OpenWind vs Coaster
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
Coaster
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Boat dashboard: speed, distance from the coast and nearest border. Once the map has been downloaded, the application is functional offline. A Premium yearly subscription is available. With Premium subscription, you have maps in HD-High Definition (an example is available on https://swissopt.ch/coaster/#hd), no ads to activate options alert and distance to nearest border. Terms of Use (EULA) apply (https://swissopt.ch/coaster/support/terms_conditions.html).
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OpenWind at none against Coaster's 1. OpenWind also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Coaster sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per year. OpenWind asks for nothing beyond the download.
OpenWind ships an update fortnightly, Coaster every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | OpenWind | Coaster |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.1 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 52 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Michael Liesenberg | Michael Mathieu |
In-app purchases
OpenWind
No in-app purchases
Coaster
- Premium$4.991 Year
