Start Sailing vs Sail Scan
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Start Sailing
An illustrated guide for novice sailors, offering tips on yacht crewing, navigation, and safety. Learn essential boating terms and test your knowledge with quizzes. Perfect for preparing for a sailing holiday or gaining confidence on board.
- Illustrated reference guide
- Yacht crewing skills
- Basic navigation
- Safety at sea
- Boating terms explained
- Knowledge quiz section
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Start Sailing: Yachts is an illustrated reference guide for novice sailors who want to have all the essential information to hand, become a useful crew member and build confidence aboard a sailing yacht. Also perfect for sailing schools, the app provides novice sailors with a clear, illustrated learning resource to support practical instruction both ashore and afloat. With more than 100 expert illustrations, the app puts clear, practical information at your fingertips. Learn the parts of a yacht, essential crewing skills, basic navigation and safety at sea, then test your knowledge with quizzes. KEY FEATURES • More than 100 expert illustrations • Clear, practical guidance for novice sailors • Quick access to useful information • Save useful pages to Favourites • Test Yourself online quizzes to support learning • Search to find topics faster • Share app directly with friends • Works offline, so essential information is always with you >>> FULL APP — AD FREE | NO IN-APP PURCHASES | NO SUBSCRIPTION SEVEN MAIN SECTIONS KIT BAG What to bring, clothing, wet-weather gear, toiletries and medication, plus useful gear and gadgets. THE YACHT Parts of the boat, sails, ropes, electrics and using a tender. LIFE ABOARD Living below decks, fresh water, cooking and keeping the yacht tidy. CREWING Keeping watch, crewing skills, essential knots, winches, arriving at and leaving a berth, helming, hoisting sails, points of sail, tacking, gybing, anchoring and more. NAVIGATING Paper and electronic charts, passage planning, pilotage, ColRegs, weather forecasts and tides. SAFETY Lifejackets, first aid, man overboard drill and fire prevention. BOAT WORDS Plain-English explanations of boating terms you may encounter. WHAT’S NEW IN THIS VERSION This update makes Start Sailing: Yachts quicker and easier to use: • Fresh, easy-to-navigate design • Quick access to key sections and Test Yourself quizzes • Search to find information faster • Save useful pages to Favourites for quick reference • Share helpful pages with friends • Improved access to online test quizzes • Reliable offline access to essential sailing information Whether you are preparing for a sailing holiday, joining friends for a short break afloat or simply want to understand what happens aboard, knowing the basics before you go can make the experience safer and more enjoyable. Start Sailing: Yachts helps new sailors move from passenger to active crew member, with practical guidance that is easy to understand and quick to find when needed. Thank you for choosing Start Sailing: Yachts. Have fun afloat.
Sail Scan
This app uses your phone's camera to analyze sail shape by reading trim stripes. It provides detailed measurements like camber depth, draft position, and twist, helping sailors make real-time adjustments to improve speed and performance. Save your scans, build a library, and connect rig settings to your progress on the water.
- AI-powered sail shape analysis
- Measures camber depth, draft position, and twist
- Works on mainsails and jibs
- Real-time adjustments
- Save and build sail scan library
- Compare scans and track settings
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SailScan is currently in beta. SailScan turns your iPhone into a sail shape analyzer. SailScan's computer vision reads the trim stripes to measure what your eyes can't quantify. Measurements include: • CAMBER DEPTH — how much shape you're carrying, stripe by stripe • DRAFT POSITION — where the depth sits, front to back • TWIST — how the top opens relative to the boom SailScan works on mainsails and jibs, from small one-design boats to grand prix racers and superyachts. Make real-time adjustments, save your scans, build your library, and start connecting your rig settings to increase speed and progress on the water. WHY IT MATTERS Good trimmers develop an eye over decades. SailScan gives you the numbers behind that eye—so you can repeat fast settings, compare tack to tack, and debrief with data instead of memory. HOW IT WORKS 1. Photograph your sail (main or jib) from below 2. SailScan detects the stripes and calculates shape metrics 3. Review, adjust, and save your scans 4. Compare scans across the day—track every setting change BUILT BY SAILORS SailScan was built by people who race and trim for a living. Join us!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Sail Scan at Free against Start Sailing's $2.99. Sail Scan also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 52 months). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
Sail Scan is free to download; Start Sailing costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Start Sailing against 5.0 for Sail Scan. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 3 respectively.
Start Sailing ships an update every 52 months, Sail Scan daily. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Start Sailing | Sail Scan |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 52 months | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The Other Hat | Sail Scan LLC |
Customer experience
Start Sailing
Sail Scan
In-app purchases
Start Sailing
No in-app purchases
Sail Scan
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Start Sailing free?
Is Sail Scan free?
Which has better reviews, Start Sailing or Sail Scan?
Do Start Sailing or Sail Scan have ads?
Which is updated more often, Start Sailing or Sail Scan?
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