Comparison

Ocean Wave Height vs Buoy Map

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

Head to head
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.

About

Buoy Map

Visualize real-time ocean and lake buoy data, including wave height, wind conditions, and water temperature. Access historical graphs and detailed sensor readings to stay informed about marine environments.

Highlights
  • 48hr wave height graphs
  • Wind speed and direction
  • Air pressure and trend
  • Air and water temperature
  • Wave period and direction
  • OpenStreetMap integration
Features
Read full description

Buoy Map puts live NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) observations on a worldwide map of ocean and lake stations. Tap a buoy to see what that station is actually reporting right now. Conditions typically update about every 30 minutes, depending on the station. WHAT YOU GET • Interactive map of NOAA / NDBC buoys around the world • Opens near your location on first launch • Remembers your last map view, including pan and zoom • Keeps the last loaded map if you lose signal, so you can still check what you already loaded when offline • 72-hour wave height graph when the station reports wave data • Light and dark map themes BUOY DATA Each station has a different set of instruments, so not every buoy reports every field. When the data is there, Buoy Map can show: • Wind direction, speed, and gusts • Wave height, dominant period, average period, and wave direction • Air pressure and pressure trend • Air temperature and water temperature • 72-hour wave height graph WHO IT’S FOR Surfers, sailors, fishers, paddlers, and anyone who wants a quick look at real water conditions before heading out or while already on the water. No account. No feed of extra forecasts mixed in. Just the buoy map and the observations. CREDITS Map tiles: OpenStreetMap. Map engine: Leaflet. Suggestions are welcome. I plan to keep improving Buoy Map, enjoy!

Screenshots

Ocean Wave Height3 screens
Buoy Map4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Ocean Wave Height at Free against Buoy Map's $1.99. Ocean Wave Height also leads on ratings volume (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). Buoy Map's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 1.3) and ads (none vs shown). On in-app purchases 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

Ocean Wave Height is free to download; Buoy Map costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Buoy Map holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Ocean Wave Height's written reviews are positive against 33% of Buoy Map's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ocean Wave Height ships an update every 20 months, Buoy Map every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Ocean Wave Height versus Buoy Map: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOcean Wave HeightBuoy Map
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating1.3 (4 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews33.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 20 monthsEvery 5 months — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB0 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developercorey hoggardJoel Lisenby

Customer experience

Ocean Wave Height

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

Buoy Map

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

In-app purchases

None

Ocean Wave Height

No in-app purchases

None

Buoy Map

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ocean Wave Height free?
Ocean Wave Height is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Buoy Map free?
Buoy Map costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ocean Wave Height or Buoy Map?
Buoy Map is rated higher. Ocean Wave Height averages 1.3 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Buoy Map averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Ocean Wave Height or Buoy Map have ads?
Ocean Wave Height shows ads; Buoy Map does not.
Which is updated more often, Ocean Wave Height or Buoy Map?
Ocean Wave Height ships an update every 20 months, and Buoy Map every 5 months. Most recently, Ocean Wave Height was updated on September 30, 2026 and Buoy Map on October 9, 2026.

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