Comparison

Lights Out Sailing vs TackSense

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

Head to head
About

Lights Out Sailing

Enhance your sailing experience with real-time data and race tools. Capture onboard footage, track speed and heading, and perfect your race starts with precise metrics. Customize your interface and sync with other devices for a connected sailing adventure.

Highlights
  • Onboard footage capture
  • Real-time speedometer and compass
  • Distance to line metrics
  • Customizable race layouts
  • Fleet synchronization
  • Onboard camera sharing
Features
Read full description

Lights Out - Your Ultimate Sailing Companion Join sailors worldwide who trust Lights Out Sailing to enhance their time on the water. Whether you’re competing in world championships or enjoying a weekend cruise, Lights Out Sailing provides real-time data and cutting-edge tools to elevate your sailing experience. FEATURES YOU CAN RELY ON Maximize your performance with powerful tools and onboard footage features: - Onboard Footage: Capture every moment and save footage directly to your camera roll. - Speedometer & Compass: Get real-time speed over ground and magnetic heading. - Pings & Distance to Line: Perfect your race starts with precise distance-to-line metrics. - Custom Layouts: Personalize your interface in two different race modes. SYNC WITH CHANNELS Effortlessly connect with other devices to share and synchronize start timers with your fleet, ensuring everyone is in sync for the perfect start. Enjoy sharing your synced onboard cams to as soon as you hit the dock to see all sides of the action. BUILT FOR SAILORS We're constantly pushing new features and updates based on feedback from sailors around the world. Lights Out is built by sailors, for sailors, to bring us into a new era of connected instruments.

About

TackSense

Features
Read full description

TackSense is a simple sailing aid that helps you understand your point of sail from wind direction, boat heading, wind speed, and gusts. Enter the conditions, and TackSense shows a clear visual guide for the sailing angle, likely sail position, reefing considerations, and downwind caution zones. It is designed for quick use on deck when you want a fast sanity check without clutter, accounts, or unnecessary complexity. TackSense can help you identify whether you are close-hauled, reaching, running, near the no-go zone, or in a wing-on-wing zone. It also provides practical trim suggestions such as when sails should be trimmed in, eased out, or when a more conservative setup may be appropriate. Features * Point-of-sail calculation from wind direction and heading * Wind speed and gust input * Clear sail-position diagram * Main and headsail setup suggestions * Reefing considerations based on wind strength and gusts * Downwind caution notes, including wing-on-wing and gybe risk zones * Simple terminology for newer sailors * Works on-device * No account required TackSense is not a chartplotter, navigation system, weather service, or replacement for seamanship. It provides general sail-setup guidance based on the information you enter. Always consider local conditions, sea state, crew ability, vessel setup, and official weather information before sailing. Built for sailors who want a fast, visual answer to a basic but important question: What point of sail am I on, and how should the sails roughly be set?

Screenshots

Lights Out Sailing4 screens
TackSense4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TackSense at none against Lights Out Sailing's 2. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Lights Out Sailing sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $13.49 per month. TackSense asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Lights Out Sailing versus TackSense: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLights Out SailingTackSense
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (8 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings8 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWhitServe LLCMagnus Soderstrom

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Lights Out Sailing

Subscriptions2
  • Lights Out Sailing3 Days trial$13.491 Month
  • Lights Out Sailing7 Days trial$98.991 Year
None

TackSense

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Lights Out Sailing free?
Lights Out Sailing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TackSense free?
TackSense is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Lights Out Sailing or TackSense have ads?
Neither Lights Out Sailing nor TackSense shows ads.

Other comparisons