Comparison

StartStar vs Lights Out Sailing

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

Lights Out Sailing

Enhance your sailing experience with real-time data and race tools. Capture onboard footage, track speed and heading, and perfect your race starts with precise metrics. Customize your interface and sync with other devices for a connected sailing adventure.

Highlights
  • Onboard footage capture
  • Real-time speedometer and compass
  • Distance to line metrics
  • Customizable race layouts
  • Fleet synchronization
  • Onboard camera sharing
Features
Read full description

Lights Out - Your Ultimate Sailing Companion Join sailors worldwide who trust Lights Out Sailing to enhance their time on the water. Whether you’re competing in world championships or enjoying a weekend cruise, Lights Out Sailing provides real-time data and cutting-edge tools to elevate your sailing experience. FEATURES YOU CAN RELY ON Maximize your performance with powerful tools and onboard footage features: - Onboard Footage: Capture every moment and save footage directly to your camera roll. - Speedometer & Compass: Get real-time speed over ground and magnetic heading. - Pings & Distance to Line: Perfect your race starts with precise distance-to-line metrics. - Custom Layouts: Personalize your interface in two different race modes. SYNC WITH CHANNELS Effortlessly connect with other devices to share and synchronize start timers with your fleet, ensuring everyone is in sync for the perfect start. Enjoy sharing your synced onboard cams to as soon as you hit the dock to see all sides of the action. BUILT FOR SAILORS We're constantly pushing new features and updates based on feedback from sailors around the world. Lights Out is built by sailors, for sailors, to bring us into a new era of connected instruments.

Screenshots

StartStar3 screens
Lights Out Sailing4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Lights Out Sailing at 4.5 against StartStar's 3.0. Lights Out Sailing also leads on ratings volume (8 vs 1). StartStar's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (67% vs 50%). On price, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Lights Out Sailing sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $13.49 per month. StartStar asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lights Out Sailing holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lights Out Sailing has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of StartStar's written reviews are positive against 50% of Lights Out Sailing's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StartStar ships an update every 2 months, Lights Out Sailing every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
StartStar versus Lights Out Sailing: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStartStarLights Out Sailing
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (1 ratings)4.5 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings18 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerhugh kingdonWhitServe LLC

Customer experience

StartStar

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

Lights Out Sailing

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

None

StartStar

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Lights Out Sailing

Subscriptions2
  • Lights Out Sailing3 Days trial$13.491 Month
  • Lights Out Sailing7 Days trial$98.991 Year

Questions

Is StartStar free?
StartStar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Lights Out Sailing free?
Lights Out Sailing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, StartStar or Lights Out Sailing?
Lights Out Sailing is rated higher. StartStar averages 3.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Lights Out Sailing averages 4.5 from 8 ratings.
Do StartStar or Lights Out Sailing have ads?
Neither StartStar nor Lights Out Sailing shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StartStar or Lights Out Sailing?
StartStar ships an update every 2 months, and Lights Out Sailing every 5 weeks. Most recently, StartStar was updated on October 6, 2026 and Lights Out Sailing on October 24, 2026.

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