Navionics $80 a year, Alternative, Hack, Workaround??

Navionics - Alternative, Hack, Workaround??
So I'll preface by saying when I first started using navionics like 13 years ago,it was free. Then Garmin bought it and I think it was like 10 bucks, and then it went up to 20 bucks, and then $30. Anyhow, now they want 80 bucks for the year. I only use navionics for the hard water. That's too much for me. I can't justify it , and it rubs me the wrong way. Corporate greed has crippled our country, but let's not go there.
My subscription expired in January and as you all know last year was a bust so I only got out three times, and that was all before mid February. At that time my navionics worked fine. I had contours and the waypoints were accurate.
Now when I open up navionics and go to the charts, I don't have any of the depth contours, and any attempt to turn them on results in an immediate redirection to the "pay $80 now" page.
More concerning is the fact that all my waypoints have moved, although I presume the coordinates are still true. They are so far off that my shore entry waypoints are, without exception , now showing as being out in the water.
I did write to Navionics expressing my concerns and I got the standard towing of the corporate/company line in response. It's basically sort of gaslighting being masked as customer service. Needless to say, their only solution was to suck it up peanut and then pony up with 80 bones.
I've done some research. I found two other apps which bill monthly and can be canceled at any time. I can cover the ice season for half the cost of navionics for the year. Coincidentally both apps appear to use the navioics platform/information. The added bonus of not paying navionics, at least directly, is appealing.
Still, I wanted to check with you good folks here in the forum and see if anybody had a hack, work around, or an experience with an alternative app. I'm also open to graciously accepting a gift card should someone want to generously shoot one my way. ?

onX in the USA is out with a fishing version. Presently, it's not USA wide but concentrated on lakes in Minnesota and Wisconsin. A review I saw was pretty impressed with its capabilities/coverage. It shows land holdings and where public access point along shore are available -- cool! Whether onX comes north of the boarder is yet to be seen.

Did I mention that the app is FREE! ("Look out Garmin....?")

Three times this past summer i ran into a group of about 5 boats in the parking lot in Midland all from Minnesota that worked for Johnson outdoors, the people who sell humminbird electronics and other things minkota cannon and such . I asked themw hat they were doing they told me they were mapping georgian bay . Makes me think since garmin has taken over navionics a new source of maps or GPS system is in the works from Humminbird , not positive but they spent a lot of time and resources while they were here. Could be an alternative in the future?

I was just dealing with the same thing the last couple day. No way am I paying 80 bucks. Sail actually had a deal on fire Lowrance ice kit 50% off. So I paid 200 bucks. This kits fits my hook 7 that has a navioics card. So that is what I'll be using this year.

Hey Grampa, sure sounds like the Johnson Outdoors guys, working for Hummingbird (along with Minn Kota) could be updating their exclusive "Lakemaster" maps.

I know the Minn-Kota trolling motors & Hummingbird graphs with i-Pilot Link, the 'follow the contours' feature ONLY works with their exclusive Lakemaster maps.

Given what you saw, I would imagine the Lakemaster card will be undergoing an upgrade....soon I hope, as the Lakemaster map, in my opinion, doesn't have as much info on it as Navionics...yet.

Cheers,

I kept my old Navionics one time purchase app from way back. I keep refusing the upgrades and just keep using the old app. Not sure if you can somehow get the old app from your app down loads but if you can if work the same as it did 15 years ago.

Both me and my friend were forced to upgrade that old app 2 years ago early January. It started demanding login that didnt work unless you update. Now it also looks like a screen above pretty much. Thinking of using my HDS not only as an active target screen, there its still working ok.

Thanks. I know another person who did the same, in as much they never upgraded et .
I didn't have a choice a few years ago. I got new phone and, as centerspin mentioned, was forced to create a log in and .......
Perhaps some one on the weekend crew has a fix or further insight.

I have a Navionics and a Lakemaster with no upgrades to them ever and I will continue to use them until I go off into the sunset without the paddle.

Arnie

I agree with longfish. I kept an old Navionics app and continue to use it on my computer for the Georgian Bay/Honey Harbour area details
My reason for not updating is simple?.... rocks/shoals don't move....all good...lol.

Seems the past few seasons if we were striking out and looking for a new place to try any "feature" we could find on the map already had one or a small group sitting on it anyway. Too many people using the same tech.

And we fish the same area....my sd cards have never entered a computer......I leave them sis....working fine......as Fozzy says rock shoals dont move and I just continue to add fish way points.

If it starts affecting my Ulterra I will buy a new sd card and keep the old one so I will always have that solid version. I haven't used the follow the contour as yet but if that won't work I will buy a updated card and as I said keep the original card in tact and just switch out cards depending on what I am doing.

Arnie