# SailTimer™ vs Sail Buddy

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Sail Buddy at 100% against SailTimer™'s 37%. Sail Buddy also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 12). SailTimer™'s advantage is price (Free vs $4.99) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

SailTimer™ is free to download; Sail Buddy costs $4.99 up front. SailTimer™ sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Sail Buddy asks for nothing beyond the download.

SailTimer™ ships an update every 2 months, Sail Buddy every 6 months. Both last shipped on October 12, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | SailTimer™ | Sail Buddy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $4.99 |
| Rating | — | **[4.4 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sail-buddy/id1100095207/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **14** |
| Positive reviews | 37.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 126 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SailTimer Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/326309854) | [Tim Herzog](https://appshunter.io/developer/1100095206) |

## What reviewers say

### SailTimer™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sailtimer/id326309851)

Visualize wind and wave conditions before you head out on the water with this marine weather app. It uses crowdsourced data for more accurate, real-time forecasts than traditional satellite imagery. Track your GPS, create waypoints, and access offline charts for any boat type.

**Highlights:** Crowdsourced wind and wave map animation, Route viewing with aerial photos and land maps, Waypoint creation and GPS track saving, Offline map and chart usage, Follow-Me GPS tracking, Optimal tacking distance calculation for sailboats

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| WNI Marine Weather Map | $2.99 | per month |
| Wind Animation | $2.99 | per month |
| Navionics Charts | $10.99 | per year |
| ActiveCaptain | Free | one-time |
| Polar Plot Learning | Free | one-time |
| Import NMEA data | $0.99 | one-time |
| SailTimer Pro Bundle | $7.99 | one-time |
| USA Atlantic Coast | $15.99 | one-time |
| USA Pacific Coast | $15.99 | one-time |
| USA Great Lakes | $15.99 | one-time |
| USA Gulf Coast | $15.99 | one-time |
| Cuba, Bahamas, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands | $15.99 | one-time |


### Sail Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sail-buddy/id1100095207)

This app provides a clean, easy-to-read display for course, speed, and NMEA data, complementing other navigation tools. It supports various devices, including iPads in split-screen mode and Apple Watches for hands-free data access. Route tracking and export are also available.

**Highlights:** Large, readable course and speed display, NMEA data reception via WiFi, Route tracking and export (CSV, KML, GPX, GeoJSON), Apple Watch integration for hands-free data, Split View support on iPads, Alarms for data loss and grounding

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SailTimer™ free?

SailTimer™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Sail Buddy free?

Sail Buddy costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do SailTimer™ or Sail Buddy have ads?

Neither SailTimer™ nor Sail Buddy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SailTimer™ or Sail Buddy?

SailTimer™ ships an update every 2 months, and Sail Buddy every 6 months. Most recently, SailTimer™ was updated on October 12, 2026 and Sail Buddy on October 12, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*