Sailonline vs SailSim
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sailonline
Experience virtual sailboat racing and navigation with a global community. Register for races, learn sailing techniques, and connect with other players.
- Virtual sailboat navigation
- Online racing community
- Race registration
- Sailing manual
- Community forums and chats
- Guest login
Read full descriptionHide 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.
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.
- Realistic physics simulation
- Multi-player sessions
- Exams and challenges
- Learn sailing terminology
- Multiple sailing vessels
- Keyboard and controller support
Read full descriptionHide 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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. SailSim sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Sailonline asks for nothing beyond the download.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Sailonline | SailSim |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (7 ratings) — better | 3.4 (22 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better | 35.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 7 | 22 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 417 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dan Costin | Dimitris Rouslan Zavorotnitsienko |
Customer experience
Sailonline
SailSim
In-app purchases
Sailonline
No in-app purchases
SailSim
- SailSim Subscription$0.991 Month
- No Ads Today$0.29
- SailSim 200xp$0.29
- Extended Test Purchase$0.29
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- 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?
Is SailSim free?
Which has better reviews, Sailonline or SailSim?
Do Sailonline or SailSim have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sailonline or SailSim?
Other comparisons















