Comparison

Squid vs Marine Instruments

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

Head to head
About

Squid

This marine navigation app provides professional-grade weather forecasts and smart routing tools for sailors. It offers multi-model GRIB data, meteograms, and an extensive polar database, optimized for offshore and low-bandwidth use.

Highlights
  • Smart routing engine with roadbook
  • Cloud routing with multi-route comparison
  • Multi-model GRIB viewer
  • Forecasts up to 10 days
  • Meteograms for multi-model comparison
  • Extensive polar database
  • Lightweight GRIBs for offline use
Features
Read full description

The weather routing app trusted by the world's top offshore sailors. Squid is the mobile version of SquidX — the routing solution used by elite teams in the Vendée Globe, Route du Rhum, Transat Jacques Vabre, The Ocean Race, and more. Now that same professional-grade power is in your pocket. From solo ocean racers to weekend cruisers, Squid gives every sailor access to accurate multi-model weather data and smart routing tools — rebuilt for speed, simplicity, and offshore use. A brand-new version has just launched: completely redesigned interface, major performance upgrades, and new features continuously in development. Key Features • Smart routing engine with roadbook tool • Cloud routing with multi-route comparison • Multi-model GRIB viewer: GFS, ECMWF, AROME, ARPEGE, GEM, NAM and more • Forecasts up to 10 days, 1–3 hour time steps • Meteograms for multi-model comparison (wind & pressure) • Extensive polar database (racing & cruising yachts) • Lightweight GRIBs optimized for offline use • Iridium GO!® compatible — built for low-bandwidth environments • Custom map visualizations: isolines, wind barbs, arrows, particles Weather Coverage Wind, gusts, MSLP, rainfall, cloud cover, CAPE, humidity, temperature, surface currents, swell & wind waves. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Marine Instruments

Read full description

Marine Instruments turns your iPhone into a boat instrument display. Connect it to your boat's NMEA 0183 WiFi gateway and see your real instruments — wind, depth, speed and heading — on a big, glare-friendly screen. No gateway? The built-in sensors still give you heel angle, a barometer with storm alarm and a GPS trip log. BOAT INSTRUMENTS OVER WIFI (NEW) • Connects to any NMEA 0183 WiFi gateway: Orca Core, Yacht Devices, Digital Yacht, Vesper and many more • Speed over ground (SOG), depth, apparent wind angle & speed, heading • TCP or UDP, configurable host and port (standard 10110) • Automatic reconnection when the connection drops • Values mark themselves stale ("--") within seconds if data stops — no misleading frozen numbers HEEL & ATTITUDE INDICATOR • Real-time pitch, roll and yaw with an aircraft-style horizon • Maximum heel angle tracking for port and starboard • One-tap recalibration to your mounting position • Motion history graph BAROMETER • Live atmospheric pressure from the iPhone's own barometer sensor • 4-hour pressure graph with trend arrow • Automatic alarm with vibration when pressure changes faster than 1.5 hPa/hour — a classic early storm warning • If your phone has no barometer, pressure from the gateway (MDA) is used instead TRIP LOG • Distance in nautical miles, current/average/max speed in knots • Trip duration, reset whenever you like • Recording happens while the app is open — the screen stays on automatically, so mount the phone and sail SEA STATE • Beaufort scale estimate (0-12) from vessel motion • Wave height estimation REAL NIGHT MODE • Every instrument — attitude, barometer, graphs, trip log and NMEA tiles — switches to a red-on-black palette that preserves your night vision • Remembered across launches PRIVACY All data stays on your device. No accounts, no analytics, no tracking. The only network connection the app ever makes is to the gateway IP you enter yourself. Note: for accurate heel and wave readings, mount the device in a fixed position on your vessel.

Screenshots

Squid4 screens
Marine Instruments4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Squid at Free against Marine Instruments's $7.99. Squid also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 7 months) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.0). Marine Instruments's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8). On ads and device support 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

Squid is free to download; Marine Instruments costs $7.99 up front. Squid sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days. Marine Instruments asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Squid ships an update monthly, Marine Instruments every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Squid versus Marine Instruments: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSquidMarine Instruments
PriceFree — better$7.99
Rating4.8 (55 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews38.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings55 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.4 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size253 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDICE-ENGINEERINGStolk.cc

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Squid

Subscriptions8
  • HIRES Europe 1 Week$5.997 Days
  • HIRES USA 1 Week$6.997 Days
  • HIRES Europe 1 Month$9.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • HIRES USA 1 Month$9.991 Month
  • HIRES Europe 3 Months$18.993 Months
  • HIRES USA 3 Months$18.993 Months
  • HIRES Europe 1 Year$33.991 Year
  • HIRES USA 1 Year$33.991 Year
None

Marine Instruments

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Squid free?
Squid is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Marine Instruments free?
Marine Instruments costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Squid or Marine Instruments have ads?
Neither Squid nor Marine Instruments shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Squid or Marine Instruments?
Squid ships an update monthly, and Marine Instruments every 7 months. Most recently, Squid was updated on November 1, 2026 and Marine Instruments on November 5, 2026.

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