# Marinus vs ASA's Sailing Challenge

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Marinus | ASA's Sailing Challenge |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | [4.4 (215 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marinus-maritime-rules/id536108872/reviews) | **[4.8 (3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/asas-sailing-challenge/id1109489005/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 215 | **3K** |
| Positive reviews | 65.3% of reviews | **72.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 113 MB | 415 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Alejandro](https://appshunter.io/developer/476976572) | [American Sailing Association](https://appshunter.io/developer/387179854) |

## What reviewers say

### Marinus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marinus-maritime-rules/id536108872)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Marinus PRO | $8.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app for learning
- 👍 Useful study aid
- 👍 Very helpful for mariners
- 👍 Good information provided
- 👍 Easy to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Swamped with ads
- 👎 Broken app functionality
- 👎 Subscription model is a money grab
- 👎 Lifetime pro withdrawn
- 👎 Scam for changing to subscription

**Reported bugs**

- App not working, ads won't clear
- App crashes frequently
- Mistake with sounds
- App crashes after 10-15 seconds

**Requested features**

- Settings for Buoyage A & B & combined
- Search feature
- Combine sounds and lights
- Add tides information
- More free version functionality


### ASA's Sailing Challenge

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/asas-sailing-challenge/id1109489005)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Beach Catamaran | $0.99 | one-time |
| Cruising Monohull | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pod of Dolphins | $0.99 | one-time |
| Wind | $0.99 | one-time |
| Cruising Catamaran | $0.99 | one-time |
| All Products Bundle | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎓 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- Trimming Task 2 is impossible
- App crashes frequently
- Port and starboard controls are flipped
- Lessons teach incorrect sail/boat orientation

**Requested features**

- 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.


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Marinus free?

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

### Is ASA's Sailing Challenge free?

ASA's Sailing Challenge costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Marinus or ASA's Sailing Challenge?

ASA's Sailing Challenge is rated higher. Marinus averages 4.4 out of 5 from 215 ratings, while ASA's Sailing Challenge averages 4.8 from 3K ratings.

### Do Marinus or ASA's Sailing Challenge have ads?

Marinus shows ads; ASA's Sailing Challenge does not.

### Which is updated more often, Marinus or ASA's Sailing Challenge?

Marinus ships an update every 5 weeks, and ASA's Sailing Challenge every 3 weeks. Most recently, Marinus was updated on November 6, 2026 and ASA's Sailing Challenge on November 11, 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.*