Comparison

Waterspeed Sailing GPS Tracker vs SailUp

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

Head to head
About

Waterspeed Sailing GPS Tracker

Track your performance across over 30 water sports with detailed metrics like speed, distance, and wind conditions. Analyze your sessions, compare gear, and connect with a community of water sports enthusiasts. Offers advanced features for dedicated athletes.

Highlights
  • GPS tracking for 30+ water sports
  • Detailed speed, distance, and duration metrics
  • Wind, weather, and tide forecasts (Pro)
  • Heart rate and gear logging
  • Session history and progress tracking
  • Live location sharing (Pro)
  • Integration with Apple Watch, Garmin, Coros, Suunto
Features
Read full description

Waterspeed is a GPS tracker for sailing, wingfoil, windsurf, SUP, kayak and 30+ other water sports. Record every session on the water and see your speed, distance and track in detail. WIND ALERTS AND FORECASTS • Wind alerts: pick when you want to head out, and Waterspeed tells you when the wind is right, with time to get ready (Pro) • Wind, weather and tide forecasts for the spots near you (Pro) • Wind history and spot conditions (Explore+) MEASURE • Speed, max speed, average speed, distance and duration • Best speeds over 2 s, 10 s and 500 m (Pro) • Your track on the map, with speed shown along the route • Heart rate from your watch, wind, strokes and foiling time • Tacks and gybes analysis, foiling efficiency (Pro) • VMG (velocity made good) and true wind angle (Ultra) • Polar charts and performance against target speeds (Ultra) • Upwind/downwind and port/starboard analysis, legs and runs, gains and losses in distance and angle (Ultra) • Countdown timer for race starts (Pro) • Session history and progress over months and seasons WORKS WITH YOUR DEVICES AND APPS • Apple Watch: record your session right from your wrist • Garmin, Coros, Suunto and Vakaros: your sessions sync into Waterspeed automatically • Strava and GPS-Speedsurfing.com: send your sessions there automatically (Pro) SPORTS Sailing (dinghy, keelboat, catamaran), wingfoil, windsurf, kitesurf, foil, efoil, pumpfoil, SUP, kayak, canoe, downwind, powerboat and 30+ water sports. IMPROVE • Log your gear (boards, sails, wings, foils, boats) and compare sessions • Challenges and leaderboards with the community • Share sessions with friends LIVE SHARING • Live location sharing, so people on shore can follow you (Pro) PLANS Free to download and record. Pro unlocks full stats, history and sync. Ultra adds advanced sailing and racing analysis: VMG, true wind angle, polars, legs and runs. Waterspeed Pro and Ultra are monthly or yearly subscriptions. Payment is charged to your Apple account and renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. One subscription works on all Apple devices linked to your iCloud account. Waterspeed can export activities to Apple Health. We love hearing from the community: support@waterspeedapp.com Terms of Service: https://www.waterspeedapp.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.waterspeedapp.com/privacy

About

SailUp

This app provides a comprehensive suite of tools for competitive sailors, including a precision compass, synchronized race timer, real-time voice coaching, and detailed performance analytics. It's designed to enhance training for teams and optimize race-day execution for various sailing programs.

Highlights
  • Precision sailboat compass with lift/header detection
  • Synchronized race and start timers with audible cues
  • Real-time voice coaching for immediate feedback
  • GPS speed and distance-to-line tracking
  • Heel angle readout
  • Performance data analytics for tacks, gybes, and acceleration
  • Team-based organization and fleet-wide communication
Features
Read full description

