Comparison

Ship Shapes vs Sailor's Deck

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

Head to head
About

Ship Shapes

Learn to recognize and memorize the main day shapes used by boats and ships through an interactive matching game. Score points by correctly matching images to their descriptions. Achieve a score of 50 or more to demonstrate mastery.

Highlights
  • Match images to descriptions
  • Learn ship day shape signals
  • Score points for correct answers
  • Master recognition and memorization
  • Interactive learning experience
Features
Read full description

Learn Ships Day Shapes by matching Images to Descriptions. An easy and fun way to score points as you learn. Anyone who can score 50 points or more will have mastered recognising and memorising the main day shapes used by boats and ships.

About

Sailor's Deck

Master navigation lights and day shapes for skipper exams with this flashcard app. It uses spaced repetition to build lasting visual memory, tracks your progress, and resurfaces difficult configurations until they stick. Study offline with no ads or subscriptions.

Highlights
  • Spaced repetition learning
  • Four-layer progression of study
  • Confusion pair training
  • Offline functionality
  • Progress tracking and session summaries
  • Association-specific terminology
  • Daily streak motivator
Features
Read full description

Navigation lights and day shapes is the hardest topic on every skipper exam. Minimum 50 configurations to recognise, from any bearing, under time pressure. Most sailors try to cram it from a textbook the night before. It doesn't work. Sailor's Deck is built specifically for this. Flashcards with spaced repetition — the study method proven to build lasting visual memory — sequenced across four layers from basic light identification through to full composite scenarios. The app tracks what you know, resurfaces what you don't, and keeps drilling the configurations you keep getting wrong until they stick. HOW IT WORKS Each session presents set of cards drawn from your personal review queue. Answer correctly and the card moves to a longer review interval. Answer wrong and it comes back sooner. Get a category badly wrong and the relevant COLREGS rule is shown on the spot. The four-layer progression matches the way your exam actually tests you: — Layer 1: Base lights — masthead, sidelights, sternlight — Layer 2: Status lights — what the vessel is doing — Layer 3: Day shapes — cone, ball, cylinder, diamond — Layer 4: Composite scenarios — full patterns from specific bearings Confusion pairs are built in. Miss a RAM card and the NUC card is queued immediately behind it. Miss a trawling vessel and the purse-seine card follows. The pairs most likely to lose you marks on the exam are pre-wired into the system. 100+ CARDS. ALMOST EVERY CONFIGURATION. Power-driven vessels, sailing vessels, vessels not under command, restricted in ability to manoeuvre, constrained by draught, pilot vessels, mine clearance, dredgers, air-cushion vessels, fishing vessels trawling and not trawling, vessels at anchor, towing and pushing — plus all COLREGS day shapes. Every card reviewed by a qualified sailing instructor. WORKS FOR YOUR ASSOCIATION Select your certification on first launch and the app uses your association's terminology throughout: — RYA Day Skipper / Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster — IYT Bareboat / Coastal / Master of Yachts — ISSA Inshore / Offshore — ASA 104 / 106 One card library. Your language. NO ACCOUNT. NO INTERNET. NO NONSENSE. Everything runs offline. Progress is saved locally. No login, no subscription, no ads. Free — permanently, with no card limit and no time limit on the entry skipper deck. DAILY STREAK + PROGRESS TRACKING A daily streak keeps you coming back in the weeks before your exam. Per-category accuracy shows exactly where your weak spots are. Session summaries flag the COLREGS rules you need to read. Study on the boat. Study on the bus. Five minutes before bed. The exam is closer than you think.

Screenshots

Ship Shapes4 screens
Sailor's Deck4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Sailor's Deck at 100% against Ship Shapes's 0%. Sailor's Deck also leads on price (Free vs $1.99) and rating (5.0 vs 2.0). Ship Shapes's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (12.1 vs 15.1). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads 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

Sailor's Deck is free to download; Ship Shapes costs $1.99 up front. Sailor's Deck sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Ship Shapes asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sailor's Deck holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Ship Shapes's written reviews are positive against 100% of Sailor's Deck's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Ship Shapes versus Sailor's Deck: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShip ShapesSailor's Deck
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating2.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.1 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEdmund BroadbentVladimir Arefev

Customer experience

Ship Shapes

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Sailor's Deck

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Ship Shapes

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Sailor's Deck

One-time3
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Buy a Coffee$2.99
  • Generous Tip$3.99

Questions

Is Ship Shapes free?
Ship Shapes costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sailor's Deck free?
Sailor's Deck is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Ship Shapes or Sailor's Deck?
Sailor's Deck is rated higher. Ship Shapes averages 2.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Sailor's Deck averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Ship Shapes or Sailor's Deck have ads?
Neither Ship Shapes nor Sailor's Deck shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ship Shapes or Sailor's Deck?
Ship Shapes ships an update every 3 weeks, and Sailor's Deck every 3 weeks. Most recently, Ship Shapes was updated on November 2, 2026 and Sailor's Deck on November 5, 2026.

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