Comparison

Sail vs Pathfinder Sailing

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

Head to head
About

Sail

Record your sailing routes using your phone's GPS and store them in a digital logbook. Share your journey with friends and family via a live map link. Requires an account on Sail-la-vie.com.

Highlights
  • Track sailing routes with GPS
  • Digital logbook (Sail-Board)
  • Live Map sharing
  • Data stored locally and on server
  • Requires Sail-la-vie.com account
Features
Read full description

Sail Tracker is an app to track your Sailings and keep them in your Sail-Board (digital logbook) at Sail-la-vie.com. The app is used to track route sailings. Either sailing club members or Sail-la-vie.com customers can use this app to record, when they are at sea, the route they follow. The track is done using the GPS of the phone and the data are stored first locally and then transmitted to a server where the users can see their routes and share the URL to family and friends. This URL is called Live Map in the app. It is a join cooperation of HARTIS, SAIL LA VIE and SAIL-CLUBS.com. You need to login first to Sail-la-vie.com in order to use the app. You may read more about the concept here: http://www.sail-la-vie.com/#enjoy

About

Pathfinder Sailing

Features
Read full description

The Pathfinder Sailing App for the iPhone and Apple Watch is the Ultimate App for Sailboat Racing. This app helps you get better starts, hit the wind shifts, and sail faster. Racing screens provide input on your starts, boat speed, wind shift management, and current trends—right on your iPhone or Apple Watch. Race replay and analysis allow you to view your race and performance details and compare your boat track over a Google map with other boats in your fleet using the Pathfinder app. Live Map shows your boat's location and track over several different map backgrounds, including NOAA charts where available. The Marks & Courses screen allows you to create marks, import gpx files for marks and courses, and drop marks on the Live Map. You can then navigate to them via the Navigate screen or Live Map. You can also select a free and provided NOAA current GRIB or a paid GRIB from another service such as Tidetech or Mercator. Two plans are offered: - Pathfinder Plus Plan with sailing instrument integration - Pathfinder Basic plan, which uses your iPhone's GPS Post-race virtual replay provides metrics analysis to improve your sailing performance. You must purchase a monthly or annual subscription to access this content and all race screens within the app after the 14-day free trial period. App features: - Race Timer with audible output to time your starts more effectively. Supports custom time countdown. - Start screens to nail your starts by precisely pinging your start line and tracking the Distance Below Line and your required Speed to Start. - Speed screen to compare your actual performance to polar target speeds and wind angles to get up to speed faster (Plus Plan) - Compare your real-time performance to your polars for real-time feedback on speed and wind angles (Plus Plan) - Visualize wind shift trends to understand the oscillations and better predict shifts (Plus Plan) - Understand the impact of tidal current on your boat and whether you are sailing into a different current with Live Map and NOAA current GRIB (all plans) - Record your races and replay them - Track your performance metrics after the race - Export race logs in JSON or Expedition format for offline analysis Free trial - If you subscribe to the Pathfinder Sailing app, your first 14 days are free. A paid subscription is required beyond the free trial period to access the content. You will be billed for the monthly or annual subscription at the end of the trial. Your subscription will automatically renew at the end of the subscription period. By using this app, you agree to the Pathfinder Sailing Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy at pathfindersailing.com EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms and Conditions: https://pathfindersailing.com/termsandconditions/ Privacy Policy: https://pathfindersailing.com/privacy/

Screenshots

Sail4 screens
Pathfinder Sailing4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sail at none against Pathfinder Sailing's 3. Sail also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. Pathfinder Sailing sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Sail asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sail ships an update every 11 days, Pathfinder Sailing every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Sail versus Pathfinder Sailing: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSailPathfinder Sailing
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHartisPathfinder Sailing LLC

In-app purchases

None

Sail

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Pathfinder Sailing

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly Basic Subscription1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • Monthly Subscription1 Month trial$19.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription1 Month trial$190.001 Year

Questions

Is Sail free?
Sail is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pathfinder Sailing free?
Pathfinder Sailing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Sail or Pathfinder Sailing have ads?
Neither Sail nor Pathfinder Sailing shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sail or Pathfinder Sailing?
Sail ships an update every 11 days, and Pathfinder Sailing every 3 weeks. Most recently, Sail was updated on October 10, 2026 and Pathfinder Sailing on October 14, 2026.

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