The complete sailboat compass, race timer, and team-coaching app for competitive sailors. Built for high school, collegiate, and competitive sailing programs, plus race-day use on bigger boats and any regatta where sail computers and sail compasses are permitted, SailUp combines a precision sailboat compass, a synchronized sailing timer, real-time voice coaching, and full sailing data analytics in one seamless system. SailUp does both: • A sailboat training system for high school and collegiate teams turning practice into measurable performance. • A race-day sail computer for keelboat regattas, big-boat racing, and any event where sail computers and sail compasses are allowed. SAILING TIMER, RACE CLOCK & COMPASS — ALL IN ONE • Race Timer — synchronized countdown across coach, sailors and watch, with audible whistle cues • Start Timer — programmable countdown for every flag in the start sequence • Distance to Line — mark the pin and the committee boat, then watch the gap close as the clock runs down • Sailboat Compass — true and magnetic heading with lift and header detection • Wind Compass — live wind direction over your sailboat compass heading • Sailboat Speed — GPS speed in knots with 5, 10 and 15-second averages • Race Clock — precision elapsed time and leg-by-leg splits once the gun goes • Heel Angle — live heel readout so you see when the sailboat is on rail • Course Marks — drop GPS pins for the racecourse before the start timer fires • Life Jacket Mode — lock the screen so a wave cannot tab out your timer or compass ALWAYS IN REACH • Full race timer and clock control from Apple Watch or run the entire start sequence on the watch alone, phone left below • Race clock on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island the moment a sequence starts • Home Screen widget with countdown, distance to the line, and one-tap PIN, BOAT and CLEAR • Watch face complication, one tap from the timer REAL-TIME COACHING • Live, hands-free voice from coach to sailors • Immediate corrections during starts, maneuvers, and drills • Sailors stay focused while the coach directs PERFORMANCE YOU CAN USE • Track sailboat speed, heading, and movement • Analyze tacks, gybes, and acceleration • Identify inefficiencies in real time You see it on the timer, on the compass, in the data. STRUCTURED PRACTICE MODE • Run repeatable drills off the start timer • Build consistency across the team TEAM-BASED SYSTEM • Organize sailors by team, boat, or lineup • Coach multiple boats at once • Centralized fleet-wide communication • Built for team racing and fleet training RELIABLE WHEN IT COUNTS • Runs the whole start sequence without dropping out • Races save on the boat and sync once you are back in signal • A race is never discarded before it has left your phone CONNECTED ON THE WATER • Sync compass, clock and timer data between coach and sailors in real time • Connects boat to boat over local Wi-Fi and Bluetooth — no cell signal needed WHY SAILUP Whether you are running a high school practice or rounding the windward mark on a 40-footer, the start is everything. Winning comes down to timing, positioning, and execution under pressure. SailUp gives you real-time awareness from the sailboat compass and race timer, immediate feedback, and data-driven improvement. BUILT BY SAILORS Designed by competitive sailors and coaches. Every feature is built around one goal: make your team faster. CORE USE CASES • Team race practice • Fleet race training • Start sequence drills on the race timer • Race-day sail computer on big boats and instrument-permitted regattas • Maneuver and compass-heading optimization • Coach-led sessions and performance review TRAIN DIFFERENTLY. RACE SHARPER. SailUp turns every sailboat session — practice or race day — into a competitive advantage. Built for high school sailing, college sailing, yacht club regattas, dinghy fleets, keelboat racing, and big-boat sail-computer-permitted regattas. Terms of Use: https://app.sailup.ai/terms

Screenshots

Waterspeed Sailing GPS Tracker4 screens
SailUp4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: SailUp at 5.0 against Waterspeed Sailing GPS Tracker's 4.6. Waterspeed Sailing GPS Tracker's advantage is ratings volume (1.1K vs 1) and update cadence (every 10 days vs monthly). 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. Waterspeed Sailing GPS Tracker sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and SailUp sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SailUp holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Waterspeed Sailing GPS Tracker has 1.1K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Waterspeed Sailing GPS Tracker ships an update every 10 days, SailUp monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Waterspeed Sailing GPS Tracker versus SailUp: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWaterspeed Sailing GPS TrackerSailUp
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (1.1K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews84.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.1K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.016.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size146 MB11 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperWaterspeed Technologies LimitedReign Commons LLC

Customer experience

Waterspeed Sailing GPS Tracker

All ratings1,115 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral2.2%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews604 reviews
Positive84.8%
Neutral5.1%
Negative10.1%

SailUp

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Waterspeed Sailing GPS Tracker

Subscriptions10
  • WS Monthly subscription14 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Monthly14 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$3.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • WS Quarterly subscription14 Days trial$7.993 Months
  • Waterspeed Ultra Monthly1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • Waterspeed Ultra Monthly$19.991 Month
  • WS Yearly subscription14 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Yearly Subscription14 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Waterspeed Ultra Yearly1 Month trial$99.001 Year
  • Waterspeed Ultra Yearly14 Days trial$199.001 Year
6 purchases

SailUp

Subscriptions6
  • SailUp Plus Monthly$9.991 Month
  • SailUp Pro Monthly$19.991 Month
  • SailUp Plus Seasonal$26.993 Months
Show 3 more
  • SailUp Pro Seasonal$53.993 Months
  • SailUp Plus Yearly$99.991 Year
  • SailUp Pro Yearly$199.991 Year

Questions

Is Waterspeed Sailing GPS Tracker free?
Waterspeed Sailing GPS Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SailUp free?
SailUp is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Waterspeed Sailing GPS Tracker or SailUp?
SailUp is rated higher. Waterspeed Sailing GPS Tracker averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while SailUp averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Waterspeed Sailing GPS Tracker or SailUp have ads?
Neither Waterspeed Sailing GPS Tracker nor SailUp shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Waterspeed Sailing GPS Tracker or SailUp?
Waterspeed Sailing GPS Tracker ships an update every 10 days, and SailUp monthly. Most recently, Waterspeed Sailing GPS Tracker was updated on November 13, 2026 and SailUp on October 30, 2026.

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