HullBook vs the alternatives Nebo and Boatlogger, compared honestly
A point-by-point look at HullBook, Nebo, and Boatlogger on price model, platform, core focus, maintenance tracking, privacy, and the paper trail each one produces. Updated for 2026.
Disclosure: we make HullBook. InnovaLabWorks builds and sells HullBook, so read this as a maker's comparison. Every claim about Nebo and Boatlogger sticks to their well-known public traits, and their own sites remain the source of truth for their current features and pricing.
Boat logging tools split into three shapes. Nebo is the voyage logger: it captures trips automatically and shares your position with the people who want to know where you are. Boatlogger is the web platform: a browser account for logbook, maintenance records, and documents. HullBook, the app we make, is maintenance-first: engine hours, service intervals, seasonal checklists, fuel math, every cost of keeping her, and a one-tap Service History PDF you can hand to a buyer, surveyor, or insurer.
| Feature | HullBook | Nebo | Boatlogger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free to download. The free tier covers 1 boat and 15 records with every checklist and the full maintenance scheduler. Pro is a monthly or yearly subscription or a one-time Lifetime purchase; the App Store shows the current local price. | Free per their site, with optional extras. See their site for current plans. | Web subscription tiers; pricing varies per their site. |
| Platform | Native iPhone and iPad app, syncing through your private iCloud to iPhone, iPad, and Mac. No account. | iPhone and Android apps, with web viewing of shared logs, per their site. | Web-based platform used in a browser, with mobile access per their site. |
| Core focus | The ownership record: hour meter tracking, maintenance by engine hours or season, four built-in seasonal checklists, real fuel burn rate, and every expense of the boat by category and season. | Automatic voyage logging and live position sharing. | Broad boat management in a web account: logbook, maintenance records, documents, and crew, per their site. |
| Trip logging | A deliberate trip log with conditions: where you went, who came, wind, sky, sea state, temperature, distance, and hours. | Automatic from the phone while you are underway; trips capture themselves. | Logbook entries in the web account, with integrations per their site. |
| Maintenance tracking | Tasks by engine hours or calendar months, an 18 task stock program with real marine intervals, overdue flags sorted by urgency, a forecast from planned engine use, and a dated service log with costs. | Voyage-centred; maintenance scheduling is not its advertised core. | Maintenance records are part of the platform, per their site. |
| Data and privacy | No account and no tracking. The log stays on your devices and in your own private iCloud; we never see your data. | Account-based, and position sharing is the point; data lives in their service. | Account-based web service; data lives on their servers. |
| The paper trail | One tap builds a buyer-ready Service History PDF: boat specs and HIN, current hours, the full dated service log with costs, the maintenance program state, and completed seasonal checklists. The expense log exports as CSV. | See their site for report and export options. | See their site for report and export options. |
The core difference
The difference is which question each tool answers. Nebo answers where did we go and where are you now. Boatlogger answers where do I keep everything about the boat online. HullBook answers the owner's Tuesday-night questions: what is due next, what did the season cost, and can I prove the boat was cared for. That is why HullBook is organised around the hour meter, the four checklists (spring launch, haul-out and winterizing, pre-departure, and trailering), the expense ledger, and the Service History PDF.
What HullBook is built around
HullBook is built on three decisions. First, maintenance runs on real marine logic: oil by engine hours, anodes by season, each task set to hours or months with what is due computed for you. Second, money is part of the record: fuel fills become a real burn rate in litres or US gallons per hour, expenses get categories and season totals, and the cost of ownership view adds fuel and service spend without counting anything twice. Third, the record is portable and private: the one-tap Service History PDF and the expense CSV leave the app whenever you choose, and the data itself never leaves your devices and your private iCloud.
When Nebo is the right pick
Pick Nebo if your logging problem is voyages rather than maintenance: you want trips captured automatically while you are underway, and you want family or marina contacts to see where you are.
When Boatlogger is the right pick
Pick Boatlogger if you want a browser-based home for everything about the boat, you are comfortable keeping the record in a web account, and you prefer managing it from a desktop.
When HullBook is the right pick
HullBook is the better fit if the questions you actually face are what is due next and what is she costing me: hour-based service intervals, launch and winterizing checklists with the why behind each item, real burn rate, every expense by category and season, and a service history PDF ready for the day you sell.
Frequently asked questions
Is HullBook free to use?
HullBook is free to download. The free tier covers 1 boat and 15 records (engine logs, trips, fills, service entries, expenses) with every checklist and the full maintenance scheduler. Pro removes the record cap, allows unlimited boats, and opens the Service History PDF and the expense CSV export, as a monthly or yearly subscription or a one-time Lifetime purchase. The App Store shows your local price.
Does HullBook track my position like Nebo does?
No. HullBook is a logbook, not a navigation or safety device. Trips are logged deliberately, with the conditions you choose to record, and nothing about your position is shared anywhere.
Can I keep more than one boat in HullBook?
Yes, with Pro, which allows unlimited boats. The free tier covers one boat.
Where does my boat data live?
On your devices and in your own private iCloud, synced across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. There is no account and no tracking, and we never see your data.
Can I switch from Nebo or Boatlogger?
HullBook does not import other services' formats. Most owners start by entering the current hour meter reading and tuning the 18 task stock maintenance program to their manual, which takes a few minutes.
Try HullBook before you decide
HullBook is free to download. Run it on a real week of use and decide based on the output. The App Store shows the current local price for every upgrade before you confirm.
Try HullBook on the App Store ↗If the boat's history currently lives in a shoebox of receipts and a note on the fridge, HullBook is the fastest way to turn it into a record. The free tier covers one boat, fifteen records, and every checklist, which is enough to run a real launch or winterizing before you consider Pro.