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, course and manoeuvres, and every outing recorded with a speed-colored track. Free, with no accounts and no ads. INSTRUMENTS - SOG (speed over ground) in knots, big and readable at a glance - COG (course over ground) written on a compass ribbon - Six live values: COG, distance, average, MAX 10s, manoeuvres and peak - MAX 10s: the best 10-second average, so a wave or a GPS glitch can't inflate it - Tacks and gybes counted while you sail - Speed chart of the whole outing, with time and speed axes - Instruments or Map view on iPhone, portrait and landscape; iPad shows everything on one screen - iPhone Duo support - Automatic night mode: red instruments after sunset to preserve night vision LOCK SCREEN AND DYNAMIC ISLAND While recording on iPhone, speed and course stay on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, with time, distance and the last 10 minutes of speed. Keep the phone locked: the track keeps recording. RECORDING - Explicit Rec button: recording never starts on its own - Speed-colored track, from cyan (slow) to coral (fast), scaled to your session - Recording keeps going in light air and at anchor with the screen off - Sessions saved to Health as Sailing workouts with their route (with your permission) WATCH, IPHONE OR BOTH - Apple Watch records standalone with its own GPS: big speed, compass with your course, live manoeuvres - iPhone and iPad are full trackers too, with live map and instruments - Sessions sync automatically between your devices through iCloud AFTER THE SAIL - Each session shows distance, duration, average, MAX 10s, manoeuvres and peak - Tacks and gybes marked on the map: tap one and the chart jumps to that moment - Scrub through the speed chart: speed, time and position at any moment - Standard or satellite map - Share sessions via AirDrop, export GPX, import GPX from other apps - Nautical coordinates (degrees and decimal minutes) - A Glossary explains every abbreviation and how values are worked out 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. SailingWatch's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SailingWatch ships an update every 2 weeks, Upwind every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
SailingWatch versus Upwind: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSailingWatchUpwind
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB8 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.
Which is updated more often, SailingWatch or Upwind?
SailingWatch ships an update every 2 weeks, and Upwind every 3 months. Most recently, SailingWatch was updated on November 3, 2026 and Upwind on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons