Comparison

NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data vs OceanConnect

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

OceanConnect

Access detailed ocean conditions and forecasts for coastal regions from Northern California to south-western Alaska. This free application requires no login and is fully supported by the Hakai Institute.

Highlights
  • Ocean conditions and forecasts
  • Coastal BC coverage
  • Northern California to Alaska
  • No login required
  • Free to use
Features
Read full description

Discover ocean conditions and forecasts along the coast of British Columbia and beyond - from Northern California to south-western Alaska. It is free, requiring no login or registration and is fully supported and maintained by the Hakai Institute.

Screenshots

NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data4 screens
OceanConnect2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OceanConnect at none against NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data's 2. OceanConnect also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (daily vs every 2 weeks). NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data's advantage is ratings volume (2.5K vs 6) and chart position (#200 vs unranked). On price, review sentiment 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. OceanConnect asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

OceanConnect 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 2.5K ratings behind it against 6, 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 75% of OceanConnect's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data ships an update every 2 weeks, OceanConnect daily. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data versus OceanConnect: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNOAA Buoy Reports & Ship DataOceanConnect
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.5K ratings)5.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.5% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.5K — better6
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksDaily — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#200 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJuggernaut Technology, Inc.Tula Foundation

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%

OceanConnect

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

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

OceanConnect

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

OceanConnect

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 OceanConnect free?
OceanConnect is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data or OceanConnect?
OceanConnect is rated higher. NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.5K ratings, while OceanConnect averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.
Do NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data or OceanConnect have ads?
NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data shows ads; OceanConnect does not.
Which is updated more often, NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data or OceanConnect?
NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data ships an update every 2 weeks, and OceanConnect daily. Most recently, NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data was updated on November 6, 2026 and OceanConnect on November 8, 2026.

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