Best iPad chart/navigation app

[bensolomon]

Mike,

I can confirm iSailor lets you keep charts without an active subscription.

Ben

[Alita49DS]

I am another that uses iSailor. On iOS. Wish I had never bought anything from Apple.

On Android, which is generally a better choice anyway, there is C-Map Embark. Which is very detailed and FOC when there is a signal. Otherwise a small charge.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Alita49DS

I am another that uses iSailor. On iOS. Wish I had never bought anything from Apple.

Thanks Alita, do you dislike iSailor, and if so, why? Or is it just Apple that annoys you?

[kds65]

Aqua Map! I used iNavX for a few years but it was just not intuitive. Now that I’ve used aqua map for a season I will never go back.

[dahult]

I have used I-Boating for many years and have always found it accurate, easy to use and includes all the features I need. It is available on IOS and Android and I have used it on both. It does have a $20/yr map cost and unfortunately you need to pay that two times if you are going to use both, IOS and Android, but you can use it on multiple iOS devices (e.g. iPhone and iPad) or multiple Android devices without additional fees.

[Amapola]

We use Navionics and Aqua Map on our iPad Pro in addition to our Garmin Chartplotters. We've been happy with both depending where we are cruising.

[subdude]

We switched from Navionics to TZBoat as it plays well with the wireless Furuno radar we plan to get. The vector charts and display are super but we still use Navionics for the Active Capt. detail.

[Alita49DS]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Thanks Alita, do you dislike iSailor, and if so, why? Or is it just Apple that annoys you?

I like iSailor. Even though the cost has now risen. It is being ripped off by Apple, and having to resist being tied into their ecosystem, that bugs me. At least the EU regulators now have Apple well and truly in their sights.

[Happ]

Navionics

[Mike OReilly]

Thanks folks, keep it coming.

[requiem]

It looks like it's been temporarily taken off the App store (explanation at the link), but one other candidate is Coastal Explorer.

I suspect it will have a higher price point, but if it's not too bad I might take it for a spin once it's back.

link: https://www.rosepoint.com/coastal-explorer/ipad

[David Johnson]

For west coast of North America--Seattle to Haines, Alaska including inside passage through British Columbia--I have used Navionics on an iPhone as a very capable back-up to onboard instruments on two different boats in the past two years. Navionics charts are updated as often as you like and is very intuitive to use. My two cents.

[s/v Jedi]

iSailor has the best app. It does 2-way NMEA communications over Wifi, meaning that you get to control your autopilot with it as well. Very good AIS support, but no radar overlay like OpenCPN can.

This brings it to the charts: iSailor can only use their own charts but they are worldwide and come from Transas. There are (at least years ago when I studied this) only two approved electronic chart sets for commercial shipping and those are C-Map and Transas. Having C-Map in your plotter and Transas on the iPad is a winning combination.

Lots has been written about AquaMap and most of itis the use of Explorer charts for the Bahamas… but those are in C-Map as well.

There was incorrect info posted about costs for iSailor. Options like heading and wind sensors, AIS etc. are all one time charges, not yearly fees and they are rather low charges as well. For the charts you pay a yearly fee, but when you stop paying, you don’t lose the charts, you just don’t get updates anymore.

Besides some disliking Apple products there is no good reason to not put iSailor at #1 imho. I have never seen any other app doing anything better.

[requiem]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

There was incorrect info posted about costs for iSailor. Options like heading and wind sensors, AIS etc. are all one time charges, not yearly fees and they are rather low charges as well. For the charts you pay a yearly fee, but when you stop paying, you don’t lose the charts, you just don’t get updates anymore.

Ah, you're right! Thank you for correcting that; I had been mixing them in with some of the other subscription fees.

This certainly bumps it very high up my list. While it doesn't make the top of my list (lacking sufficient features for a full paper replacement), it's certainly well ahead of the rest of the pack.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by requiem

Ah, you're right! Thank you for correcting that; I had been mixing them in with some of the other subscription fees.

This certainly bumps it very high up my list. While it doesn't make the top of my list (lacking sufficient features for a full paper replacement), it's certainly well ahead of the rest of the pack.

Happy to help

Which are the chart-plotter features you miss in iSailor? I eventually found every function and even some missing in dedicated chart plotters!