The Best Sailing Apps for Navigation, Weather and Safety

📝 The Best Sailing Apps for Navigation, Weather & Safety – Free & Paid

Tested by real sailors, not marketers.

🌊 Introduction: Because Even Old-School Sailors Use Apps

Let’s face it — no matter how romantic paper charts and sextants sound, today’s sailor needs a bit of tech on deck. Whether you're coastal cruising, crossing oceans, or dodging squalls near the marina, the right apps can be lifesavers.

At Sailing Religion, we believe in freedom, instinct, and saltwater philosophy. But we also believe in being prepared. So here are the apps we've actually used at sea — not in theory, but while holding a tiller and sipping questionable coffee.

🛍️ Navigation Apps

🔹 Navionics

Price: Paid subscription
Best for: Precise, high-detail charting and route planning

Navionics is the godfather of marine navigation apps. With vector charts, tide and current overlays, sonar data, and community-sourced updates, it's like having an electronic chartplotter in your pocket.

Perfect for serious sailors, racers, and coastal cruisers. You can also sync routes to your onboard plotter, which is a game-changer for longer passages.

Pro tip: Download charts before leaving shore. Offshore = no signal.

🔹 >Savvy Navvy

Price: Freemium (some features free, full access paid) Best for: Modern, all-in-one trip planning

Think of it as the Waze of sailing. Savvy Navvy combines routing, weather, tide info, and GPS nav in one slick interface. It’s perfect for planning weekend sails, checking wind shadows, or confirming you won't bottom out in that sketchy anchorage.

User-friendly and beautifully designed — ideal for both beginners and salty dogs who want convenience.

We use this for spontaneous day sails or fast trip checks. It’s clean and intuitive.

🌬️ Weather & Forecasting

🔹 >PredictWind

Price: Free basic access; paid features for offshore Best for: Serious weather routing & offshore sailing

If you sail offshore or cross big bodies of water, PredictWind is your first mate. With weather routing, GRIB downloads, satellite sync, and departure planning tools, it’s trusted by many ocean sailors worldwide.

The free version gives you wind and basic forecasts, but the paid plans open up advanced routing, swell data, and offshore satellite tools.

We used this dodging storms between Salvador and Vitoria. Worth every cent.

🔹 >Windy

Price: Free Best for: Beautiful wind, wave, and pressure maps

Windy is loved for its dynamic, animated forecasts. It shows wind, rain, swell, and pressure systems in a highly visual interface. You can choose different forecast models and easily see how conditions will evolve.

It's not boat-specific, but as a sailor, you’ll appreciate the clarity and accuracy of the maps. Great for watching fronts roll in.

We check Windy every morning on anchor before coffee. It’s like weather meditation.

🚢 AIS & Vessel Tracking

🔹 >MarineTraffic

Price: Freemium Best for: Checking who’s around you (and what’s coming)

AIS (Automatic Identification System) is vital for collision avoidance, especially at night or in busy channels. MarineTraffic lets you see other vessels, ports, and routes around the world in near real-time.

You can track ships, get arrival times, and even search marinas. Handy in fog, traffic, or when you’re just curious who dropped anchor next to you.

We once avoided a tanker thanks to this app. True story.

🔢 Anchor & Safety Tools

🔹 >Anchor Pro (iOS)

Price: Paid
Best for: Peace of mind when the anchor's down

Anchor Pro alerts you if your boat drifts from a set location. It uses GPS to detect movement beyond your set radius. Essential if you want to sleep without constantly checking the deck.

Combine this with a solid anchor and a glass of rum — you’ll sleep like Poseidon.

📊 Free vs Paid: Should You Drop Coin?

Honestly? Depends on how you sail.

If you do short day sails or coastal hops: Free apps like Windy and MarineTraffic may be all you need.
If you cross open water, sail solo, or go offshore: PredictWind, Navionics, and Anchor Pro are worth every cent.

Think of these apps like tools. A cheap wrench is fine until something really breaks. Then you want the good one.

🛥️ Final Thoughts

Sailing isn’t about screens, but having the right info at the right time can make all the difference. These apps won’t steer the boat for you, but they’ll help you stay safe, plan smarter, and sail wilder.

Let us know what apps you swear by. We’re always testing new ones — and drinking too much coffee in the process.

At Sailing Religion, we share this info because it matters—not because anyone’s paying us to. We don’t earn commissions or get sponsored. We only talk about gear we actually use and trust on the water

Live free. Sail hard.
— The crew at Sailing Religion ⛵️