Comparison

StartStar vs Race Guide

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

Head to head
About

StartStar

This app helps sailors track their performance, measure efficiency, and count down to the start line. It offers hands-free voice feedback for speed, time, and distance, and allows users to save and share routes.

Highlights
  • Track shifts and count down to start
  • Measure tack and gybe efficiency
  • Check speed and distance to start line
  • Save and share routes
  • Hands-free voice feedback
  • Animate boats on Google Earth
Features
Read full description

StartStar is designed to help you: • Tack on the shifts • Count down to the start • Know your distance to the start line • Check your speed 
• Measure you tack and gybe efficiency • Save your routes on your phone • Post routes to Facebook and Twitter • Animate many boats on Google Earth AND • StartStar is hands free. It can speak to you so you don’t need to take you eye off the sails and other boats to know your speed, time or distance to the start line As StartStar uses the GPS in your phone, it is cheaper than dedicated electronic compasses or starting aids for sale in the chandlers, in fact not only is it FREE, it does more too. Please note: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

About

Race Guide

This app provides advanced graphical tactical guidance for sailing, helping users make smarter decisions on the water. It offers live, replay, and simulator modes, and can be used standalone or connected to boat instruments for enhanced performance.

Highlights
  • Graphical tactical guidance
  • Live, replay, and simulator modes
  • Standalone or instrument-connected operation
  • GPS integration (tablet, Bluetooth, boat)
  • Performance subscription options
  • Bespoke technique optimization
Features
Read full description

New, novel and highly effective graphical tactical sailing guidance software. Race Guide is designed to put you in the right place at the right time, make smarter decisions and get better results. With Americas cup and Olympic heritage Race Guide provides unquestionable performance gain.  - A standalone tablet/phone tactical solution or connected to the boat instrument network to run using instrument data and link to Navigator software. - Driven by tablet/phone GPS, Bluetooth GPS or boat instrument GPS.  - Live, replay and simulator modes give you the power run realtime, replay or practice.  - Add further value with a Race Guide performance subscription enhancing the predictive calculations and increasing frequency and fidelity. Bespoke techniques remove the noise and variation historically seen with tactical aids so the software runs out of the box, whilst keeping the option for more bespoke configuration via the addition of broader polar data, more detailed environmental data predictions and more in depth understanding of the sensor data on board. These will push the performance gains further, maximising the potential of the guidance.

Screenshots

StartStar3 screens
Race Guide4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: StartStar at none against Race Guide's 2. StartStar also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Race Guide's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Race Guide sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $26.49 per month. StartStar asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StartStar ships an update every 2 months, Race Guide fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 6, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
StartStar versus Race Guide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStartStarRace Guide
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB130 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerhugh kingdonHibrid Intelligence Ltd

Customer experience

StartStar

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

Race Guide

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

StartStar

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Race Guide

Subscriptions2
  • Race Guide Performance$26.491 Month
  • Race Guide Performance HiFi$51.991 Month

Questions

Is StartStar free?
StartStar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Race Guide free?
Race Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do StartStar or Race Guide have ads?
Neither StartStar nor Race Guide shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StartStar or Race Guide?
StartStar ships an update every 2 months, and Race Guide fortnightly. Most recently, StartStar was updated on October 6, 2026 and Race Guide on October 6, 2026.

Other comparisons