Comparison

Sailonline vs SailSim

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

Head to head
About

Sailonline

Experience virtual sailboat racing and navigation with a global community. Register for races, learn sailing techniques, and connect with other players.

Highlights
  • Virtual sailboat navigation
  • Online racing community
  • Race registration
  • Sailing manual
  • Community forums and chats
  • Guest login
Read full description

Join the global online sailing community at Sailonline.org, and use this app to navigate your virtual sailboat. Sailonline is free for everyone to play, and is supported by Sailonline Yacht Club (SYC) memberships. To register, go to Sailonline.org to create an account for your virtual boat, and register the boat in one or more of the active races. If you are just visiting, you can login as Guest (see button under Login). To learn how to sail your virtual boat successfully, read through the Manual pages at http://sailonline.org/wiki/show/Manual/ (specific instructions in the manual may refer to race web pages, so you may find some differences from how things work in this app). If you have any questions, reach out to the community in the Forum, or in the race Chats. Once you’ve mastered the basics, look through the Links section of Sailonline.org for additional community tools. If you have any suggestions on improving this app, please reach out to the developer, or use the Forum pages on Sailonline.org.

About

SailSim

Learn and experience sailing with a realistic physics-based simulator. Explore the seas, challenge yourself with exams and adventures, and play with others in multiplayer sessions. Features detailed sailing mechanics and marine terminology.

Highlights
  • Realistic physics simulation
  • Multi-player sessions
  • Exams and challenges
  • Learn sailing terminology
  • Multiple sailing vessels
  • Keyboard and controller support
Features
Read full description

As a Live-Aboard I wanted to create something anyone could use for learning, as well as for those rainy days when going out to sea is difficult but you still want to sail. The sailing simulator was created to provide sailing knowledge in a fun and intuitive way. The main goal is to have fun and learn something along the way. Hopefully that goal is being achieved with every update i make to the simulator. * Play with others in a Multi-Player session * Collect Stats and share them with others * Test your self through Exams * Try out different sailing vessels * Learn different parts of a sailboat * Learn sailing through simple yet instructive courses * Check out marine terminology and sailing equipment * Explore Adventures and Solve Challenges * Use Keyboard or Game Controller Currently available vessels are * Laser - Olympic * Catalina 22 - Classic (Fin Keel) * Sabre Spirit 37 - (Fin Keel) Current Sailing Features * Keel Control * Keel vs Vessel velocity & mass effect * Boom Direction * Boom Jibe & Tack forces * Boom Vang Control * Main Sail Folding & Unfolding * Jib Folding & Unfolding * Jib Sheet tension & Winch Control * Spinnaker Control * Sail Reefing * Rudder vs Velocity control * Rudder & Turning circle based on vessel mass * Rudder reverse control * Engine Fuel Capacity and Refueling Systems * Outboard engine control * Outboard engine Prop Walk effect * Sail Drive Prop Walk effect * Dynamic Wind * Level Interaction * Drift effect vs Sail direction * Vessel Heel & Potential Capsize effects * Jib and Main Sail "Rudder Pull" when used separately * Wind dynamics based on vessel velocity and direction * Much more... SailSim applies actual physics to simulate the behavior of a sailing vessel. This means you can actually capsize or sink a vessel if you are not careful. In some cases the sailing simulator can even reproduce unpredictable results based on your actions, selected parameters and conditions. The visuals are meant not to be too serious where it doesn't matter as much (Environment in specific) but playful and fun. I spend a great deal of time on the physics of the simulator where a vessel can receive up to 30 or more forces dynamically at the same time, so the vessels are not just bumbling around but are actually getting the forces you would get in real life (mostly since nothing is perfect). Although by no means this should be considered as an exact replication of the actual sailing process, it does provide things you shall encounter when you step on any boat. If learning is not your thing, it is very addictive to just play with a sailboat and physics applied to it when the wind is howling outside and you have nothing better to do. Some controls and reactions of the sailing vessels in this simulator have been set intentionally in an awkward way and not as a typical Sailing Game would do it. This is done to try and replicate what you shall encounter when controlling a sailboat by yourself. I am having a blast developing this as an ongoing project. Spend lots of sleepless nights just because the specific environment or function is just too fun to stop making. Hopefully others will appreciate the work that is made by just one man on a small boat at sea :) * Make sure you update to the latest available version as i fix bugs and release fixes and new functions as i go. Please note that i designed the simulator with good graphics and physics in mind. Since i do not have the resources to check the simulator on older devices, if your device is older than 2 - 3 years, the simulator might not work properly. Unsupported older devices may manifest faults as broken texturing or in general the look of the simulator will not be as in the description screenshots. * If you find faults (bugs) not related to graphics but based on general behavior, please don't hesitate to mention it by sending me an E-mail and i should have it fixed in no time. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Sailonline4 screens
SailSim4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sailonline at 4.4 against SailSim's 3.4. Sailonline also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 36%) and in-app purchases (none vs 12). SailSim's advantage is ratings volume (22 vs 7). On price, update cadence 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. SailSim sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Sailonline asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sailonline holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 22 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Sailonline's written reviews are positive against 36% of SailSim's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sailonline ships an update every 11 days, SailSim every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Sailonline versus SailSim: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSailonlineSailSim
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (7 ratings) — better3.4 (22 ratings)
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews — better35.7% of reviews
Number of ratings722 — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 daysEvery 10 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB417 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDan CostinDimitris Rouslan Zavorotnitsienko

Customer experience

Sailonline

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

SailSim

All ratings22 ratings
Positive63.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative36.4%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive35.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative64.3%

In-app purchases

None

Sailonline

No in-app purchases

12 purchases

SailSim

Subscriptions1
  • SailSim Subscription$0.991 Month
One-time11
  • No Ads Today$0.29
  • SailSim 200xp$0.29
  • Extended Test Purchase$0.29
Show 8 more
  • Hints$0.29
  • Show Wind$0.29
  • Show Map$0.29
  • Boost Sails$0.29
  • Boost Engine Purchase$0.29
  • Flags$0.29
  • God Mode$1.99
  • SailSim Unlock$3.99

Questions

Is Sailonline free?
Sailonline is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SailSim free?
SailSim is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Sailonline or SailSim?
Sailonline is rated higher. Sailonline averages 4.4 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while SailSim averages 3.4 from 22 ratings.
Do Sailonline or SailSim have ads?
SailSim shows ads; Sailonline does not.
Which is updated more often, Sailonline or SailSim?
Sailonline ships an update every 11 days, and SailSim every 10 days. Most recently, Sailonline was updated on October 19, 2026 and SailSim on October 24, 2026.

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