Comparison

C vs BuoyPilot

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

C

Access up-to-date nautical charts for global exploration and planning. Save points of interest and routes, record tracks, and view marine weather. Upgrade for offline maps, GPS, and advanced features like shaded relief and AIS.

Highlights
  • Free chart viewer
  • Autorouting
  • Personal waypoints
  • Track recording
  • Marine weather forecasts
  • Offline map downloads
  • High-resolution bathymetry
Features
Read full description

The C-MAP® App is the perfect companion for recreational boaters and water-lovers. Available on Mobile, Tablet or PC, you’ll always be able to access the most up to date C-MAP charts, wherever in the world you are. With full features, allowing you to explore, plan and save Points of Interest and Routes from wherever you are, the C-MAP App is the perfect aid to navigation for savvy boaters. The C-MAP App Includes: - FREE Chart Viewer - Autorouting™ – find the best route to your favourite places - Personal Waypoints - Track Recording - Thousands of pre-loaded Points of Interest - Marine Weather Forecast - Weather Along the Route - Weather Overlay - Chart Personalisation - Import & Export GPX Files – share your Routes, Tracks or Waypoints with friends - Measure Distance Tool Upgrade to Premium to unlock additional features, including: - Full GPS Functionality - Offline Map Downloads - REVEAL Shaded Relief - High-Resolution Bathymetry - Custom Depth Shading - AIS & C-MAP Traffic Try before you buy… Experience C-MAP App Premium for yourself, with a free 14-day trial (3-day trial in Denmark and Sweden). The C-MAP App updates on a continual basis, ensuring the latest, most up-to-date maps are always at your fingertips. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Links to Your Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable Privacy Policy: https://www.brunswick.com/dsar Terms of Service https://appchart.c-map.com/tos.html

About

BuoyPilot

This app helps boaters identify and report lake hazards like stumps and shallow areas to improve water safety. It also provides fishing insights, weather information, and lake conditions. An optional subscription unlocks offline maps and advanced features.

Highlights
  • Discover and report lake hazards
  • Check lake conditions and weather
  • Access fishing insights and forecasts
  • View offline lake maps (Pro)
  • Contribute to community safety map
  • Plan day trips with helpful tools
Read full description

BuoyPilot helps boaters discover lake hazards, report obstructions, check lake conditions, view fishing insights, and contribute to a growing community-powered lake safety map. Boating conditions can change fast. Stumps, rocks, shallow areas, debris, and other hazards may appear or become harder to see as water levels change. BuoyPilot gives lake users a simple way to mark hazards, view nearby reports, and improve awareness for everyone on the water. Plan your time on the lake with helpful tools for weather radar, lake levels, bathymetry on supported lakes, marinas, fuel reports, day planning, and Fishing Intelligence. Fishing Intelligence can show known fish at supported lakes, current fishing outlooks, recommended approaches, lure and bait ideas, water clarity, fishing factors, and forecast windows. Free features include weather radar, bathymetry on supported lakes, basic forecasts, 3 AI fish IDs per month, and up to 25 saved catches. Optional BuoyPilot Pro features include up to 10 offline lakes, fishing zones on supported lakes, detailed weather and Day Planner, 50 AI fish IDs per month, and unlimited catch entries. BuoyPilot is community based and still growing. Always use caution, follow local regulations, and verify official boating, fishing, weather, and water-level information before making decisions on the water. BuoyPilot Pro Subscription BuoyPilot Pro is an optional auto-renewing subscription that unlocks Pro features including up to 10 offline lakes, fishing zones on supported lakes, detailed weather and Day Planner, 50 AI fish IDs per month, and unlimited catch entries. Pro Monthly: $4.99 per month Pro Annual: $39.99 per year Payment will be charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current billing period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://buoypilot.com/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

C4 screens
BuoyPilot4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: BuoyPilot at 100% against C's 51%. BuoyPilot also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). C's advantage is ratings volume (2.3K vs 4) and chart position (#92 vs unranked). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. C sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and BuoyPilot sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BuoyPilot holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: C has 2.3K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of C's written reviews are positive against 100% of BuoyPilot's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

C ships an update every 6 weeks, BuoyPilot fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
C versus BuoyPilot: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCBuoyPilot
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2.3K ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews51.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.3K — better4
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank#92 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size169 MB129 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperNavico Norway ASElk Ridge Systems LLC

Customer experience

C

All ratings2,347 ratings
Positive89.3%
Neutral3.1%
Negative7.6%
Written reviews512 reviews
Positive51.0%
Neutral8.6%
Negative40.4%

BuoyPilot

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

C

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes when trying to save tracks or routes
  • Offline maps fail to download or disappear
  • Depth/contour data inaccurate or not displaying properly
  • Login and authentication issues preventing access

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add mast height/clearance feature
  • Improve AIS integration and functionality
  • Allow more customization of map views and data
  • Provide better customer support and communication

BuoyPilot

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

C

Subscriptions10
  • Embark Advanced Weather$1.991 Month
  • Embark Offline Maps USA$2.491 Month
  • Annual Subscription14 Days trial$14.991 Year
Show 7 more
  • Annual subscription14 Days trial$14.991 Year
  • Region14 Days trial2 variants$18.991 Year
  • North America14 Days trial$23.491 Year
  • Maps Lakes South East USA14 Days trial$25.991 Year
  • Annual Subscription14 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Caribbean14 Days trial$32.991 Year
  • Maps USA East Coast & Bahamas14 Days trial$39.991 Year
2 purchases

BuoyPilot

Subscriptions2
  • BuoyPilot Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • BuoyPilot Pro Annual$39.991 Year

Questions

Is C free?
C is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BuoyPilot free?
BuoyPilot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, C or BuoyPilot?
BuoyPilot is rated higher. C averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2.3K ratings, while BuoyPilot averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do C or BuoyPilot have ads?
Neither C nor BuoyPilot shows ads.
Which is updated more often, C or BuoyPilot?
C ships an update every 6 weeks, and BuoyPilot fortnightly. Most recently, C was updated on October 15, 2026 and BuoyPilot on September 18, 2026.

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