Embarca vs Navionics, Orca, Savvy Navvy, C-MAP, Aqua Map, Windy and Spearo
If you have an inflatable, a RIB or a small powerboat with no sounder, which app suits you? This comparison covers what each one does, who it is for and what it costs, with the date each price was checked. And it says where they are better than Embarca, which is in several places.
Transparency. This is written by the Embarca team, so we have an interest. That is why every figure carries its source and date, and we have left blank what we could not verify. Prices checked on 14 October 2026. They change often and vary by country and store: always check the current price before buying.
The short answer
- If you sail far, with a larger boat or with a Garmin/Simrad/Lowrance plotter, the official-chart apps (Navionics, C-MAP, Aqua Map, Orca) are better than Embarca. They have navigation-grade charts, AIS and instrument connections.
- If you only want wind and sea forecasts, Windy is better.
- If what you want is underwater visibility for diving or spearfishing, Spearo offers a forecast that Embarca does not.
- If you have a small boat with no sounder or plotter, want an orientative depth, your recorded routes, the line for your qualification, a cetacean guide and an SOS, and prefer to pay once rather than every year, Embarca is built for that.
Comparison table
Prices in euros unless stated. "Year" means an annual subscription that renews automatically. All are free to download.
| App | What it is | Who it is for | Model and price | Better than Embarca at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navionics Boating (Garmin) | Nautical charts, automatic routing, AIS | Recreational boaters in general; essential if you have a Garmin plotter | Annual subscription by region. Baltic 49.99 /year and Northern Europe 99.99 /year (press, 2026). Mediterranean in euros: not verified* | Chart quality and detail, integration with plotters and sounders, AIS |
| Orca | Chart navigation, weather routing, AIS, instruments | Sailboats and cruisers; people who like to plan | Free with online charts. Orca Plus 49 /year (offline charts). Smart Navigation 149 /year (Orca help centre, as of 1 September 2026) | Weather routing, AIS, instrument integration |
| Savvy Navvy | Automatic routes accounting for tides, wind and hazards | Coastal boaters, especially in the UK | Annual: Essential GBP 59, Explore GBP 95, Elite GBP 99 (official site). 3-day trial | Automatic routes with tides and hazards |
| C-MAP | Nautical charts, seabed relief, routes | People using B&G, Simrad or Lowrance equipment | Year: regional 29.99 and worldwide 48.99 (press, 2026) | Charts, sync with plotters from the same family |
| Aqua Map | Official charts by country, AIS, anchor alarm, NMEA | Boaters wanting cheap charts and many technical features | Charts by region. "Spain Mediterranean + Balearics" 19.99 (German App Store listing; annual subscription). Expert 14.99 and Master 24.99 separate. 14-day trial | Official charts, AIS and NMEA, anchor alarm |
| Windy (windy.com and Windy.app) | Wind, wave and radar weather maps and models | Anyone going to sea or doing wind sports | Free, with a paid version. Windy.com Premium from 3.49 to 38.99 (French listing, periods not stated). Windy.app Pro 9.99 to 99.99 (German listing, periods not stated) | Weather visualisation and number of models |
| Spearo | Green/amber/red verdict for spearfishing and diving, visibility in metres, waves, wind, tides | Spearfishers and divers | Free with 3 saved spots and the first days of forecast. Pro: 4.99 to 41.99 (periods not stated); lifetime Pro 49.99 or 69.99; Ultra 22.00 or 27.99. 7-day trial on the annual plan | Water visibility forecast (no public validation that we found) |
| Embarca | Estimated depth, your qualification's 2 miles, routes, forecast, cetacean guide, SOS | Small boats with no sounder or plotter (inflatables, RIBs, small powerboats, dinghies) | Free to download. One-time Pro, no subscription; price in the store | - |
* The Navionics App Store listing we could open (Mexico's) shows prices in pesos, not euros, and Spain's returned an error. We give no Mediterranean price in euros because we have not seen it in a reliable source.
App by app: what it does, who for and where it is better
Navionics Boating (Garmin)
The reference for recreational charts. Free download and annual subscription by region; without a current subscription you lose the charts and advanced features. Better than Embarca at chart quality and, if you already have a Garmin plotter, integration. Worse for you if your boat has no plotter and you do not want to pay every year. Source: App Store listing (Mexico), checked on 14 October 2026, and Boote Magazin for European prices.
Orca
A modern interface, weather routing and good instrument integration. Its free plan has online charts, 5 days of forecast and 7 days of logbook. Better than Embarca at weather routing, AIS and instruments. Note: Orca Plus (EUR 49 a year) is not a one-time purchase: it is an annual subscription. Source: Orca help centre, as of 1 September 2026.
Savvy Navvy
Computes automatic routes with tides, wind and hazards. Its official site lists three annual plans (GBP 59, 95 and 99) and a 3-day trial. Better than Embarca at automatic route planning. The site warns that deleting the app does not cancel the subscription: cancel the trial from the account menu before it ends. Source: savvy-navvy.com/pricing, checked on 14 October 2026.
