Essential apps for your boat
The smartphone has become an indispensable tool for navigation. Today's marine apps offer precise chartography, weather forecasts, port and anchorage information, trip logging, and much more. Used properly, they complement (but never replace) your onboard navigation electronics.
We've selected the best apps organized by function, with both free and paid options.
Chartography and navigation apps
Navionics Boating
The world's most popular marine charting app. It includes detailed charts with bathymetry, buoys, lighthouses, ports, and hazards for virtually the entire planet.
Key features: - Detailed marine charts with frequent updates - Route planning with waypoints - Tide and current information - Sonar/fish finder capability when connected to a compatible transducer - Offline mode (download charts to navigate without cell coverage)
Price: annual subscription from 30 EUR/year (Navionics+) Platform: iOS, Android
Boating (Navionics + C-MAP)
Following the merger of Navionics and C-MAP under the Garmin umbrella, Boating is the integrated app that combines both chart libraries.
iSailor
A European alternative to Navionics with high-quality chartography for the Mediterranean, European Atlantic, and tropical waters.
Key features: - Official charts with weekly updates - Integrated AIS (if your boat has a connected AIS receiver) - Advanced route planner - Full offline mode
Price: charts by region from 15-50 EUR Platform: iOS, Android
OpenCPN (for tablets/PC)
Open-source navigation software that is completely free. It's not a mobile app per se, but it runs on Windows and Linux tablets. Compatible with free official charts (ENCs).
Price: free Platform: Windows, Linux, Android (beta)
Marine weather apps
Windy
Widely considered the best weather app for sailors. It displays animated maps of wind, waves, precipitation, temperature, and pressure in real time using multiple weather models.
Key features: - Models: GFS, ECMWF, ICON, NAM, and more - Animated wind and wave visualization - 10-day forecast with hourly detail - Sea layers: swell height, period, wave direction - Webcams at coastal points
Price: free (premium version from 20 EUR/year with extra features) Platform: iOS, Android, web
PredictWind
An app focused specifically on wind prediction for sailors. It offers its own proprietary models (PWG and PWE) in addition to standard ones, and lets you create weather reports for specific routes.
Key features: - Proprietary high-resolution models - Route reports: wind and wave forecasts along your planned route - Custom wind alerts - Compatible with satellite communication systems (Iridium GO)
Price: subscription from 100 EUR/year (Standard) Platform: iOS, Android, web
Windfinder
A good free alternative for basic wind and wave information. Includes historical statistics and webcams.
Price: free (premium from 10 EUR/year) Platform: iOS, Android
Anchorage and port apps
Navily
The go-to app for finding anchorages, ports, and berths in the Mediterranean. It works like a TripAdvisor for boaters: users rate and review each anchorage.
Key features: - Thousands of anchorages with photos, ratings, and comments from other sailors - Seabed information (sand, rock, posidonia, seaweed) - Wind protection by direction - Anchorage bathymetry - Active community that constantly updates information
Price: free Platform: iOS, Android
Dockwa / MarinaGo
Platforms for booking berths at marinas. They let you search for available slips, compare prices, and book online.
Price: free (the marina charges for the berth) Platform: iOS, Android, web
ActiveCaptain (Garmin)
A community-driven database of marinas, anchorages, hazards, and marine services. Integrated with Garmin chartplotters but available as a standalone app.
Price: free (requires a Garmin account) Platform: iOS, Android
Safety and emergency apps
SafeTrx (Maritime Rescue)
The official app of Spain's Maritime Rescue Service (Salvamento Maritimo). It records your position and navigation plan so rescue services can locate you in an emergency. Similar apps exist in other countries, such as the Coast Guard app in the US or RYA SafeTrx in the UK.
Key features: - Trip tracking in real time - Emergency button with direct connection to Maritime Rescue - Share your position with trusted contacts - Zone alerts (navigation warnings)
Price: free Platform: iOS, Android
MarineTraffic
Displays maritime traffic in real time: position, heading, and speed of cargo ships, ferries, fishing vessels, and AIS-equipped boats.
Key features: - Real-time traffic map - Vessel identification by name, type, and flag - Route history - Proximity alerts - Community-uploaded vessel photos
Price: free (basic features), premium from 5 EUR/month Platform: iOS, Android, web
VesselFinder
An alternative to MarineTraffic with similar features. Cleaner interface in the free version.
Price: free (premium available) Platform: iOS, Android, web
Tide and current apps
My Tide Times
A simple, effective app for checking tide times and heights at ports around the world.
Price: free Platform: iOS, Android
Tides Near Me
Tide information with clear graphs and a 7-day forecast. Includes low/high tide alerts.
Price: free Platform: iOS, Android
Boat management and maintenance apps
Boatyard
An app for logging and managing your boat's maintenance. It lets you set reminders for oil changes, antifouling, safety equipment checks, and more.
Key features: - Maintenance calendar with reminders - Expense tracking (fuel, berth fees, repairs) - Trip log with distance and engine hours - Document storage (insurance policy, registration, manuals)
Price: free (basic features), premium with more storage Platform: iOS, Android
Saillogger
For sailors: automatically logs your passages using your phone's GPS. It generates a navigation diary with route data, speed, heading, wind, and distance.
Price: free (basic), premium from 30 EUR/year Platform: iOS
Quick comparison
| App | Function | Price | Essential? | |---|---|---|---| | Navionics/Boating | Charts | 30 EUR/year | Yes | | Windy | Weather | Free/20 EUR | Yes | | Navily | Anchorages | Free | Yes (Mediterranean) | | SafeTrx | Safety | Free | Yes (Spain) | | MarineTraffic | AIS traffic | Free | Recommended | | PredictWind | Advanced weather | 100 EUR/year | For offshore | | iSailor | Charts | 15-50 EUR | Alternative | | Boatyard | Maintenance | Free | Recommended |
Tips for using navigation apps
They don't replace dedicated electronics
Apps are an excellent complement, but they should never be your only navigation system. A phone can run out of battery, fall overboard, lose GPS signal, or simply crash. Always carry a fixed chartplotter, paper charts, or at the very least an independent handheld GPS.
Download offline charts
Before heading out, download the charts for your sailing area so you can access them without a connection. Offshore or in areas with limited coverage, an app is useless if it needs the internet.
Protect your phone
Use a waterproof case (such as LifeProof or Catalyst) or a waterproof pouch with a touch-screen window. Saltwater is lethal to smartphones.
Manage your battery
GPS is a heavy drain on battery life. Carry a high-capacity power bank (20,000 mAh or more) and a 12V charging cable for the boat.
Always verify information
Apps can contain errors or outdated information. Always cross-check with other sources: official charts, harbor reports, and other sailors.
