Comparison

Windfinder vs SailFlow

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

Head to head
About

Windfinder

Get detailed wind, wave, tide, and weather forecasts for over 160,000 locations worldwide. Access real-time measurements from thousands of weather stations and animated wind maps for a global overview. Ideal for outdoor enthusiasts and professionals needing precise weather data.

Highlights
  • Detailed wind and weather forecasts
  • Real-time wind and weather measurements
  • Tide forecasts
  • Animated wind map
  • Severe weather warnings
  • Webcams
Features
Read full description

Detailed wind and weather forecasts for your location. See wind, waves, tides and weather reports and current wind measurements for your own weather predictions. Easy to use and free of charge. FEATURES: + Detailed wind and weather forecasts for over 160,000 locations + Current wind and weather measurements in real-time from 21,000 weather stations + Tide forecasts for high and low tides for over 20,000 locations around the world + Favorites: save nearby locations and monitor the weather + Animated wind map for a global wind overview + Small Wind Widgets (current conditions) + New: Severe weather warnings for the US and Europe + Measurements listed in knots, Beaufort, mph, km/h and m/s + Parameters: Wind speed, wind direction, gusts, air temperature, felt temperature, clouds coverage, precipitation, air pressure, wave height, wave period and wave direction + Webcams + Optimized display for optimal readability on the go and on any mobile device + Optimized data transfer for a quicker load speed + Topographic maps provide a quick overview of weather conditions and assist with route planning + Easy to use interface - even with wet and cold hands PERFECT FOR: • Kitesurfing & Windsurfing – find that next storm or windy days next door or at your next vacation • Sailing – plan your next sailing trip and ensure safe passage by avoiding bad weather at sea • Wing Foiling - Catch the wind with your wing • Surfing – find the perfect wave and high swell • Dinghy sailing & regatta racers • SUP & Kayak – make sure high waves and wind don’t risk your adventures • Paragliding – find a good wind right from the start • Fishing – ensure a good catch with wind directions and tides • Cycling, hiking & trekking – check if it will be windy on your route and take the right gear • Boat owners & captains – keep an eye on the current wind conditions and tides • ... anyone interested in reliable wind and weather predictions WINDFINDER PLUS: Subscribe to Windfinder Plus to get access to all features. With Windfinder Plus you also get: + Wind alerts: Specify your preferred wind conditions and get notified when windy or calm days are forecasted + Superforecast: our hourly high-resolution forecasting model for North America, Europe, South Africa, Egypt and the Canary Islands + Wind & Weather Widgets in all sizes with wind preview + Ad free: no distractions + Wind preview: get a quick visual overview of the next ten days + New: Value grid for weather parameters directly on the map + Animated wind speed maps with wind gusts, temperature, precipitation and topographic images + Wind report map: Real-time wind measurements from over 21,000 stations directly on the wind map + all webcams in the area + many more Windfinder Plus is available as an In App Purchase. Subscriptions: Windfinder Plus: We offer auto-renewable "Windfinder Plus" subscriptions for one month or one year. The subscription unlocks the full feature set of Windfinder Plus. Remove Ads: We offer auto-renewable "Remove Ads" subscriptions for 3 months, 6 months or one year. The app will be free of ads while the "Remove Ads" subscription is active. Details: A free trial period of 7 days is offered. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. You will be charged for another period (1 month, 3 months, 6 months or one year) unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the subscription is renewed. You can turn off the auto-renewal in your account settings after purchase. Terms of Use: www.windfinder.com/contact/terms Privacy Policy: www.windfinder.com/contact/privacy_policy SOCIAL MEDIA: • Facebook: @Windfinder.com • Instagram: @windfindercom • Youtube: wind.to/Youtube • Support: support@windfinder.com • FAQ: windfinder.com/help

About

SailFlow

Get hyper-accurate, real-time marine weather forecasts and live wind reports. This app uses proprietary weather systems and integrates public data for detailed wind, wave, tide, and radar information. Customize alerts and track your favorite sailing spots.

