Comparison

SailTimer™ vs Sailing Master M

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

Head to head
About

SailTimer™

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
Read full description

For all types of boats. Beautiful marine weather animations: • Crowdsourced wind maps for the most accuracy and highest resolution. • Marine weather forecasts from Weathernews Inc. (WNI) with maps of precipitation, visibility, air & sea temperature, wind, waves/swell & ocean currents. • AI models of ocean currents and marine weather from Amphitrite. There are lots of weather services and apps, but they all use the same satellite weather forecast. Low resolution, low accuracy, and only updated 4 times per day. Weather satellites are 500 to 22,000 miles up in space. Crowdsourcing is changing marine weather. Why rely on satellite imaging, when you can use actual measurements from other boaters? In coastal areas, we archive these to map wind flow for more accuracy. Crowdsourced weather maps like these have never been possible before. A wind sensor measures local wind around your boat, but now you can also know the wind and sea state up ahead or around the next point. FEATURES FOR ALL TYPES OF BOATS: • View your route with free aerial photos and land maps worldwide. If you have the Navionics Boating app, you can import worldwide Navionics charts here with a yearly subscription. • The weather map animations each have low-cost monthly/yearly subscriptions with a free 7-day trial. • Hourly weather tables for crowdsourced wind and WeatherNews Inc. (WNI) weather maps. Tap on a certain hour to move the weather animation to that time. • Create and rename waypoints by tapping or importing a list. Save, import or email your GPS track. • All maps and charts in the app can be used offline. • The white crosshair icon in the top left is the “Follow-Me” button. If tapped, it turns blue and keeps your location in the center of the screen as you move. Unselect when not moving to look around the map. • Your device will not go to sleep when the app is open, to allow you to continue to monitor your progress on the chart. You can also continue to track your movement with the app running in the background or when the device is asleep (unless you hard-quit). (Note: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. This app may use your location even when it isn’t open, which can decrease device battery life.) FOR SAILBOATS: Whether cruising or racing, it is important to be able to determine the best heading on all points of sail. GPS chartplotters do not calculate tacking distances. But if they do not know the distance you will travel, how can they calculate your correct ETA? This is the only product that calculates your optimal tacks using your tacking distance and polar plots. Details at www.SailTimerApp.com. The SailTimer app gives you a quick and easy display of your optimal tacks and TTD® (Tacking Time to Destination). • Use our wireless Wind Instrument or wired Ultrasonic (www.SailTimer.co) to see wind direction, angle & speed. Enter a waypoint and your optimal tacks will update automatically as the wind changes. • Bring in wind data from any other wind sensor on wifi from NMEA 2000 or 0183, using our low-cost Air Link™ (https://wi-rb.com/airlink). • Custom polar plots: When using a wind sensor, the app can learn your sailboat's unique speed profile on all points of sail, for the most accurate tacking results. • Switch the display to the port or starboard tack to avoid obstructions, or let the app automatically display the tack nearest to your current heading. • Audio Navigation: when using the wireless Wind Instrument, optionally hear wind conditions or boat speed when they change by more than a set amount. • Convert from Apparent to True wind direction, angle & speed. See our channel on Tiktok and YouTube for more background.

About

Sailing Master M

This app provides comprehensive sailing data and performance optimization on various Apple devices. It displays over 35 sailing measurements from boat instruments, polars tables, and nautical charts, offering detailed wind, route, and map views. Connectivity is established through NMEA 0183 Wi-Fi gateways.

Highlights
  • Configurable data displays
  • 35+ sailing measurements
  • Wind, route, and map displays
  • NMEA 0183 Wi-Fi connectivity
  • Polars table integration
  • Nautical chart overlays
Features
Read full description

