# NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data vs Actual Currents

The clearest difference is ads: Actual Currents at none against NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data's shown. Actual Currents also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data's advantage is ratings volume (2.5K vs 21). On price, rating, review sentiment 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 and Actual Currents sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data against 4.7 for Actual Currents. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data has 2.5K ratings behind it against 21, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 74% of NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data's written reviews are positive against 67% of Actual Currents's.

NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data ships an update every 2 weeks, Actual Currents fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data | Actual Currents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (2.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noaa-buoy-reports-and-ship-data/id1038264455/reviews)** | [4.7 (21 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/actual-currents/id6761431005/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.5K** | 21 |
| Positive reviews | **73.5% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 16 MB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Juggernaut Technology, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/494748553) | [Luka Catipovic](https://appshunter.io/developer/1889586305) |

## 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, 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


### Actual Currents

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/actual-currents/id6761431005)

Visualize real-time tidal currents with animated particles and a detailed heatmap on an interactive nautical map. Plan your trips with confidence by scrubbing through time to see how currents change throughout the day, with options for global ocean currents and wind overlays.

**Highlights:** Animated tidal current visualization, Real-time wind overlay, Interactive nautical map, Time scrubber for predictions, Route planning with current analysis, Global ocean currents view

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Unlimited monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Yearly | $39.99 | per year |


## 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 Actual Currents free?

Actual Currents is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

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

NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data is rated higher. NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.5K ratings, while Actual Currents averages 4.7 from 21 ratings.

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

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

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

NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data ships an update every 2 weeks, and Actual Currents fortnightly. Most recently, NOAA Buoy Reports & Ship Data was updated on November 11, 2026 and Actual Currents on November 9, 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.*