Comparison

Absolute Tides vs SailboatData

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Absolute Tides

Access official UKHO tidal data offline for up to a year in advance. View monthly tide tables, daily charts, and tidal streams. Includes weather forecasts and anchoring assistance.

Highlights
  • Offline UKHO tidal data
  • Annual data plugins
  • Monthly tide tables
  • Daily tide charts
  • Tidal stream view
  • Met Office weather forecast
  • Anchoring assistance
Features
Read full description

Displays officially licenced UKHO tidal data on an annual basis without ever needing to go online. The tidal data is contained in our annual data plugins and must be purchased using in-app purchases. Once you have purchased the data, this app will allow you to view UKHO standard port tides up to a year in advance. The app will also calculate secondary port tides using its own built in offsets. (The 'UK data 2016' IAP contains data for 38 primary ports and over 500 secondary ports, see our website for more details on coverage) The main view is an 'At a glance' table view of each month's tides and tidal ranges. Selecting an entry will display an easy to use daily chart view showing the tide height for any time of day and a tidal stream view showing tidal direction and speed at hourly intervals. The Weather section downloads and displays the current Met Office Inshore Forecast. Absolute Tides also makes anchoring easy by calculating the maximum and minimum tides beween the current time and any selected future date/time. Note: This application will NOT work without at least one of our tidal data in-app purchases being installed. Please check that the tide data you want is available before downloading this app. The small print: For leisure use only. Heights of tides can vary from those predicted depending on the prevailing weather conditions. All data is given in good faith and is believed to be correct but we accept no responsibility for any consequential loss or damage arising from use of this application. Secondary port data calculated using offsets will be less accurate than the UKHO standard port data. This app is neither affiliated to nor endorsed by the Met Office.

About

SailboatData

Access a comprehensive database of production sailboat specifications offline. Compare models, search by detailed criteria, and save favorites with personal remarks. Ideal for buyers and marine professionals alike.

Highlights
  • Offline sailboat database access
  • Side-by-side model comparison
  • Search by detailed specifications
  • Save favorite sailboats and designers
  • Add personal remarks to models
  • Sync favorites and remarks via iCloud
Features
Read full description

The world’s most recognized database for production sailboat specifications. This is the must-have app for those looking to purchase a sailboat as well as for DIYers, sailmakers, yacht brokers, marinas, riggers, and all other marine professionals. Unlike our website, the app allows access to our database without the need for an internet connection. After downloading, you can experience the full app functionality for the first 2 hours. After that, continue on with the free basic version or subscribe to keep full access. This costs as little as a good coffee (for a yearly subscription, our cheapest option) and supports us adding more useful features and extend the database. The current features include: • Scrollable list containing over 9,200 sailboat models. • Side-by-side sailboat model compare. • Scrollable lists with all designers, builders, and associations. • The scrollable lists have an alphabetic index for quick access. • Each list has a name search bar which updates the list as you type. • Ability to select sailboats, designers, builders, and associations as your favorite. • Toggle button to quickly switch between showing all or only your favorites. • Ability to add your personal remarks for each sailboat model. • Favorites and remarks are shared between all your devices using Apple iCloud. • Refined search by LOA, LWL, Hull type, Keel type, Displacement, Beam, Draft, Rig type, Years Built and all our Ratios. • Ability to sort the refined search results on any of the search parameters. • Settings to personalize displayed units and other features. As you scroll through the sailboat list and look at sailboat and designer details, the corresponding images are downloaded via internet. Once an image has been downloaded it is stored on your device; the maximum storage used is about 500MB.

Screenshots

Absolute Tides4 screens
SailboatData4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: SailboatData at every 4 weeks against Absolute Tides's every 5 months. SailboatData also leads on review sentiment (89% vs 67%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Absolute Tides sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and SailboatData sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Absolute Tides ships an update every 5 months, SailboatData every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on August 18, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Absolute Tides versus SailboatData: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAbsolute TidesSailboatData
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.8 (293 ratings) — better
Positive reviews67.1% of reviews88.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—293 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDarren EdwardsVMG Media, LLC

Customer experience

Absolute Tides

Written reviews70 reviews
Positive67.1%
Neutral10.0%
Negative22.9%

SailboatData

All ratings293 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral2.4%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Absolute Tides

One-time11
  • UK Tides 2016Free
  • UK Tides 2017Free
  • UK Tides 2018Free
Show 8 more
  • UK Tides 2019Free
  • UK & Eire Tides 2020Free
  • UK & Eire Tides 2021Free
  • UK & Eire Tides 2022$2.99
  • UK & Eire Tides 2023$2.99
  • UK & Eire Tides 2024$2.99
  • UK & Eire Tides 2026$2.99
  • UK & Eire Tides 2025$2.99
4 purchases

SailboatData

Subscriptions4
  • 1 Monthly Access$0.991 Month
  • 3 Monthly Access$1.993 Months
  • 6 Monthly Access$2.996 Months
Show 1 more
  • 12 Monthly Access$3.991 Year

Questions

Is Absolute Tides free?
Absolute Tides is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SailboatData free?
SailboatData is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Absolute Tides or SailboatData have ads?
Neither Absolute Tides nor SailboatData shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Absolute Tides or SailboatData?
Absolute Tides ships an update every 5 months, and SailboatData every 4 weeks. Most recently, Absolute Tides was updated on August 18, 2026 and SailboatData on September 24, 2026.

Other comparisons