# NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data vs playbuoy

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: playbuoy at none against NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data's 2. playbuoy also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 74%). NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data's advantage is ratings volume (2.4K vs 15). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement 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. playbuoy asks for nothing beyond the download.

playbuoy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data has 2.4K ratings behind it against 15, 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 100% of playbuoy's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data | playbuoy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (2.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noaa-buoy-reports-and-ship-data/id1038264455/reviews) | **[5.0 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/playbuoy/id1662001103/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.4K** | 15 |
| Positive reviews | 73.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 16 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.0** | 18.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Juggernaut Technology, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/494748553) | [Matthew Iannucci](https://appshunter.io/developer/945847569) |

## What reviewers say

### NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data

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

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

**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


### playbuoy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/playbuoy/id1662001103)

This app provides detailed swell observations and forecasts using NOAA buoy data and a custom algorithm. It offers beautiful, meaningful plots to compare real-time readings with model forecasts, helping you plan ocean activities.

**Highlights:** Detailed swell observations and forecasts, Custom algorithm for accurate swell breakdown, 16-day swell forecast data, Up to five swell components displayed, Visual comparison of buoy readings and model forecasts, Full directional wave spectra visualization, Widgets and watch complications

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, 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 playbuoy free?

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

### Which has better reviews, NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data or playbuoy?

playbuoy is rated higher. NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.4K ratings, while playbuoy averages 5.0 from 15 ratings.

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

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

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

NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data ships an update every 2 weeks, and playbuoy every 2 weeks. Most recently, NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data was updated on October 15, 2026 and playbuoy on September 17, 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.*