# NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data vs Arialight

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Arialight at none against NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data's 2. Arialight also leads on ads (none vs shown) and device support (4 vs 2). NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data's advantage is chart position (#200 vs unranked). On price and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per year. Arialight asks for nothing beyond the download.

NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data ships an update every 2 weeks, Arialight every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data | Arialight |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (2.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noaa-buoy-reports-and-ship-data/id1038264455/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2.5K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 73.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 11 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#200** | — |
| Size | 16 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **14** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Juggernaut Technology, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/494748553) | [Jerome Kasparian](https://appshunter.io/developer/1528196195) |

## What reviewers say

### NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noaa-buoy-reports-and-ship-data/id1038264455)

**Currently charting:** #200 Top Grossing · Weather (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Annual Subscription | $7.99 | per year |
| Buoy Reports Premium | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Critical infrastructure
- 🚀 Excellent source of sea conditions
- 🚀 Valuable buoy information
- 👍 Plenty of information
- 👍 Great app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 More data needed
- 🐛 Incomplete and inaccurate
- 🐛 Wave height data not working
- 🐛 No buoy reports
- 🐛 No wave data

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

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


### Arialight

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arialight/id1528196193)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data free?

NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Arialight free?

Arialight is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data or Arialight have ads?

NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data shows ads; Arialight does not.

### Which is updated more often, NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data or Arialight?

NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data ships an update every 2 weeks, and Arialight every 11 days. Most recently, NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data was updated on October 29, 2026 and Arialight on October 25, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*