C-MAP: Boating

Shown for US

• Free to download
• In-app purchases

Last verified 31 Jul 2026

Shown for US

4.5 2346 ratings · App Store

1. 5/5Professional Guidance Needs Professional Tools

   As a professional running a guide service in the Inland Northwest, the importance of accurate and reliable navigation tools cannot be overstated. C-Map has proven to be an effective and valuable part of my daily operations, however, its functionality could be expanded to better serve professionals in the field. The app’s current reliance on the built-in GPS of tablets and phones can be limiting, especially for professionals like myself who depend on the superior accuracy and reliability of external GPS units. The addition of support for external GPS devices would greatly enhance its usefulness. Equally important to me, as a professional, is the ability to use NMEA data from my boat’s internal network. Incorporating the ability to utilize this data would allow for greater interoperability with existing systems, as the coordinates from the external GPS are broadcast in NMEA format. Despite these areas for improvement, C-Map continues to be a reliable app that I frequently use and recommend. I hope that in the future, developers will consider these enhancements, thereby making the app an even more indispensable tool for professionals in the maritime industry. In its current state, I would rate C-Map at 3.5 out of 5 stars, but with these improvements, I am confident it would easily earn a perfect score. Until then, I will continue to utilize and support C-Map, eagerly awaiting these crucial upgrades.

   Brand1111111 · 31 Jul 2026

2. 5/5Beautiful. Fast. Intuitive. Free!

   I spent considerable time this past week trying out C-MAP and other marine navigation apps like iNavX, Navionics, Wavve, etc., in an effort to find the best one to run on my iPad while sailing. C-MAP was the hands-down winner so I felt compelled to write a review and let people know how great this app is. First of all C-MAP stands in stark contrast to competing marine navigation maps because it’s uncluttered and the maps are super snappy and run butter-smooth on my iPad Air. You get intuitive options for distance/time estimating, mapping out routes, basic weather/wave/tide data, your GPS coordinates, even points of interest in the area... and it’s completely FREE! If you choose to upgrade (for just $19/year) you can even see more detailed weather forecasts and AIS traffic on-screen. As a tech CMO and recreational sailor I have to tell you, this app has every single thing I was looking for and nothing that I wasn’t - some serious thought went into C-MAP, from its design and feature set to its user experience. The only other marine app I use (and don’t really need) now is PredictWind, just to get really granular on wind speed and direction. I happily deleted all of the other marine apps on the iPad. If you’re searching for a boating/sailing navigation app like I was, give this one a try. There’s really no need to look elsewhere.

   rellimnitsuj · 31 Jul 2026

3. 5/5Best looking charts available

   Embark has quickly become my favorite charts app. The cartography is top-notch and takes full advantage of a high resolution display. Updates are frequent, and the dev team is amazingly responsive. There are still some features I’d love to see (tidal currents, make it easier to find tide stations other than the closest and predictions farther out than a few days, track export), but they are continuously improving and I keep looking forward to seeing update notifications. I just hooked my B&G MFD up to my account, and I’m loving the way that tracks and routes sync. That feature plus the solid auto-routing make planning a joy- no more standing at the helm fighting the smaller screen and less responsive touchscreen! Instead I can do my planning sitting in an easy chair at home while anticipating the trip! Hats off to the devs for an app that is truly a joy to use!

   zenmoto · 31 Jul 2026

4. 2/5Many long lived bugs

   As others have noted, this app has MANY long lived bugs that are significant enough that as a RYA Certified Yachtmaster, I would not use this for navigation. All pop-ups should be able to be disabled. With an application used for navigation it should be assumed that you turn the app on when you need it in that moment, and being presented with ‘rate this app’ and other ‘feedback’ dialogues is dangerous, especially in an era where more and more boaters are poorly skilled and reliant on their devices. Ask why insurance rates have gotten so astronomical. The app should start with the map Center end over the current location, unless specifically configured to do otherwise. It should also (when starting the first time) let users know that the charts supported are not ‘official’ charts, and meet neither USCG or Canadian CG carriage requirements for charts. These apps should support official S-63 ENC’s or RNC’s, but that would torpedo the business of selling millions in non-official charts, largely to users who have no knowledge of the fact that official charts are a requirement. The developer response was to suggest recreational boaters purchase their obscenely expensive commercial ECDIS system, which is downright offensive. A boater on a small recreational fishing boat should not have to purchase tens of thousands of dollars in equipment and software to get official charts that don’t require you to indemnify Navico, or suggest that the electronic charts should only be used to supplement official sources. Every recreational boater has paid for the development of these official sources with their tax dollars, and these companies lawyers are turning the entire industry into a parasitic cartel.

   MakingMovies · 31 Jul 2026

5. 2/5Dangerous

   I am desperate to find a replacement for the greedy Navionics (now Garmin) Boating app so I’ve been trying out everything I can find. I had a delivery yesterday and decided to sign up for the trial subscription to test it out. I couldn’t believe how ridiculous the route it chose was. It ignored navigation aids and channel markers and directed me into dangerous waters and completely unnecessary directions out of the way. At several points it even had me going outside a navigation marker and right over a shallow rocky area! I can’t believe this could happen in a modern navigation app. Other than having ZERO trust in the safety of it’s “auto routing”, I liked the app. I wish it had a little more guidance as to how to use it (the help section goes to a dead website). It doesn’t automatically follow your boat when you’re on a route and there isn’t any clear indication that it is actually FOLLOWING a route. My first chart plotter used C-map cartridges and that was more than 20 years ago. You’d think they could figure this stuff out by now. It’s not quite ready for prime time.

   rtln · 31 Jul 2026

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