Best Weather Apps for Sailing

By Peter14 mins read

A good forecast is the most important thing you check before leaving the dock. Sailing weather apps put wind, waves, pressure and rain models on your phone or tablet, and the best ones let you compare several models, download forecasts for use offshore and plan a route around the weather.

Quick answer: for most sailors, Windy (free, excellent maps and model comparison) plus PredictWind (sailing-specific forecasts, departure planning and weather routing) covers almost everything. Add Windfinder for quick local wind checks, a navigation app such as Savvy Navvy or Garmin Boating for tides and charts, and a GRIB viewer like SailGrib or LuckGrib if you sail offshore with satellite data.

Illustration of a sailboat passing a lighthouse under a changing sky

What Makes a Good Sailing Weather App

Multiple forecast models. Comparing ECMWF, GFS, ICON and high-resolution regional models shows how confident the forecast is. If the models disagree, plan for the worse case.
Wind, gusts and waves. Average wind speed alone is not enough; gusts, swell height and period and wind-against-tide areas matter just as much.
GRIB files and offline use. GRIB is the compact file format for weather model data. An app that downloads GRIBs lets you check the forecast with no signal, or over a satellite connection offshore.
Satellite support. For ocean passages, look for apps that work with Iridium GO!, Starlink or similar systems and keep downloads small.
Routing and departure planning. Weather routing calculates the fastest or most comfortable route using your boat’s performance (polars); departure planning compares the same route over several start days.
Tides and currents. Essential in tidal waters, and best combined with charts.

Most apps below have a free version and paid subscription tiers. Pricing and plans change often, so check the current options in the app store.

The Best Weather Apps for Sailing

1. Windy

Windy is the go-to visual forecast app for many sailors. Its animated maps show wind, gusts, waves, swell, rain, pressure, clouds and more, and you can switch between global and regional models (including ECMWF and GFS) to compare them. The point forecast and meteogram views are useful for planning a day sail or a coastal hop. A paid tier adds more frequent updates and a longer hourly forecast.

Best for: visual planning and comparing models
Limitations: needs an internet connection; no built-in weather routing for sailboats

2. PredictWind

PredictWind is built for sailors. Besides the standard global models, it offers its own high-resolution models, and its forecast tables, maps and wind/wave graphs are designed for passage planning. Higher subscription tiers add weather routing, departure planning and GRIB downloads. Its Offshore app is designed for downloading compact forecasts and routes over satellite connections such as PredictWind’s own Iridium GO! exec device or Starlink, which makes it a favorite of bluewater cruisers.

Best for: coastal and offshore passage planning, weather routing
Limitations: the most useful features are in the paid plans

3. Windfinder

Windfinder is a quick, clear app for checking wind and weather at specific spots, with reports from weather stations, forecasts and tide information. The Superforecast, a higher-resolution model, is available for selected regions. It is popular with dinghy sailors, kiters and windsurfers, and works well as a fast local check before a day sail.

Best for: local wind at your sailing spot
Limitations: less suited to offshore passage planning

4. Savvy Navvy

Savvy Navvy is a navigation app first, but its strength is combining charts, tides and weather in one place. Its route planning takes forecast wind and tidal streams into account and suggests departure times, which is very useful in tidal waters such as the English Channel. Some features need a subscription.

Best for: coastal sailors who want charts, tides and weather together
Limitations: not a dedicated weather app; coverage and features vary by plan

5. SailGrib and LuckGrib

SailGrib (Android and iPad) and LuckGrib (iPhone, iPad and Mac) are GRIB viewers with weather routing for serious cruisers and racers. They download model data in small files, display wind, waves, currents and pressure, and calculate routes using your boat’s polars. SailGrib also includes navigation and safety tools such as an anchor alarm. Both work well offshore with satellite connections.

Best for: offshore routing and offline forecasts
Limitations: steeper learning curve

6. Garmin Boating (formerly Navionics)

The Navionics Boating app is now called Garmin Boating. It is mainly a charting app, but it overlays wind and weather forecasts, tides and currents on the charts, which is handy for planning a coastal trip in one place. Charts for your region require a subscription.

Best for: charts and weather overlays in one app
Limitations: weather is an add-on rather than the main purpose

7. SailFlow

SailFlow, from WeatherFlow, gives wind forecasts and observations from a large network of weather stations, with particularly dense coverage in the United States. It is popular with racers and dinghy sailors who want to know what the wind is doing right now at a specific spot.

Best for: live wind observations, especially in the US
Limitations: station coverage varies by region

8. Buoyweather

Buoyweather focuses on wind and wave forecasts for offshore points. You pick a location on the map and get a detailed marine forecast for that spot, which is useful for fishing trips and coastal passages. Longer-range forecasts need a subscription.

Best for: point forecasts of wind and waves offshore
Limitations: fewer sailing-specific tools than PredictWind or Windy

Official Forecasts and Other Sources

Apps are only as good as the data behind them. Always cross-check with official marine forecasts and warnings from your national weather service, such as the National Weather Service (NOAA) in the US or the Met Office shipping and inshore waters forecasts in the UK. In the US, the NWS marine forecasts, buoy observations and VHF NOAA Weather Radio are free. A general weather app with lightning and storm alerts, such as WeatherBug, can also be useful on day sails; see our guide on whether it is safe to sail in a thunderstorm.

Quick Comparison

App	Main strength	Offline / satellite	Routing
Windy	Visual maps, model comparison	No (online)	No
PredictWind	Sailing forecasts, passage planning	Yes (Offshore app)	Yes (paid)
Windfinder	Local wind and spot forecasts	Limited	No
Savvy Navvy	Charts + tides + weather	Partial	Route planning
SailGrib / LuckGrib	GRIB viewing and routing	Yes	Yes
Garmin Boating	Charts with weather overlays	Offline charts	Auto routing on charts
SailFlow	Live station data	No	No
Buoyweather	Offshore wind and wave point forecasts	No	No

Tips for Using Weather Apps on a Sailboat

Compare at least two models and look at gusts, not just the average wind.
Download before you leave. Save GRIBs or forecasts for the whole trip while you still have signal.
Watch the sky and the barometer. A falling barometer and building clouds can tell you more than a forecast that is a few hours old. Our weather tips for boaters explain what to look for.
Know your limits. Decide in advance what wind and sea state you are comfortable with and stick to it.

Weather apps work best alongside good navigation tools. See our list of the best sailing apps for navigation, anchoring and logbook apps, and our guide to the best GPS for sailing if you want a dedicated chartplotter. Planning a longer passage? Read our beginner’s guide to offshore sailing.