manager

The clearest difference is rating: Helmsman at 1.9 against SmartCraft Manager's 1.2. Helmsman also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (22% vs 0%). SmartCraft Manager's advantage is ratings volume (26 vs 8). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Helmsman holds the better App Store score, 1.9 against 1.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 26 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of Helmsman's written reviews are positive against 0% of SmartCraft Manager's.

Helmsman ships an update fortnightly, SmartCraft Manager every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Helmsman | SmartCraft Manager |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[1.9 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/helmsman/id939511674/reviews)** | [1.2 (26 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartcraft-manager/id1544487941/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 8 | **26** |
| Positive reviews | **22.2% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 57 MB | 50 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 12.2 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [无境科技](https://appshunter.io/developer/1138231168) | [Mercury Marine LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1777822540) |

## 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


### SmartCraft Manager

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartcraft-manager/id1544487941)

This app allows authorized Mercury dealers and boat builders to remotely configure SmartCraft-powered vessels. It offers an intuitive dashboard for setup, cloud-integrated IoT features, and over-the-air updates, streamlining the configuration process.

**Highlights:** Remote vessel configuration, Intuitive dashboard, Cloud-integrated IoT features, Over-the-air firmware updates, Repeatable configurations, CAN H functionality control

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Helmsman free?

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

### Is SmartCraft Manager free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Helmsman or SmartCraft Manager?

Helmsman is rated higher. Helmsman averages 1.9 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while SmartCraft Manager averages 1.2 from 26 ratings.

### Do Helmsman or SmartCraft Manager have ads?

Neither Helmsman nor SmartCraft Manager shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Helmsman or SmartCraft Manager?

Helmsman ships an update fortnightly, and SmartCraft Manager every 3 months. Most recently, Helmsman was updated on October 24, 2026 and SmartCraft Manager 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.*