Comparison

Race Master Sail Timer + Speed vs Sailing Rules Pocket Guide

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 Rules Pocket Guide

Access racing rules for sailing directly on your iPhone. This guide focuses on the core text of the rules, providing essential information for checking regulations during races. It's a convenient, portable reference for sailors.

Highlights
  • Easy access to racing rules
  • Focuses on rule text
  • Portable palm-sized reference
  • Verified for accuracy
  • Offline access
Read full description

Easy access on your iPhone for racing rules! In this app I have omitted the signals and appendix sections of the official rule book and just focused on the text of the rules. In this app you will have all that you need for checking the rules - in the palm of your hand. Note: this pocket guide is not intended to replace the World Sailing official racing rules of sailing in print form! The rules and data in this app are from various public domain resources and verified for accuracy against the official rules from https://www.sailing.org/inside-world-sailing/rules-regulations/racing-rules-of-sailing For the official rules, go the the World Sailing Organization website to obtain the official racing rules of sailing in print form.

Screenshots

Race Master Sail Timer + Speed4 screens
Sailing Rules Pocket Guide4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Sailing Rules Pocket Guide at 100% against Race Master Sail Timer + Speed's 50%. Sailing Rules Pocket Guide also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). Race Master Sail Timer + Speed's advantage is ratings volume (131 vs 1). 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 Master Sail Timer + Speed sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Sailing Rules Pocket Guide asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sailing Rules Pocket Guide holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Race Master Sail Timer + Speed has 131 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Race Master Sail Timer + Speed's written reviews are positive against 100% of Sailing Rules Pocket Guide's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Race Master Sail Timer + Speed ships an update every 2 weeks, Sailing Rules Pocket Guide daily. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Race Master Sail Timer + Speed versus Sailing Rules Pocket Guide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRace Master Sail Timer + SpeedSailing Rules Pocket Guide
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (131 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings131 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB31 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperKewlanu ABAllytech LLC

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 Rules Pocket Guide

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Race Master Sail Timer + Speed

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

Sailing Rules Pocket Guide

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 Rules Pocket Guide free?
Sailing Rules Pocket Guide is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Race Master Sail Timer + Speed or Sailing Rules Pocket Guide?
Sailing Rules Pocket Guide is rated higher. Race Master Sail Timer + Speed averages 4.4 out of 5 from 131 ratings, while Sailing Rules Pocket Guide averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Race Master Sail Timer + Speed or Sailing Rules Pocket Guide have ads?
Neither Race Master Sail Timer + Speed nor Sailing Rules Pocket Guide shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Race Master Sail Timer + Speed or Sailing Rules Pocket Guide?
Race Master Sail Timer + Speed ships an update every 2 weeks, and Sailing Rules Pocket Guide daily. Most recently, Race Master Sail Timer + Speed was updated on September 22, 2026 and Sailing Rules Pocket Guide on September 8, 2026.

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