Ocean Wave Height vs Buoy Map
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Global wave height data
- Wave direction information
- Useful for surfing
- Useful for fishing
- Useful for beachgoers
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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.
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.
- 48hr wave height graphs
- Wind speed and direction
- Air pressure and trend
- Air and water temperature
- Wave period and direction
- OpenStreetMap integration
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Ocean Wave Height | Buoy Map |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 1.3 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 33.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 20 months | Every 5 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | corey hoggard | Joel Lisenby |
Customer experience
Ocean Wave Height
Buoy Map
In-app purchases
Ocean Wave Height
No in-app purchases
Buoy Map
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Ocean Wave Height free?
Is Buoy Map free?
Which has better reviews, Ocean Wave Height or Buoy Map?
Do Ocean Wave Height or Buoy Map have ads?
Which is updated more often, Ocean Wave Height or Buoy Map?
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