Boat Instrument vs Sailing Instruments
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Boat Instrument
This app displays boat instrument data through customizable boxes. It connects to a SignalK server, which processes NMEA data from your boat's systems. Ideal for boat owners who want a digital dashboard.
- Configurable data boxes
- SignalK server integration
- NMEA data display
- Customizable dashboard
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A Boat Instrument for displaying data in fully configurable Boxes. The data is received via a subscription to a SignalK server. The SignalK server should be fed from your boat's NMEA data. The SignalK server can run on any supported platform, but this is usually a Raspberry Pi running a marine specific OS build.
Sailing Instruments
This app provides essential sailing instruments and tactical tools for planning, racing, and navigating. It offers features like a race timer, speed tracking, bearing and compass, waypoint navigation, and route recording. Offline support ensures functionality on open water.
- Race Timer with auto-start
- Boat Speed (SOG)
- Bearing & Compass
- Waypoint Navigation
- VMG (Velocity Made Good)
- Route Tracking (GPX)
- Offline Support
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Plan, race, and sail smarter - all from your iPhone. From the first beat of planning to the final gun, this app puts essential sailing instruments, tactical tools, and live wind forecasts at your fingertips - whether you're cruising the coast or counting down to the start. Instruments • Boat Speed (SOG) – Accurate speed over ground in knots, km/h, or mph • Bearing & Compass – Know your heading and navigate confidently • VMG (Velocity Made Good) – See how effectively you're sailing toward your target Race & Tactics • Race Timer – Easy countdown with auto-start tracking and a large, glanceable display • Waypoint Navigation – Build a library of reusable marks and plot your course in seconds • Wind Forecasts (Premium) – Overlay live wind across your race area, with direction, speed, and gusts shown right on the map. Scrub up to 48 hours ahead to see how the breeze will shift, and choose the forecast model that's most accurate for your waters (UK Met Office, ECMWF, GFS, and more) Track & Review • Route Tracking – Record your GPS track as a GPX file for post-sail analysis • Track Playback – Replay your sail with speed, distance, and your saved marks shown in context • Offline Support – Built for open water; no internet required after install (wind forecasts need a connection) Modern design meets real-world sailing needs - ideal for day sailors, racers, and adventurers. Freemium - no subscriptions, just pay once if you love it: • Use the core instruments for free • Try the race timer, routing, and track recorder twice, then upgrade for unlimited access • Premium unlocks unlimited use plus live wind forecasts • Leave us a review and reset your free trial! This app uses your device's GPS - please ensure your device supports GPS. If GPS updates stop while using the app, try moving your device in large circles to wake it back up. We value your feedback! Share ideas or report issues at yanafloat@gmail.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Sailing Instruments at 4.0 against Boat Instrument's 1.0. Sailing Instruments also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks). Boat Instrument's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ratings volume and ads 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
Both are free to download. Sailing Instruments sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Boat Instrument asks for nothing beyond the download.
Sailing Instruments holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.
Boat Instrument ships an update every 6 weeks, Sailing Instruments every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Boat Instrument | Sailing Instruments |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.0 (1 ratings) | 4.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 59 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | VICTORIAN HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING ASSOCIATION INC | YAN MARK ANDERSON |
In-app purchases
Boat Instrument
No in-app purchases
Sailing Instruments
- Sailing Instruments Premium$3.99
Questions
Is Boat Instrument free?
Is Sailing Instruments free?
Which has better reviews, Boat Instrument or Sailing Instruments?
Do Boat Instrument or Sailing Instruments have ads?
Which is updated more often, Boat Instrument or Sailing Instruments?
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