C-MAP
Charts and seabed relief, with sync to B&G, Simrad and Lowrance plotters. Better than Embarca at charts and integration with those plotters. Source: Boote Magazin (2026 prices); we could not open the official listing.
Aqua Map
Official charts by country at a low price, with AIS, anchor alarm and NMEA in the Expert and Master options. Powerful and fairly technical. Better than Embarca at official charts, AIS and instruments. Source: German App Store listing, 14 October 2026. Some guides mention "Forever" purchases in certain regions; we did not see them in the German listing.
Windy
Not a navigation app but a weather one: wind, waves, radar and many models. Better than Embarca at everything to do with studying the weather in detail. Embarca uses Open-Meteo with ECMWF, DWD and NOAA models, enough to decide whether to go. Sources: App Store listings for Windy.com (France) and Windy.app (Germany), 14 October 2026.
Spearo
The closest competitor for the "go diving or spearfishing" use. It gives a verdict on whether to enter the water, with visibility in metres. It is young (version 1.0 in July 2026) and the Spanish listing has 5 ratings. According to its listing, it computes visibility with its own machine-learning model using waves, wind, tides, rain and water temperature; we found no public validation of its accuracy. Better than Embarca at that visibility forecast, which Embarca deliberately does not do. Source: Spain App Store listing, 14 October 2026.
Where Embarca stands and why it charges this way
We set out to do one thing: give anyone with a boat that has no sounder or plotter what they need on their phone to go out sensibly.
- Free (always): navigating with speed, heading and distance to the coast; the estimated depth under the boat; the line for your qualification's 2 miles; the SOS; "Warn me if I am late" in safety mode, with a mandatory return time; the online map; today's forecast; the cetacean guide; the last 3 trips in the logbook.
- Pro: 7-day forecast and best time to go out, route planner, offline maps and charts, unlimited logbook and export, live route sharing without a return time, community routes, ramp finder, widgets. A one-time payment, no subscription, with the price in the store, and a trial that lasts 3 outings.
- What it does not have (today, per its listing): AIS, NMEA instrument integration, plotter sync, official navigation charts, water visibility forecast.
The argument, plainly: the big apps are built for boats with a chartplotter, AIS and long passages, and that shows in the price and in the number of settings. For an inflatable that spends the day close to the coast, they are more tool than you need. They are not bad: they are better at what they do. What we are saying is that with a small boat you may be paying for things you will never use. And if you ever need them, now you know which ones they are.
The reason for a one-time payment is practical: most people with an inflatable go out a few dozen times a year, and an annual subscription is hard to justify for that use.
Subscription versus one-time payment
With an annual subscription the cost repeats every year: for example, 3 years of Aqua Map (Spain Mediterranean + Balearics, 19.99) add up to 59.97; C-MAP regional (29.99), 89.97; Orca Plus (49), 147; and Navionics Baltic (49.99), 149.97, as long as prices do not change. The apps are not equivalent: each includes different things. Embarca Pro is paid once, with no renewal. And on top of that comes the cost of whatever equipment the boat carries, which for a sounder is the next section.
The traditional alternative: sounder and plotter
A sounder really measures what is under the hull, and Embarca neither does nor wants to do that. If you can afford it, it is the safest. But know what it involves. An entry-level Garmin Striker runs around EUR 150 to 200 for the unit alone (at Decathlon Spain on 14 October 2026: Striker 4 Plus at EUR 146.99 and Striker Vivid 4cv with GT20-TM transducer at EUR 204.00, the latter sold by a third party). Add the battery, mount, wiring and installing the transducer on the hull, which on an inflatable or RIB is the hard part. It is not impossible, but it is a project, not a purchase.
If a sounder fits your budget and your boat, buy it. If not, or if you also want something that stores your routes and gives the forecast, Embarca is an orientative alternative, not a substitute. And they are not mutually exclusive.
Choosing, in three questions
- Does your boat have a plotter or sounder? If it is a brand (Garmin, Simrad...), use that brand's app to sync.
- Do you sail far from the coast or at night? Then official charts and AIS: Navionics, Orca, Aqua Map or C-MAP.
- Do you go out near the coast in a small boat and want the essentials with no fees? Try Embarca; the story explains why we built it this way.
What we could not verify
- Navionics' current Mediterranean price in euros.
- The official Spanish App Store listings for Savvy Navvy, C-MAP and Aqua Map (the store returned a rate-limit error); we used listings from other countries and specialist press.
- The period of each Windy and Spearo price: the listings do not state them.
- Downloads and revenue for any app: no reliable public data, so we do not claim which converts best.
Sources (checked on 14 October 2026)
- Orca, subscription prices and functionality.
- Savvy Navvy, pricing.
- Spearo on the App Store (Spain).
- Aqua Map on the App Store (Germany), Navionics Boating on the App Store (Mexico), Windy.com on the App Store (France) and Windy.app on the App Store (Germany).
- Boote Magazin, best navigation apps 2026 (Navionics and C-MAP prices).
- Decathlon Spain, Garmin Striker (equipment prices).