Marinus vs ASA's Sailing Challenge
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Marinus
This app provides comprehensive guidance on maritime navigation rules and signals. It offers detailed information on flags, lights, sounds, and buoyage systems, along with interactive quizzes and a map feature. Designed for sailors, it ensures safe navigation on any vessel.
- Maritime flags and meanings
- Weather scales and cloud identification
- Sound signal guidance
- Vessel navigation light diagrams
- Day shape identification
- Safe navigation maneuvers
- Morse code decoder
- IALA Buoyage System
- Radio communication guidelines
- COLREGs text
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Not just another app for navigation rules… this is THE app for navigation rules! Created by sailors, for sailors, Marinus COLREGs is designed to provide clear and instant answers to your questions anytime, anywhere. It's the essential app for your sailboat or motorboat. Key Features: • Flags – All maritime flags with their meanings. • Meteo – Beaufort and Douglas scales, plus cloud identification. • Sounds – Navigate safely with sound signal guidance. • Lights – Detailed views of every vessel's navigation lights from all angles. • Day Shapes – Learn and identify the correct day shapes for any situation. • Maneuvers – Clear guidance on safe navigation maneuvers. • Morse – Decode Morse signals with ease. • Buoys (IALA) – Understand the International Buoyage System. • Radio – Key radio communication guidelines. • ColRegs – Full text of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (IRPCS). • Quiz – Test your knowledge with interactive quizzes. • Map – Visualize navigation concepts on an interactive map. Access PRO Features Unlock all PRO features with an affordable annual subscription. Your support helps us maintain and improve the app, keeping it the trusted tool for sailors around the world. Join thousands of sailors who trust Marinus ColRegs every day on their iPhone. Whether you're an experienced seafarer or just starting your nautical journey, this is the app you’ve been looking for! For any questions, feel free to contact us at info@marinus.es.
ASA's Sailing Challenge
Master sailing fundamentals with interactive modules covering points of sail, wind, sail trim, and maneuvering. Test your skills in a virtual sailing course against the clock.
- Learn Points of Sail
- Understand Apparent Wind
- Master Sail Trim
- Practice Tacking and Jibing
- Study Rules of the Road
- Learn Docking Techniques
- Virtual Sailing Course
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ASA’s Sailing Challenge (for iPhone/iPad) includes six fun, easy-to-use modules that unlock the mysteries of sailing. Learn Points of Sail, Apparent Wind, Sail Trim, Tacking and Jibing, Rules of the Road, and Docking. Then, put it all together when you sail around a course against the clock in the Sailing module. Sailing Challenge combines the most innovative thinking in the digital education field with ASA’s experience in teaching sailing to create a game that lets players climb aboard, take control of the tiller in one hand and the mainsheet in the other, and sail off on a virtual sea of fun. When the ASA says the fun starts here, we really mean it!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Marinus at Free against ASA's Sailing Challenge's $3.99. ASA's Sailing Challenge's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.8 vs 4.4). On review sentiment, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Marinus is free to download; ASA's Sailing Challenge costs $3.99 up front. Marinus sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $8.99 per year and ASA's Sailing Challenge sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
ASA's Sailing Challenge holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ASA's Sailing Challenge has 3K ratings behind it against 215, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Marinus's written reviews are positive against 73% of ASA's Sailing Challenge's.
Marinus ships an update every 5 weeks, ASA's Sailing Challenge every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Marinus | ASA's Sailing Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $3.99 |
| Rating | 4.4 (215 ratings) | 4.8 (3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 65.3% of reviews | 72.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 215 | 3K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 113 MB | 415 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alejandro | American Sailing Association |
Customer experience
Marinus
ASA's Sailing Challenge
User reviews
Marinus
From 215 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great app for learning
- 👍 Useful study aid
- 👍 Very helpful for mariners
- 👍 Good information provided
- 👍 Easy to use
Room to improve
- 👎 Swamped with ads
- 👎 Broken app functionality
- 👎 Subscription model is a money grab
- 👎 Lifetime pro withdrawn
- 👎 Scam for changing to subscription
ASA's Sailing Challenge
From 3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎓 Excellent learning/review tool for sailing
- 👍 Great for reviewing before going out on the water
- 👍 Useful for visualizing sailing concepts
- 👍 Simple and effective
- 👍 Helpful in consolidating sailing knowledge
Room to improve
- 🐛 Trimming Task 2 is Impossible
- 🔒 To limited and some controls overly sensitive
- 💰 Underwhelming, not worth the price
- 💰 All about money, too many in-app purchases
- 🐛 Buggy, crashes frequently
Bugs and requests
Marinus
Reported bugs
4 issues- App not working, ads won't clear
- App crashes frequently
- Mistake with sounds
- App crashes after 10-15 seconds
Requested features
7 requests- Settings for Buoyage A & B & combined
- Search feature
- Combine sounds and lights
- Add tides information
- More free version functionality
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- More detail in maneuvers section
- Lights with silhouette and head-on/stern-on views
ASA's Sailing Challenge
Reported bugs
4 issues- Trimming Task 2 is impossible
- App crashes frequently
- Port and starboard controls are flipped
- Lessons teach incorrect sail/boat orientation
Requested features
8 requests- More practice scenarios and environments
- Ability to choose cockpit view
- Incorporate more sailing elements like jib, spinnaker, waves, weather
- Add sailing terminology lessons
- Include more advanced sailing techniques like man overboard, reefing, etc.
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- Implement a first-person view option
- Add sailing race mode
- Provide more free sailing options without waypoints
In-app purchases
Marinus
- Marinus PRO3 Days trial$8.991 Year
ASA's Sailing Challenge
- Beach Catamaran$0.99
- Cruising Monohull$0.99
- Pod of Dolphins$0.99
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- Wind$0.99
- Cruising Catamaran$0.99
- All Products Bundle$2.99
Questions
Is Marinus free?
Is ASA's Sailing Challenge free?
Which has better reviews, Marinus or ASA's Sailing Challenge?
Do Marinus or ASA's Sailing Challenge have ads?
Which is updated more often, Marinus or ASA's Sailing Challenge?
Other comparisons
