Helmsman vs JBD BMS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Helmsman
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.
- Waypoint navigation with online maps
- Cruise control for set speed
- Record and reuse routes
- One-button anchor function
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This application is highly integrated into our Helmsman Navigation System, which is a boat controller designed to do four major things: Navigation: Accurate waypoint navigation thanks to an excellent GPS receiver using online maps. Cruise Control: For efficient sailing or trolling with a set speed, even in bad conditions. Record Route: You can record your routes so you can re-use them on your next trip. Anchor: With a push of button your boat will stay where it is, convenient and reliable.
JBD BMS
Monitor and control lithium batteries in real-time via Bluetooth or WiFi. View historical data, manage charge/discharge, and update device firmware. Device sharing and language switching are also available.
- Real-time battery status monitoring
- Historical data graphs
- Charge and discharge control
- Device management
- Firmware upgrades
- Bluetooth/WiFi connectivity
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JBD BMS is a special APP for lithium batteries independently developed by Dongguan Jiabaida Electronic Technology Co., LTD., which can view the battery status in real time. 【 Home 】 Add device: Display the device that can be added, select the device and connect the device via Bluetooth or WiFi. Displays historical dynamic graphs of the battery: current, voltage, capacitance, temperature. 【 Equipment 】 Control: Charge and discharge switch control, automatic equalization, clear alarm, capacity reset. Real-time: You can view the battery data in real time: remaining capacity, charge and discharge status, balance status, protection status, voltage, current, temperature, and single string voltage information. Parameters: Read basic battery information, you can set and change the Bluetooth name. Info: Device sharing, firmware upgrades, help feedback. 【 mine 】 Device management, version updates, language switching If you have any comments or suggestions, you can contact us through our website: Official website :http://www.jiabaida.com E-mail :lzznext@foxmail.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: JBD BMS at 3.1 against Helmsman's 2.0. JBD BMS also leads on ratings volume (26 vs 7). Helmsman's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
JBD BMS holds the better App Store score, 3.1 against 2.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 26 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 22% and 23% positive.
Helmsman ships an update fortnightly, JBD BMS every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Helmsman | JBD BMS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.0 (7 ratings) | 3.1 (26 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 22.2% of reviews | 23.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7 | 26 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 57 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 无境科技 | Dongguan Jiabaida Electronic Science & Technology Co., Ltd. |
Customer experience
Helmsman
JBD BMS
In-app purchases
Helmsman
No in-app purchases
JBD BMS
No in-app purchases
