Comparison

OpenWind vs SkippersNotes

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

Head to head
About

OpenWind

This application connects to a specialized instrument to display real-time sailing data, including vessel pitch and roll, compass readings, and wind speed and direction. It also provides insights into the instrument's battery level and Bluetooth connection strength. The app requires a connection to the OW instrument to function.

Highlights
  • Real-time sailing data display
  • Vessel pitch and roll monitoring
  • True and apparent wind data
  • Compass and course over ground
  • Instrument battery level
  • Bluetooth connection strength
Features
Read full description

The OpenWind App is an extension for the OpenWind instrument, designed to receive all the Data measured during sail time, such as: - pitch/roll of the vessel - compass - true wind speed and direction - apparent wind speed and direction - course over ground - speed over ground The App also gives information about the battery level of the instrument and the strength of the bluetooth connection. The App only works after connecting to the OW instrument. UDP NMEA 0183 output sentences for AWA/AWS and TWA/TWS

About

SkippersNotes

Read full description

This simple app will help you log your travel destinations and keep track of proper and timely servicing of your boat. SkippersNotes will improve your boating experience with the following features: • Plan your trip and monitor your current position, travel distances, speed, and elapsed time • Log all your trips and include information about fuel, weather, and others. • Edit existing trips or manually add new trips • Calculate total motor working hours and travel distances • Create a list of tasks • Add relevant information about your boat and motor to your profile • Export all your data - You can use your SkippersNotes on the go. App includes maps for planning your trip and enables you to monitor speed and distance in real time. Trips can be logged with the help of your GPS receiver and app timer. - Don’t worry if you forget to log a trip in real time or include all relevant information about the trip. You can manually add new trips, edit all saved trips, and include additional information such as fuel level, weather conditions, fresh water level, events to remember, time and distance marks, and other comments. - We know you love to take proper care of your boat. With the special report feature you can make distance, speed and travel time calculations within a certain time period. This gives you relevant information about your motor working hours so you can take care of timely servicing. - Avoid forgetting important tasks regarding the boat maintenance! SkippersNotes enables you to create a list of tasks related to boat or motor maintenance, keeping them in one place. - App provides meaningful data, regardless of the type of boat you have. You can add relevant information about your boat and motor to your profile such as name and model of the boat, boat and motor's year and serial number, motor power, LOA, beam, draft and height of the boat. - Do you want to share or edit information in other programs? All your trips, calculations, task list, and your profile information can be exported in a form of a text file. SUBSCRIPTION INFO: You can download the app for free. Further use requires a subscription with a free trial which expires in 3 days. You can cancel your subscription anytime during your free trial and you will not be charged for the app. Your subscription is automatically renewable unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. Your iTunes will automatically be charged at the same price for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current subscription period. You can manage your subscription and/or turn off auto-renewal by visiting your iTunes account settings after purchase. When cancelling a subscription, your subscription will stay active until the end of the current period. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.skippersnotes.com/policy.html

Screenshots

OpenWind4 screens
SkippersNotes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OpenWind at none against SkippersNotes's 2. OpenWind also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and device support (5 vs 3). On price and ads 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. SkippersNotes sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. OpenWind asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OpenWind ships an update fortnightly, SkippersNotes every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
OpenWind versus SkippersNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenWindSkippersNotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.1 — better14.2
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB27 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperMichael LiesenbergErik Cuk

In-app purchases

None

OpenWind

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

SkippersNotes

Subscriptions2
  • All access - monthly3 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • All access - yearly3 Days trial$2.991 Year

Questions

Is OpenWind free?
OpenWind is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SkippersNotes free?
SkippersNotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do OpenWind or SkippersNotes have ads?
Neither OpenWind nor SkippersNotes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OpenWind or SkippersNotes?
OpenWind ships an update fortnightly, and SkippersNotes every 4 months. Most recently, OpenWind was updated on September 21, 2026 and SkippersNotes on September 22, 2026.

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