Comparison

Comber PS 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

Comber PS

Features
Read full description

We are a busy but friendly school, with lots going on. This website aims to give you a taster of the school, as well as providing regular updated information for both parents and pupils. If you are a parent then download our app and stay up to date with our News Room and notifications.

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

Comber PS4 screens
Sailor's Deck4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Sailor's Deck at every 3 weeks against Comber PS's every 25 months. Comber PS's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Comber PS ships an update every 25 months, Sailor's Deck every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and August 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Comber PS versus Sailor's Deck: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterComber PSSailor's Deck
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 25 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Paid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size67 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBUSINESS SYSTEM SOLUTIONS (N.I.) LTDVladimir Arefev

In-app purchases

None

Comber PS

No in-app purchases

None

Sailor's Deck

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Comber PS free?
Comber PS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sailor's Deck free?
Sailor's Deck is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Comber PS or Sailor's Deck have ads?
Neither Comber PS nor Sailor's Deck shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Comber PS or Sailor's Deck?
Comber PS ships an update every 25 months, and Sailor's Deck every 3 weeks. Most recently, Comber PS was updated on September 16, 2026 and Sailor's Deck on August 14, 2026.

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