Comparison

NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data vs Ocean Wave Height

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

Head to head
About

NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data

Access detailed buoy and ship observation data without weather forecasts or tide information. View current conditions, historical trends, and storm locations on an intuitive map. Monitor your favorite locations with customizable widgets.

Highlights
  • Intuitive map interface
  • Quick-view Favorites
  • Tropical Storm/Hurricane/Cyclone locations
  • Full buoy current conditions
  • Past buoy data (Premium)
  • Interactive graphs
  • Home Screen Widgets
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

NOAA Buoy Reports is the no-nonsense app focused exclusively on real-time buoy and ship observations worldwide - without the clutter of tide or weather forecasts. NOAA Buoy Reports includes: • Intuitive map interface • Quick-view Favorites • Locations of Tropical Storms, Hurricanes, and Cyclones from the NHC • Full buoy current conditions (always free) • Ship observations (free preview) • Buoy Cams (free preview) • Past buoy data up to 45 days (Premium feature) • Wave heights and directions (when available) • Wind, gusts, and directions (when available) • Air and Water temperatures (when available) • Atmospheric pressure (when available) • Interactive graphs • Add your own Wind, Wave, or Temperature graph levels • Units in Metric or English • Readings in your local time • Share data via iMessage, Email, Facebook, etc. • Full Dark Mode support • Home Screen, Lock Screen, and StandBy Mode Widgets to monitor your favorites Coverage includes more than 1000 buoys and 200 ships worldwide, spanning the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans near the U.S. and Canada, the Great Lakes, the Caribbean, and waters around Ireland and Great Britain. Simply tap any buoy or ship on the map to view its latest reported conditions. Tap again for a full summary or an interactive graph of recent trends, so you can see not only what’s happening now, but how conditions have changed over time. Add favorites to quickly view the locations that matter most to you, and monitor them anytime with the included widgets. This app DOES NOT provide tide data, or maritime or other weather forecasts. There are dedicated apps for these from other publishers that do an excellent job. This app specializes exclusively in buoy and ship observation data. Please note that not all buoys have all types of data available, and buoys do experience intermittent outages — a life at sea can be harsh! Additionally, note that some buoys may be seasonal, and may be physically removed from the water during winter months, such as in the Great Lakes. Raw source data courtesy of NOAA, National Data Buoy Center (NDBC), and the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Juggernaut Technology, Inc. is not associated with NOAA, NDBC, NHC, or any other government organization. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula

About

Ocean Wave Height

Access global wave height and direction data for activities like surfing, fishing, and beach visits. This tool provides essential information for planning your outdoor adventures.

Highlights
  • Global wave height data
  • Wave direction information
  • Useful for surfing
  • Useful for fishing
  • Useful for beachgoers
Features
Read full description

The Ocean Wave Height app provides global data of wave heights and direction. The app is a good useful tool for surfing, fishing or beach goers.

Screenshots

NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data4 screens
Ocean Wave Height3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data at 74% against Ocean Wave Height's 0%. NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data also leads on rating (4.7 vs 1.3) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 20 months). Ocean Wave Height's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). 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. NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per year. Ocean Wave Height asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data has 2.5K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data's written reviews are positive against 0% of Ocean Wave Height's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data ships an update every 2 weeks, Ocean Wave Height every 20 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data versus Ocean Wave Height: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNOAA Buoy Reports & Ship DataOcean Wave Height
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.5K ratings) — better1.3 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews73.5% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2.5K — better4
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 20 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
Best chart rank#200 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJuggernaut Technology, Inc.corey hoggard

Customer experience

NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data

All ratings2,460 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral3.0%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews68 reviews
Positive73.5%
Neutral2.9%
Negative23.5%

Ocean Wave Height

All ratings4 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Buoy data not available most of the time
  • Ships rarely contribute data
  • Wave height data missing for certain areas
  • Upgraded version still doesn't work

Requested features

4 requests
  • GPS coordinates for buoys
  • Ability to filter by data type
  • Display past wave heights
  • Bring back removed buoys

Ocean Wave Height

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data

Subscriptions1
  • Pro Annual Subscription$7.991 Year
One-time1
  • Buoy Reports Premium$29.99
None

Ocean Wave Height

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data free?
NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ocean Wave Height free?
Ocean Wave Height is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data or Ocean Wave Height?
NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data is rated higher. NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.5K ratings, while Ocean Wave Height averages 1.3 from 4 ratings.
Do NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data or Ocean Wave Height have ads?
Both NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data and Ocean Wave Height show ads.
Which is updated more often, NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data or Ocean Wave Height?
NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data ships an update every 2 weeks, and Ocean Wave Height every 20 months. Most recently, NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data was updated on November 6, 2026 and Ocean Wave Height on November 5, 2026.

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