Comparison

SailingWatch vs Pathfinder Sailing

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

Head to head
About

SailingWatch

Features
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SailingWatch is the race companion for sailors — a precise start sequence, a real start line, live tactics, and your whole session on a map. Built for dinghies, keelboats and yachts, on iPhone and Apple Watch. THE START, NAILED EVERY TIME • A big, readable countdown with a sweep ring that drains as the gun approaches. • Sync to the committee boat in one tap, or fine-tune with −1 / +1 minute. • The final minute turns red so you always know how long you have. • Start, pause and resume right from the cockpit. A REAL START LINE • Ping the pin and the committee-boat ends to set the line. • See the line bias and your live distance to the line. • Time your approach instead of guessing. LIVE TACTICS • Capture your port and starboard tack angles. • A compass and layline call tell you if you're lifted, headed, or on the groove. • Make the smart call on when to tack. WIND AT A GLANCE • A 6-hour wind forecast strip for your exact location — speed, direction and gusts. • Know what's coming before you leave the dock. EVERY SESSION, ON A MAP • Automatic GPS recording while you sail — speed, heading and full track. • Review past sessions grouped by month. • Replay any track on the map with distance, duration and top speed. SHARE YOUR SAIL • Export a standard GPX file. • Create a video animation of your track to share. • Send your sessions straight to Strava. ON YOUR WRIST • The Apple Watch app puts the timer, start line and live data on your wrist — sail with your phone in your pocket. MADE YOURS • Save your boat profile — class, sail number, polar and hull length. • Choose your units for distance, speed and temperature. • A clean, high-contrast black-and-blue design that stays readable in bright sun. Whether you're lining up for the gun on a club Wednesday or training for the season, SailingWatch keeps the start, the line and the tactics one glance away. https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Pathfinder Sailing

Features
Read full description

The Pathfinder Sailing App for the iPhone and Apple Watch is the Ultimate App for Sailboat Racing. This app helps you get better starts, hit the wind shifts, and sail faster. Racing screens provide input on your starts, boat speed, wind shift management, and current trends—right on your iPhone or Apple Watch. Race replay and analysis allow you to view your race and performance details and compare your boat track over a Google map with other boats in your fleet using the Pathfinder app. Live Map shows your boat's location and track over several different map backgrounds, including NOAA charts where available. The Marks & Courses screen allows you to create marks, import gpx files for marks and courses, and drop marks on the Live Map. You can then navigate to them via the Navigate screen or Live Map. You can also select a free and provided NOAA current GRIB or a paid GRIB from another service such as Tidetech or Mercator. Two plans are offered: - Pathfinder Plus Plan with sailing instrument integration - Pathfinder Basic plan, which uses your iPhone's GPS Post-race virtual replay provides metrics analysis to improve your sailing performance. You must purchase a monthly or annual subscription to access this content and all race screens within the app after the 14-day free trial period. App features: - Race Timer with audible output to time your starts more effectively. Supports custom time countdown. - Start screens to nail your starts by precisely pinging your start line and tracking the Distance Below Line and your required Speed to Start. - Speed screen to compare your actual performance to polar target speeds and wind angles to get up to speed faster (Plus Plan) - Compare your real-time performance to your polars for real-time feedback on speed and wind angles (Plus Plan) - Visualize wind shift trends to understand the oscillations and better predict shifts (Plus Plan) - Understand the impact of tidal current on your boat and whether you are sailing into a different current with Live Map and NOAA current GRIB (all plans) - Record your races and replay them - Track your performance metrics after the race - Export race logs in JSON or Expedition format for offline analysis Free trial - If you subscribe to the Pathfinder Sailing app, your first 14 days are free. A paid subscription is required beyond the free trial period to access the content. You will be billed for the monthly or annual subscription at the end of the trial. Your subscription will automatically renew at the end of the subscription period. By using this app, you agree to the Pathfinder Sailing Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy at pathfindersailing.com EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms and Conditions: https://pathfindersailing.com/termsandconditions/ Privacy Policy: https://pathfindersailing.com/privacy/

Screenshots

SailingWatch4 screens
Pathfinder Sailing4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Pathfinder Sailing at 15.0 against SailingWatch's 17.6. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. SailingWatch sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Pathfinder Sailing sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SailingWatch ships an update every 2 weeks, Pathfinder Sailing every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 5 level
SailingWatch versus Pathfinder Sailing: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSailingWatchPathfinder Sailing
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFrancesco VezzaniPathfinder Sailing LLC

In-app purchases

2 purchases

SailingWatch

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Annual7 Days trial$69.991 Year
3 purchases

Pathfinder Sailing

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly Basic Subscription1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • Monthly Subscription1 Month trial$19.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription1 Month trial$190.001 Year

Questions

Is SailingWatch free?
SailingWatch is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pathfinder Sailing free?
Pathfinder Sailing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SailingWatch or Pathfinder Sailing have ads?
Neither SailingWatch nor Pathfinder Sailing shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SailingWatch or Pathfinder Sailing?
SailingWatch ships an update every 2 weeks, and Pathfinder Sailing every 3 weeks. Most recently, SailingWatch was updated on October 2, 2026 and Pathfinder Sailing on October 14, 2026.

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