Comparison

Top Sailor vs HeliSense

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

Head to head
About

Top Sailor

Experience realistic sailing and motorboat simulation. Learn sailing basics, understand wind effects, and compete against AI opponents in races. Master sail trimming, navigation, and race strategy in various beautiful locations and adjustable weather conditions.

Highlights
  • Realistic sailboat and motorboat simulation
  • AI opponents of varying skill levels
  • Multiple scenic locations
  • Procedural race track generator
  • Adjustable weather conditions
  • Apparent wind and telltale indicators
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Top Sailor is a highly realistic sailing and motorboat simulator. Take Top Sailor with you and learn basics of sailing! See how wind force affects the sail and test your skills against AI opponents in a yacht race. Learn how to trim the sails to make the most use of wind energy. Discover when there is a risk of capsizing. Practise sailing downwind and upwind, tacking and gybing. Improve navigation skills, sail race strategy and tactics. • Realistic simulation of sailboat and motorboat • Six AI opponents, from newbies to experienced sailors • Several beautiful locations to explore • Never-ending supply of race tracks: the built-in track generator • Adjustable weather conditions (wind strength, direction and variation) • Apparent wind and telltale indicators • Islands, shoals and dangerous areas • Comparative sailing skill estimate • Record and replay your games • 3D stereo rendering for anaglyph glasses • Winner of the bada Global Developer Challenge 2010!

About

HeliSense

Master helicopter orientation and flight maneuvers with this realistic simulator. Practice various modes, fly in immersive environments, and connect real transmitters for an authentic experience. Includes free flight and multiplayer options.

Highlights
  • Orientation training modes
  • Connect real transmitters
  • Realistic flight physics
  • Immersive 3D environments
  • Multiplayer flight
  • Customizable flight settings
  • Silhouette recognition practice
Features
Read full description

Flying inverted, or recovering from an orientation you've never been in before, usually costs a few real helicopters to learn by trial and error. HeliSense gives you somewhere to build that muscle memory first — on iPhone, iPad and Mac, one purchase covering all three through Universal Purchase. REAL TRANSMITTERS RC sims on mobile devices are typically built around a touchscreen. HeliSense also connects to a VBar Control Touch over Wi-Fi (WiFi Sim), or any transmitter with an ExpressLRS module (WiFi Joystick) — plus Bluetooth MFi controllers and on-screen sticks for everyone else. On Mac, that support widens further, to virtually any RC transmitter except toy-grade ones. For more information on supported controllers and transmitters, see helisense.app/controllers ORIENTATION TRAINER Six modes — Yaw Only, Roll Only, Pitch Only, Roll & Pitch, All Axes, and Single Axis (Random) — cover every orientation: tail-in, nose-in, either side-in, right way up or inverted. Isolate whichever axis needs the most work, then layer the others back in as each one becomes automatic, building genuine muscle memory along the way. Optional helper arrows nudge you the right way while a new orientation is still sinking in. Replay every set afterwards at ¼, ½ or full speed with a deviation gauge and stick traces, so you can see precisely what happened on each axis and fix it next time. FLIGHT SIMULATOR Free flight is where HeliSense really opens up. Immersive, photoreal scenes, and flight physics modeled on how a real helicopter actually flies — refined with feedback from national competition winners. Autorotation and overspeed are included, along with realistic engine and rotor sound, and configurable camera settings to frame the view exactly how you want. Start on the Beginner tuning preset and just fly. Sport and 3D presets are there when you want to push further, and underneath them you can dial in your own maximum pitch, headspeed, agility, control response and expo — none of which you need to touch to get started. Want to work on maneuvers like piro-flips without chasing the helicopter across the sky? No-collective mode holds it around a fixed point so you can focus on just that. Fly online with up to eight other pilots, in a public demo room or a private one you share by code (needs a Simulator or Pro purchase). CUSTOM BACKGROUNDS Turn a photo of your own field into a background, sun position included, for the Trainer and No-collective mode (needs a Trainer or Simulator purchase). IN THE BOX Two 700-size helicopters included, one electric and one nitro. More helicopters and scenery are planned as in-app purchases in future updates — some may be free. SILHOUETTE RECOGNITION A helicopter's silhouette flashes up and you pick the correctly-oriented one — quick, fun practice for reading orientation at a glance. Unlocks with either purchase. Every feature is free to try in short sessions, with no limit on how long you can keep using the free tier — just a cap per sitting. A one-time purchase (no subscription) unlocks unlimited use, and Universal Purchase means one purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Mac together. Requires iOS 26 or iPadOS 26.