Highlights
  • Proprietary Tempest Weather Systems
  • Live wind and current station reports
  • AI-enhanced Nearcast forecasting
  • Radar, satellite, and precipitation maps
  • Tides charts and wave height
  • Customizable wind notifications
  • Nautical charts
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Whether you’re racing, cruising, day sailing, you need precise sailing forecasts and real-time wind. SailFlow delivers both. Powered by 90,000+ exclusive Tempest Weather Stations and 150,000+ total sources, SailFlow’s weather and wind app delivers unmatched accuracy. With stations on buoys, piers, and key waterfront locations, you get real conditions exactly where you sail. Plan with confidence using our Tempest Rapid Refresh Model combined with government data to deliver industry-leading Nearcast AI predictions. Then go deeper with radar, high-resolution forecast maps, and fully customizable alerts so you never miss a session. Real wind. Better sails. - Coastal observations from proprietary Tempest Weather Systems along with all public domain marine forecasts and reports (NOAA, NWS, METAR, ASOS, CWOP) including all major airports creating over 150,000 unique stations. - Exclusive Tempest Weather Systems deployed at key coastal locations report wind, rain, barometric pressure and more than 24 other weather observations. - Apple Watch compatibility - Live wind from our stations support powerful wind flow visualization – augmented by current station reports with advanced quality control. - Our Proprietary AI-enhanced Nearcast provides enhanced forecasting for temperature, wind gust, speed, direction, humidity, dewpoint, precipitation rate, probability of precipitation, and cloud cover percentage which is perfect for sailing. - Public domain forecast models including High Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR), North American Mesoscale Forecast System (NAM), Global Forecast System (GFS), Canadian Meteorological Centre Model (CMC) and Icosahedral Non Hydrostatic Model (ICON). - Create your own favorite station list to keep an eye on your go-to weather stations at all your marine and sailing spots. Check the tides in minutes so you never miss a day on the water. - Maps: Live and Forecasted Wind Map, Forecasted Temperature, Radar, Satellite, Precipitation and Clouds, as well as Nautical Charts. - Free subscription for unlimited wind notifications/alerts with customizable thresholds to email, text, or in-app. - Monitor National Weather Service (NWS) Marine forecasts, high surf warnings, and other to better anticipate waves and current conditions, for safer, more informed decisions on the water. Additional weather parameters: - Tides charts - Wave height, wave period - Water temperature - Sunrise / sunset - Moonrise / moonset - Historical wind statistics - Windy days per month - Wind direction distribution Go Beyond the Basics: Upgrade to Plus, Pro, or Gold membership to gain access to more weather stations, ad-free browsing, and more. - Access exclusive Pro and hurricane-proof stations at premier coastal locations and unlock SailFlow’s hyper-accurate Pro forecasts, updated daily by expert meteorologists for sailing hotspots coast to coast. - Detailed weather at points of interest to coastal residents and property owners near the ocean, rivers, and other bodies of water. On the water features: - Sea surface temperatures - Sea surface currents - Detailed historical wind statistics - Historical wind speed average by year Does your spot need a station? Join the Tempest Weather Network! Get a Tempest Weather System for your club, dock, or backyard. Get support: help.weatherflow.com/hc/en-us/categories/200419268-iKitesurf-iWindsurf-SailFlow-FishWeather-WindAlert Connect with Tempest: - facebook.com/tempestwx - twitter.com/tempest_wx - youtube.com/@tempestwx - instagram.com/tempest.earth Contact Tempest: help.weatherflow.com/hc/en-us/requests/new Website: tempest.earth By purchasing a subscription or downloading SailFlow you agree that you have read and accept our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. got.wf/privacy got.wf/terms

