Comparison

Race Master Sail Timer + Speed vs Sailing timer tactical

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

Head to head
About

Race Master Sail Timer + Speed

This app provides a sailing race timer with speed and course monitoring. It offers unique features for sail racing, including adjustable countdowns, wind and speed tracking, and a compass. It integrates with Apple Watch and can optionally start a Sailing Workout activity.

Highlights
  • Adjustable countdown timer
  • Speed and course monitoring
  • Wind shift tracking
  • Compass
  • Man Over Board function
  • ISAF Race Signals reference
Features
Read full description

Everybody knows that catching the start is essential in sailing. Finally there is a great Sailing Watch available for the iPhone and it works great with the Apple Watch. This app provides a timer, speed and course monitoring with unique features and unparalleled ease of use for sail racing. When you hear or see a race signal just press Gun! - You can adjust if it is a 5, 4 or 1 minute warning afterwards! And if it was just a loud noise from a flapping sail and not a race signal you can easily jump back to the previous timer. It defaults to the standard ISAF 5,4,1,0 sequence but it can handle arbitrary countdown from 30 minutes down to 0 Now you can focus on other things like wind (directly in the app - simply configure your own favourite weather on the config page) and other boats potentially giving you yet another edge! ** Please read more on the info "i" page in the app ** You can enable GPS and get Speed over Ground (SOG) and Course over Ground (COG) presented next to the timer to help you keep track of wind and speed in the seconds before and after start. The Wind page shows a graph of COG and SOG which can help you track wind shifts. It is designed to work on iPhone with or without Apple Watch and a lot of people seem to be using it with iPads as well. TIP: On the Watch it is recommended that you (at least temporarily) activate Resume to Last Used App so that you just have to raise your wrist to get the time left: Settings->General->Activate on Wrist Raise->Resume to: Last Used App The iPhone application also contains a convenient reference to starting signals and customisable local weather information. HealthKit integration: The app provides limited HealthKit integration and can optionally start a Sailing Workout activity during race start. Summary of Features: * Simply the best countdown timer ever if you ask us :) * Really good compass! * Most of the feature work on Watch and iPhone. Watch Series 2 needed for GPS without iPhone nearby. * Current Course and Speed Over Ground based on GPS * GPS based distance to line (still being tuned but works - within limits of GPS accuracy) * Speed up / Slow down estimate for time to get to line * History plot of Course and Speed Over Ground that allow you to track wind shifts * Prevalent headings - advanced formula lists common headings to help identify windshifts * Man Over Board function - it shows time, distance and compass bearing to the location the button was pressed (NOTE: intended as a secondary non life critical aid only) * ISAF Race Signals reference - to help settle what that strange flag shown on the race committee means before the race starts... * Choice of Magnetic or True course indication * Lock function to prevent unwanted changes NOTE: Please check the "i" page in the app for more info This app offers 2 in app subscriptions to 1) support continued development and 2) to enable certain features: • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal • Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable Please review our Terms of Service: http://www.kewlanu.com/tos DISCLAIMER: If you enable the GPS feature the app runs in the background for a limited time before it disables GPS. "Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life."

About

Sailing timer tactical

This app provides a spoken countdown timer for sailing races, displaying distance to the starting line and a track view of covered paths with speed indicators. It utilizes GPS for navigation and can be used with Bluetooth earphones for audio alerts.

Highlights
  • Spoken countdown timer
  • Distance to starting line
  • Track view of covered paths
  • Speed indication
  • GPS tracking
  • Bluetooth earphone support
Features
Read full description

Spoken countdown timer. Distance to starting line Track view of covered paths. Colors indicate the speed. Tips: I advise to extend your screen idle timer. Also set Return to Clock to after 1 hour. Settings->General-> Return to clock You can use bluetooth earphones if the volume is not loud enough. Enable background refresh Settings > General > Background App Refresh This app uses GPS and may impact the battery life. A 10-15% battery drain per hour is normal. Future features: Spoken wind shift messages OCS alarm Manually set Windward and leeward mark Battery optimization (turn off GPS automatically) The following permissions are needed Healthkit: To start a sailing workout. This is also needs to get timer updates and location updates when the screen is off. Location: To plot your route on the map and to calculate the distance to the line

Screenshots

Race Master Sail Timer + Speed4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Race Master Sail Timer + Speed at 4.4 against Sailing timer tactical's 3.8. Race Master Sail Timer + Speed also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 15 months) and ratings volume (131 vs 6). Sailing timer tactical's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On price, review sentiment 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. Race Master Sail Timer + Speed sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Sailing timer tactical asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Race Master Sail Timer + Speed holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Race Master Sail Timer + Speed has 131 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of Race Master Sail Timer + Speed's written reviews are positive against 57% of Sailing timer tactical's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Race Master Sail Timer + Speed ships an update every 2 weeks, Sailing timer tactical every 15 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and August 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Race Master Sail Timer + Speed versus Sailing timer tactical: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRace Master Sail Timer + SpeedSailing timer tactical
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (131 ratings) — better3.8 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews57.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings131 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 15 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKewlanu ABPieter Oskam

Customer experience

Race Master Sail Timer + Speed

All ratings131 ratings
Positive81.7%
Neutral9.2%
Negative9.2%
Written reviews36 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral27.8%
Negative22.2%

Sailing timer tactical

All ratings6 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral14.3%
Negative28.6%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Race Master Sail Timer + Speed

Subscriptions2
  • Gold$2.991 Month
  • Silver$2.993 Months
None

Sailing timer tactical

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Race Master Sail Timer + Speed free?
Race Master Sail Timer + Speed is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sailing timer tactical free?
Sailing timer tactical is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Race Master Sail Timer + Speed or Sailing timer tactical?
Race Master Sail Timer + Speed is rated higher. Race Master Sail Timer + Speed averages 4.4 out of 5 from 131 ratings, while Sailing timer tactical averages 3.8 from 6 ratings.
Do Race Master Sail Timer + Speed or Sailing timer tactical have ads?
Neither Race Master Sail Timer + Speed nor Sailing timer tactical shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Race Master Sail Timer + Speed or Sailing timer tactical?
Race Master Sail Timer + Speed ships an update every 2 weeks, and Sailing timer tactical every 15 months. Most recently, Race Master Sail Timer + Speed was updated on September 22, 2026 and Sailing timer tactical on August 15, 2026.

Other comparisons