Sailing Master M offers comprehensive sailing data and performance optimization information on iPhones, iPads, iWatches, and ActiveLook smart glasses. The application provides configurable pages and data displays, utilizing over 35 sailing measurements from the boat’s instruments, polars tables, and nautical charts. On phones and pads, the Data and Analog Displays can include minimum and maximum values and time series graphs. The Wind Display provides wind, heading, route, and speed information. The Route Display shows the expected wind conditions on the next legs. The Map Display shows the vessel with direction, tacking and downwind laylines on a nautical chart, or the wind laylines in another location. The connectivity is through NMEA 0813 Wi-Fi gateways such as B&G Vulcan, Zeus, GoFree, Yacht Devices, Signal K, Actisense, and ShipModul. The application has evolved from its initial focus on NMEA data display to encompass a comprehensive suite of features. Consequently, the app’s name has been revised from 'Display0183M' to 'Sailing Master M'. For further information, please refer to the user’s guide available on the app’s website or within the app itself. Terms of use: The app is delivered under the Apple End User License Agreement (EULA, https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/) The following libraries and services are used: - Kitura/BlueSocket, published under the Apache 2.0 license - A modified version of GPX package, published under BSD 3-Clause License and copyrighted by Ioannis Silks - OpenStreetMap licensed under the Open Data Commons Open Database License (ODbL, https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/) by the OpenStreetMap Foundation Licence, and ©OpenStreetMap contributors. OpenSeaMap, which is licensed under the Open Data Commons (ODbL) license, and ©OpenSeaMap contributors The supported NMEA 0183 sentences are: - BWR: Bearing and distance to waypoint - DBS: Depth below surface - DBT: Depth below transducer. - DPT: depth of water. - CGA: Global Positioning System Fix data - GLL: Geographic position Latitude/Longitude - HDG: Heading magnetic - HDM: Heading magnetic - HDT: Heading true - MWD: undocumented, wind direction, wind speed - MTW: water temperature °C - MWV: Wind speed and angle (A,T) - RMB: XTE, range to destination, bearing to destination, destination closing velocity . - RMC: Speed over ground - RSA: Rudder sensor angle - VHW: Water speed and heading - VLW: Distance travelled through water - VPW: Speed - measured parallel to wind - VTG: Course over ground (T or M), speed over ground - VWR: Wind direction (A), wind speed (A) - WCV: Waypoint closure velocity - XDR: air temperature (°C), water temperature (°C) and barometric pressure (mbar). - XTE: Cross track error The data items from NMEA and polars are: - Waypoint bearing - Waypoint distance - Time to Waypoint - VMG waypoint - Cross track error - Depth - Heading - Heading - Course - Course - Water speed - Speed over ground - Water temperature - Air temperature - Air pressure - Wind speed apparent - Wind angle apparent - Wind speed true - Wind direction - Wind direction - VMG Wind - Latitude, Longitude - Waypoint laititude, longitude - Water Distance after reset - Total water distance - Ground distance after reset - Total ground distance - Velocity made good towards wind - Heel - Rudder - Boat target speed through the water - Boat speed of target speed (%) - Beat VMG boat target speed through the water - Run VMG boat target speed through the water - GPS based trip distance - Leeway

Screenshots

SailTimer™4 screens
Sailing Master M4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: SailTimer™ at 13.0 against Sailing Master M's 17. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. SailTimer™ sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Sailing Master M sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $11.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
SailTimer™ versus Sailing Master M: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSailTimer™Sailing Master M
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews37.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS13.0 — better17
Further details — not scored
Size126 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSailTimer Inc.Pekka Leppanen

Customer experience

SailTimer™

Written reviews27 reviews
Positive37.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative63.0%

Sailing Master M

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

12 purchases

SailTimer™

Subscriptions3
  • WNI Marine Weather Map7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Wind Animation7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Navionics Charts$10.991 Year
One-time9
  • ActiveCaptainFree
  • Polar Plot LearningFree
  • Import NMEA data$0.99
Show 6 more
  • SailTimer Pro Bundle$7.99
  • USA Atlantic Coast$15.99
  • USA Pacific Coast$15.99
  • USA Great Lakes$15.99
  • USA Gulf Coast$15.99
  • Cuba, Bahamas, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands$15.99
1 purchases

Sailing Master M

Subscriptions1
  • Pro annual14 Days trial$11.991 Year

Questions

Is SailTimer™ free?
SailTimer™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sailing Master M free?
Sailing Master M is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SailTimer™ or Sailing Master M have ads?
Neither SailTimer™ nor Sailing Master M shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SailTimer™ or Sailing Master M?
SailTimer™ ships an update every 2 months, and Sailing Master M every 2 months. Most recently, SailTimer™ was updated on October 12, 2026 and Sailing Master M on October 13, 2026.

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