Comparison

True Wind vs SAILORSIM

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

Head to head
About

True Wind

This app provides a clear visual display of wind direction, speed, and sail angles, helping sailors understand points of sail. It offers real-time data, spoken alerts, and manual setup for offline use, enhancing sailing confidence.

Highlights
  • Real-time wind direction and speed
  • Points-of-sail visualization
  • Haptic feedback
  • Spoken alerts
  • Manual wind direction setup
  • Night mode
  • Apple Watch support
Features
Read full description

True Wind is a clean sailing companion that makes wind direction, wind speed, and points of sail easy to understand. Designed for sailors learning the basics or refining technique, True Wind shows real-time wind direction and sail angles relative to your heading. Instantly recognize close-hauled, beam reach, broad reach, running, tacking, and gybing with a clear visual wind display. Whether you’re learning how to sail or want a simple wind compass for your sailboat, True Wind helps you understand wind angle and boat orientation at a glance. Features • Real-time wind direction and wind speed • Clear points-of-sail visualization • Haptic feedback for all points of sail • Spoken alerts for current sail position • Manual wind direction setup for offline use • Wind change notifications (15-minute and 1-hour alerts) • Night mode with red display for night sailing • Multiple appearance modes • Metric, nautical, and imperial units • Optional sail position labels • Apple Watch support for hands-free wind awareness True Wind is intended for educational and recreational use. Always rely on proper marine navigation equipment when required. Understand the wind. Sail with confidence.

About

SAILORSIM

Features
Read full description

Take the helm and sail or motor across the Mediterranean, from the Costa Dorada to the Balearic Islands. SailorSim is a sailing simulator with a 3D view and a nautical chart. Hoist the sails, trim to the wind, manoeuvre under engine inside the harbour and moor alongside the pontoon. Or set out on a long passage from Salou to Mallorca or from Palma to Menorca, with day, night and bad weather passing over the sea. THREE BOATS - Cruising sailboat, speedboat and jet ski, moored side by side in Salou harbour. Choose which one to take out. MISSIONS - Leaving harbour: tap the bollard to cast off and reach open water without touching anything. - Sailing: learn to beat, reach and run with a shifting wind. - Salou regatta: find the start line, win the position and round the marks before your rivals. - Speedboat and jet ski races: from Salou to the La Pineda breakwater through the gates, alone against the clock or against a rival. Set the sea state before the start and dodge the unexpected: pedal boats, anchored boats with divers down and sudden squalls. - Guided navigation: follow the route waypoint by waypoint. - Mooring: enter harbour and berth with precision. - Salou and its coves: explore Cap de Salou among beaches, cliffs, shallows and buoys. - Mahón harbour entrance: sail up one of the longest natural harbours in the Mediterranean to the pontoon. - Passages: Salou–Palma, Salou–Mahón and Palma–Mahón. THE SEA AND THE BOAT - Wind with changing direction and strength, apparent and true wind indicators. - Sea state: calm, smooth, slight, moderate or rough. Head-on you slam into the waves, beam-on a breaking sea can knock you down, and on the quarter the boat broaches. - Gusts and knockdowns: with too much sail the boat lies over. Ease the sheets to bring her up and reef in time. - Breaking waves, capsizes and dismasting: clear the rigging and watch the propeller. - Visible anchoring, with chain, trip line and swinging. - Fuel consumption: if you run dry, use the reserve can, carry on under sail or call for help. Refuel on arrival in port. - Buoyage: lateral marks, isolated danger marks, beach buoys and lighthouses with their night flashes. - Marine traffic: container ships, ferries, tankers, fishing boats, sailboats and other vessels. - Coast with relief and shallow waters: watch out for rocks and shoals, you can run aground. RADIO AND RESCUE - VHF radio with voice messages. PAN-PAN and MAYDAY calls. - S.O.S. button: send a MAYDAY, receive confirmation and wait for the rescue boat, which tows you to the nearest port so you can carry on sailing. CONTROLS - Wooden helm wheel, the same on every device. Optional tilt steering. - Optimised for the foldable iPhone. - 3D view with smooth zoom and free camera: tap a boat or object to centre on it and double-tap to return to yours. - Nautical chart with the mission route. - Heading pilot and route pilot: "Follow route" and "Back to route" if you have drifted off course. - Time acceleration up to ×8, and up to ×512 on the open sea during the Balearic passages. - i help button: explains every icon and control. - Change the wind and sea state whenever you like. - Restart the mission at any time. Save and resume passages. FOR IPAD AND IPHONE Interface adapted to each screen, with every control also on iPhone. Optimised for the foldable iPhone. Spanish and English, with language switching without restarting the game, and a full in-app manual. Free, no ads and no data collection. Map data based on OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL licence). SailorSim is a simulation game. It is not intended for real navigation and does not replace official nautical charts, on-board equipment or skipper training.

Screenshots

True Wind4 screens
SAILORSIM4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: SAILORSIM at every 2 days against True Wind's every 9 days. SAILORSIM also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

True Wind ships an update every 9 days, SAILORSIM every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
True Wind versus SAILORSIM: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTrue WindSAILORSIM
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS26.217.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChristian MunozPablo Kessler Saiz

In-app purchases

None

True Wind

No in-app purchases

None

SAILORSIM

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is True Wind free?
True Wind is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SAILORSIM free?
SAILORSIM is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do True Wind or SAILORSIM have ads?
Neither True Wind nor SAILORSIM shows ads.
Which is updated more often, True Wind or SAILORSIM?
True Wind ships an update every 9 days, and SAILORSIM every 2 days. Most recently, True Wind was updated on October 31, 2026 and SAILORSIM on November 1, 2026.

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