Screenshots

Top Sailor4 screens
HeliSense4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: HeliSense at Free against Top Sailor's $3.99. HeliSense also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.9) and update cadence (every 11 days vs every 3 months). Top Sailor's advantage is ratings volume (35 vs 3) and chart position (#175 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

HeliSense is free to download; Top Sailor costs $3.99 up front. Top Sailor sells 15 one-off in-app purchases and HeliSense sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HeliSense holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Top Sailor has 35 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Top Sailor's written reviews are positive against 83% of HeliSense's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Top Sailor ships an update every 3 months, HeliSense every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Top Sailor versus HeliSense: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTop SailorHeliSense
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating3.9 (35 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.5% of reviews83.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings35 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#175 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS12.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB692 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTOYSPRINGAnthony Glayzer

Customer experience

Top Sailor

All ratings35 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral22.9%
Negative17.1%
Written reviews108 reviews
Positive68.5%
Neutral15.7%
Negative15.7%

HeliSense

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

Bugs and requests

Top Sailor

Reported bugs

34 issues
  • App crashes on startup
  • Game won't save progress
  • Camera perspective changes at bad times
  • Main sheet unresponsive
  • App freezes and requires reinstallation
Show 29 more
  • Water color changed to black after update
  • Rudder fails to control boat
  • Sail disappears
  • Accidental camera movement causing capsizes
  • Wind shifts too drastically
  • Capsize happens too quickly
  • Incompatible with iOS 11 (older versions)
  • 32-bit only app (older versions)
  • Control on iPad almost unusable
  • Boats don't follow normal sailing rules
  • Penalties for being hit by other boats
  • Starting races aground or in irons
  • Wind sound too extreme
  • Camera button placement issue
  • Tiller issue (resolved by advanced settings)
  • Wind direction changes unrealistically
  • Wind speed too variable
  • Camera view issues
  • Capsize is too weak
  • Graphics are just okay
  • Game crashes and displays last app open
  • Requires social media login to open (older versions)
  • Erratic movement at times
  • Player view control mode after tipping
  • Screen tilts at sharp angle sometimes
  • Landscape orientation issues on iPad
  • Home button on right causes issues
  • Volume button pressed accidentally
  • Speaker covered by hand

Requested features

33 requests
  • More boat variety
  • First-person view
  • Ability to change sails
  • More courses/scenery
  • Multiplayer mode
Show 28 more
  • Free sailing mode
  • Customizable controls (rudder position)
  • Add jib and spinnaker
  • More advanced dinghy classes
  • Random weather across courses
  • French language option
  • Relocate camera button
  • Option to move rudder to left side
  • Add icebergs
  • More realistic wind changes
  • Add catamaran option
  • Lockable camera view
  • Smoother boat movement
  • More detailed player boat graphics
  • Retina support
  • Actual free ride mode
  • More obstacles in free sail
  • Different sized boats
  • Old sailing ships
  • More tabs for larger ships
  • Landscape mode with home button on right
  • Jib sail for version up
  • More parameters on screen and customizable display
  • More levels
  • Exploring mode
  • Internet multiplayer
  • More realistic capsize animation
  • More realistic wind speed options

HeliSense

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

15 purchases

Top Sailor

One-time15
  • Basic Tip$0.99
  • Green hull$0.99
  • Yellow hull$0.99
Show 12 more
  • Pink hull$0.99
  • Red hull$0.99
  • 4 colorful sails$1.99
  • Set of 4 decorative hulls$1.99
  • Boat name on hull$1.99
  • Appreciative Tip$2.99
  • Pirate-style sail and hull$2.99
  • Add any text to your sail$4.99
  • Generous Tip$6.99
  • Golden sail$9.99
  • Awesome Tip$19.99
  • Amazing Tip$54.99
4 purchases

HeliSense

One-time4
  • XL Power Specter 700 Ultimate$3.99
  • Trainer$9.99
  • Simulator$14.99
Show 1 more
  • Pro$19.99

Questions

Is Top Sailor free?
Top Sailor costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is HeliSense free?
HeliSense is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Top Sailor or HeliSense?
HeliSense is rated higher. Top Sailor averages 3.9 out of 5 from 35 ratings, while HeliSense averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Top Sailor or HeliSense have ads?
Neither Top Sailor nor HeliSense shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Top Sailor or HeliSense?
Top Sailor ships an update every 3 months, and HeliSense every 11 days. Most recently, Top Sailor was updated on November 1, 2026 and HeliSense on October 31, 2026.

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