Comparison

SailingWatch vs Upwind

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

Head to head
About

SailingWatch

Features
Read full description

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

Upwind

Features
Read full description

Upwind is a sailing tracker for Apple Watch, iPhone and iPad: live speed and course, recorded sessions with speed-colored tracks. Free, with no accounts and no ads. INSTRUMENTS - SOG (speed over ground) in knots, smoothed for reading at a glance - COG (course over ground) on a compass ribbon - Automatic night mode: red instruments after sunset to preserve night vision RECORDING - Explicit Rec button: recording never starts on its own - Speed-colored track, from cyan (slow) to coral (fast), scaled to your session - Distance, average and maximum speed, duration - On Apple Watch, recordings also save as Sailing workouts in Health (with your permission) WATCH, IPHONE OR BOTH - Apple Watch records standalone with its own GPS - iPhone and iPad are full trackers too, with live map and instruments - Sessions sync automatically between your devices through iCloud AFTER THE SAIL - Scrub through the speed chart: speed, time and position at any moment - Standard or satellite map, free of clutter - Share sessions via AirDrop, export GPX, import GPX from other apps - Nautical coordinates (degrees and decimal minutes) PRIVATE BY DESIGN No accounts, no developer servers, no ads, no analytics. Your data stays on your devices and in your private iCloud. TIPS - For sessions longer than a couple of hours, record with an iPhone or iPad connected to onboard power - On iPad, GPS requires a Wi-Fi + Cellular model Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

Screenshots

SailingWatch4 screens
Upwind4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Upwind at none against SailingWatch'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. SailingWatch sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Upwind asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference · 5 level
SailingWatch versus Upwind: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSailingWatchUpwind
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFrancesco VezzaniVincenzo Risi

In-app purchases

2 purchases

SailingWatch

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Annual7 Days trial$69.991 Year
None

Upwind

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SailingWatch free?
SailingWatch is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Upwind free?
Upwind is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do SailingWatch or Upwind have ads?
Neither SailingWatch nor Upwind shows ads.

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