arcSail vs TideMeasure
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
arcSail
This app provides advanced real-time race scoring for sailing clubs. It supports single or multi-day regattas and season-long series with a user-friendly touch interface. Features include various scoring systems, handicap calculations, and instant results emailing.
- Real-time race scoring
- Supports single/multi-day regattas
- Season-long series scoring
- Multiple scoring systems (Low Point, High Point, etc.)
- Handicap and penalty calculations
- Email/AirPrint results (in-app purchase)
- Data backup and transfer
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Advanced real-time race scoring software for your sailing club. arcSail can be quickly setup to score a single or multi-day regatta while powerful enough to score several season-long series simultaneously. With its easy to use, familiar, touch interface for iPhone and iPad including many hand-crafted elements, arcSail makes scoring simple and intuitive. Custom time, number and calendar controls make setup easy and in app tips help get you started quickly. Sailors, Boats, Events and Fleets can be pre-configured or imported from Registration data, so that getting up and running on the water is a snap. Scorers order and tap boats from one or more fleets to finish. Once the races are run, handicapping and penalty calculations are applied instantly and results can be immediately emailed to shore (with in-app purchase on a data-capable device). Wide range of scoring features, including: • Short and long series calculations are supported using Low Point, Bonus Point, High Point Percentage, Low Point Average or Chips3 systems. • Uncorrected (one-design) fleets and/or handicapped (mixed) fleets using Portsmouth Yardstick (PY), wind-strength corrected North American Portsmouth Yardstick (NAPY), Small Catamaran Handicap Rating System (SCHRS), PHRF Time-on-Time and Time-on-Distance can be easily scored. • Custom handicap systems can be defined. • Multiple simultaneous fleet starts and finishes tracking. • Calculations follow the RRS & Appendix A guidelines. With in-app purchase: * Results can be emailed or Air Printed in HTML format for easy display on the club website or bulletin board. * Data can be backed up to Apple Files and/or swapped between devices using email. Visit our website https://www.arcsail.com for additional details and tutorials. Finally, you will know who is buying the drinks before you reach the shore!
TideMeasure
Measure sea current speed and direction using your iPhone's GPS. Ideal for sailors, coaches, and race teams to map readings, review history, and share data for tactical advantage. Works offline.
- Measure current speed and direction with GPS
- View results in multiple units (m/min, m/s, cm/s, knots)
- Map measurements across race areas
- Review saved measurements and history
- Create or join teams to share readings
- Export measurements as CSV
- Offline measurement capability
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Measure sea-current speed and direction from your iPhone in minutes—built for sailors, coaches, and race teams. Map readings across the race area, review history, export CSV data, and share measurements with your team for smarter tactical decisions. WHY TIDEMEASURE Even a small current can change boat speed, laylines, mark roundings, and the favored side of the course. TideMeasure turns a simple drift test into a clear speed-and-direction result without specialized hardware. HOW IT WORKS 1. Drop a floating stick or small object into the water. 2. Tap Start as it begins to drift. 3. Retrieve it after a short measurement. 4. Tap Stop to see current speed and direction. FEATURES • Measure current speed and direction using GPS • View results in m/min, m/s, cm/s, or knots • Map measurements across the race area • Review saved measurements and history • Create or join a team and share readings • Select and export measurements as CSV • Continue measuring offline TideMeasure is designed for race preparation, coaching, training sessions, and building a clearer picture of current around the course. Location access is required during measurements and for displaying results on the map. Apple Maps data is used for mapping.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: arcSail at Free against TideMeasure's $19.99. arcSail also leads on ratings volume (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). TideMeasure's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 3.7) and review sentiment (100% vs 60%). On update cadence, ads 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
arcSail is free to download; TideMeasure costs $19.99 up front. arcSail sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. TideMeasure asks for nothing beyond the download.
TideMeasure holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of arcSail's written reviews are positive against 100% of TideMeasure's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | arcSail | TideMeasure |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $19.99 |
| Rating | 3.7 (3 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Smartphone Design Ltd | Master Sailing jdoo |
Customer experience
arcSail
TideMeasure
In-app purchases
arcSail
- Enable Email Output$9.99
TideMeasure
No in-app purchases