Screenshots

Windfinder4 screens
SailFlow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: SailFlow at none against Windfinder's shown. SailFlow also leads on device support (4 vs 2). Windfinder's advantage is ratings volume (63K vs 5.9K). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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. Windfinder sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and SailFlow sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Windfinder against 4.7 for SailFlow. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Windfinder has 63K ratings behind it against 5.9K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of Windfinder's written reviews are positive against 84% of SailFlow's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Windfinder ships an update every 4 weeks, SailFlow every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Windfinder versus SailFlow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWindfinderSailFlow
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (63K ratings) — better4.7 (5.9K ratings)
Positive reviews81.4% of reviews84.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings63K — better5.9K
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#50#42 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size88 MB137 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWindfinderWeatherFlow

Customer experience

Windfinder

All ratings62,396 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral2.2%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews485 reviews
Positive81.4%
Neutral4.1%
Negative14.4%

SailFlow

All ratings5,827 ratings
Positive96.6%
Neutral1.8%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews364 reviews
Positive84.1%
Neutral4.1%
Negative11.8%

User reviews

Windfinder

From 63K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Accurate wind and weather forecasts
  • 🚀 Detailed and easy-to-use interface
  • 💡 Helpful for planning outdoor activities and sports
  • 👍 Reliable and consistent performance
  • 💡 Includes tide information

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional inaccuracies in wind/weather predictions
  • 🔍 Limited information for some locations
  • 💰 Ads can be intrusive in free version
  • 🔍 Lack of advanced features like dark mode

SailFlow

From 5.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to navigate
  • 🚀 Accurate wind forecasts
  • 🚀 Helpful for planning
  • 🚀 Great data and graphics
  • 🚀 Reliable and trustworthy

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional inaccurate forecasts
  • 🐛 Crashes or freezes
  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🔍 Difficult to find specific locations
  • 🔍 Confusing interface at times

Bugs and requests

Windfinder

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes or freezes on some devices
  • Widget not functioning properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Hourly wind/weather updates
  • Ability to add custom locations
  • More detailed weather information (rain, humidity, etc.)
  • Integration with other weather/outdoor apps

SailFlow

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Recent update caused app to crash
  • Favorites list not working properly
  • Wind direction arrow pointing incorrectly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more local weather stations
  • Improve map and location search
  • Provide more forecast models
  • Add support for Apple Watch
  • Fix wind direction arrow issue

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Windfinder

Subscriptions6
  • Windfinder Plus monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • 3 month ad-free2 variants$2.493 Months
  • 6 month ad-free2 variants$3.996 Months
Show 3 more
  • 1 Year ad free2 variants$4.991 Year
  • Windfinder Plus Yearly7 Days trial$12.991 Year
  • Windfinder Plus Yearly1 Year trial$12.991 Year
10 purchases

SailFlow

Subscriptions10
  • Plus$3.991 Month
  • Plus7 Days trial$5.491 Month
  • Gold$14.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Pro7 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Pro - Pay As You Go (auto-renewing)$19.991 Month
  • Gold7 Days trial$21.991 Month
  • Plus$44.991 Year
  • Plus7 Days trial$44.991 Year
  • Pro7 Days trial$119.991 Year
  • Gold$179.991 Year

Questions

Is Windfinder free?
Windfinder is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SailFlow free?
SailFlow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Windfinder or SailFlow?
Windfinder is rated higher. Windfinder averages 4.8 out of 5 from 63K ratings, while SailFlow averages 4.7 from 5.9K ratings.
Do Windfinder or SailFlow have ads?
Windfinder shows ads; SailFlow does not.
Which is updated more often, Windfinder or SailFlow?
Windfinder ships an update every 4 weeks, and SailFlow every 3 weeks. Most recently, Windfinder was updated on November 4, 2026 and SailFlow on November 1, 2026.
Which is more popular, Windfinder or SailFlow?
Windfinder currently peaks at #50 in the App Store charts, and SailFlow at #42. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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