Comparison

Sail Safe vs Master

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

Head to head
About

Sail Safe

Master maritime navigation rules and signals with this comprehensive reference and learning tool. It features illustrated guides to vessel lights, day shapes, buoys, and the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, along with interactive quizzes to test your knowledge.

Highlights
  • Illustrated signals and buoyage cards
  • Complete COLREGs reference
  • Interactive knowledge quizzes
  • Instant search functionality
  • Personalized favorites list
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Sail Safe Master vessel lights, day shapes, buoys and COLREGs with an intuitive maritime reference and learning companion designed for sailors, skippers, cadets and boating enthusiasts. Features • 280+ illustrated signals Browse an extensive collection of vessel lights, day shapes and buoyage cards with clear explanations and associated sound signals. • Complete COLREGs reference Study the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea with an easy-to-navigate rule browser. • Interactive quizzes Test your knowledge with multiple-choice quizzes and receive immediate feedback. • Instant search Find lights, shapes, marks or rules within seconds. • Favourites Save important cards and build a personal revision deck. • Works offline No internet connection required after installation. Ideal for: • Merchant Navy cadets • Yacht skippers • Sailing crews • Recreational boaters • Maritime students • Anyone preparing for oral examinations or competency certificates Disclaimer This application is intended for educational and reference purposes only and must not be used as a substitute for official nautical publications, professional training or navigational judgement.

About

Master

Learn maritime navigation rules with an interactive system designed for effective retention. This app breaks down complex regulations into manageable sections with visual aids and mnemonics. It revisits incorrect answers and provides instant graphical feedback, making the learning process intuitive and efficient.

Highlights
  • Interactive learning system
  • Step-by-step rule guidance
  • Mnemonics and memory aids
  • Interactive visuals
  • Graphical feedback on answers
  • Practice section with progress tracking
Features
Read full description

Master-Nav is a progressive COLREGS learning system developed by a Master Mariner. The COLREGS are notoriously difficult to learn and retain — Master-Nav makes it significantly easier through an interactive system built around how your brain actually works. Instead of guessing through random question banks, Master-Nav guides you step by step through every rule from start to finish. Wrong answers are revisited until the rules stick — properly. Complex regulations are broken down into learnable chunks — bite-sized sections supported by mnemonics, memory aids and interactive visuals designed around how the brain actually retains information. Every incorrect answer is shown graphically alongside the correct one — immediately clear, no confusion. And with a single tap, the relevant COLREGS rule is accessible from any question at any time. Master-Nav covers COLREGS Parts A to D — General, Steering & Sailing, Lights & Shapes and Sound & Light Signals — plus Annex IV Distress Signals. Over 1000 questions in multiple formats, with a dedicated Practice Section that tracks right, wrong and unanswered so you always know where to focus. COLREGS — the easy way.

Screenshots

Sail Safe4 screens
Master4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Master at 97% against Sail Safe's 0%. Master also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 22 months) and price ($1.99 vs $4.99). 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

Sail Safe costs $4.99 and Master $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sail Safe ships an update every 22 months, Master fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Sail Safe versus Master: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSail SafeMaster
Price$4.99$1.99 — better
Rating—4.7 (94 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews96.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—94 — better
Update frequencyEvery 22 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB117 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPrachi PimpalkharePeterjohn Chisholm

Customer experience

Sail Safe

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Master

All ratings94 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral2.1%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive96.9%
Neutral3.1%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Sail Safe

No in-app purchases

None

Master

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sail Safe free?
Sail Safe costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Master free?
Master costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Sail Safe or Master have ads?
Neither Sail Safe nor Master shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sail Safe or Master?
Sail Safe ships an update every 22 months, and Master fortnightly. Most recently, Sail Safe was updated on September 22, 2026 and Master on October 1, 2026.

Other comparisons