Swellnet Surf Forecasts, Cams vs Surf Report
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Swellnet Surf Forecasts, Cams
Access live surfcams, detailed surf reports, and 16-day forecasts. Quickly check conditions with favorite locations and pro streaming cams.
- Live surfcams
- Surfcam replays
- Surf reports
- Wind & tide data
- 16-day surf forecasts
- Forecaster notes
- Favorite locations
Read full descriptionHide full description
Get the Swellnet app featuring accurate surf forecasts, live surfcams & replays, surf reports, tide, wind and detailed weather charts. Swellnet has been Australia's home-grown source for surf reports, forecasts and live surfcams for twenty five years - built by surfers, for surfers. Now available worldwide with an expanding network of global surfcams, and a team of surf forecasters who know the coastlines better than anyone. Whether you're chasing the dawn patrol at your local, planning a road trip up the coast or travelling overseas, Swellnet gives you everything you need to pick the right spot, at the right time, with the right board. Live Surfcams * Watch the waves live across Swellnet's high-vantage surfcam network, positioned to show the whole bank - not just one peak. * Pinch-to-zoom and pan for a closer look at conditions before you paddle out. * Missed the morning session? Scrub back through Surfcam Replays with fast-forward and adjustable playback speed to see exactly how the swell built (or dropped off) through the day. Surf Reports and Forecaster Notes * Get daily Surf Reports from Swellnet's national team of surf forecasters, updated multiple times a day so you're never working off stale info. Accurate Local Surf Forecasts * Plan up to 16 days ahead with forecasts built specifically for surf, not general weather. * Read comprehensive Forecaster Notes from Swellnet's qualified forecast team, explaining the swell, wind and tide picture in plain English - not just a chart. * Detailed wind and tide data, and swell train visualisation for every forecast, so you can pick the right tide and time of day for your spot. The Best Wind & Swell Charts * Wind, swell, period, LWT, switch between multiple weather models. * Slick user interface with new features being added regularly. Built Around Your Spots * Save your favourite forecast locations and surfcam and add them to your home screen for instant access and viewing. * Fast, accurate location search with surfcams prioritised so you can jump straight to a live view. * Choose your preferred units - tide in feet or metres, region-based defaults - so the numbers make sense to you. Swellnet Pro Upgrade to Swellnet Pro for the full 16-day surf forecast, an ad-free surfcam experience, and full access to the Forecaster Notes. Swellnet Pro is available as a subscription or short-access pass, so you can grab it just for a swell event or keep it running year-round. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.swellnet.com/terms | Privacy Policy: http://www.swellnet.com/privacy
Surf Report
Access detailed surf forecasts for over 6,000 global surf spots. Filter conditions like swell height, direction, and wind speed to find the optimal time for your next session. Offers a 7-day forecast and wave map for pro users.
- Global surf spot forecasts
- Advanced filtering options
- 7-day surf forecast
- 7-day wave map
- Swell height, period, and direction
- Wind speed and direction
Read full descriptionHide full description
Surf Report provide surf forecast of 6268 surf spot in the world. Surf report add filter to select the best time to surf. the filter include time, swell height, swell period, swell direction, wind speed, wind direction. 【Pro】 Surf Report for 7 days wave map for 7 days Purchase Notes: 1. The account will be automatically renewed and deducted the corresponding fee 1 day before the expiration. 2. If you need to cancel the renewal, please cancel in your personal iTunes account at least 1 day in advance. 3. After purchase, users can manage or turn off automatic renewal in personal account settings. Terms of Services : https://www.astronomyobserver.net/h5/surf/user Privacy policy: https://www.astronomyobserver.net/h5/surf/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Surf Report at 5.0 against Swellnet Surf Forecasts, Cams's 3.8. Swellnet Surf Forecasts, Cams's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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
Both are free to download. Swellnet Surf Forecasts, Cams sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Surf Report sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Surf Report holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 4 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 28% of Swellnet Surf Forecasts, Cams's written reviews are positive against 25% of Surf Report's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Swellnet Surf Forecasts, Cams ships an update fortnightly, Surf Report every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Swellnet Surf Forecasts, Cams | Surf Report |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (8 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 27.9% of reviews — better | 25.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 95 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Swellnet Pty Ltd | 雪平 王 |
Customer experience
Swellnet Surf Forecasts, Cams
Surf Report
Bugs and requests
Swellnet Surf Forecasts, Cams
Reported bugs
370 issues- Logged on but not recognized as pro
- Account charged after cancellation
- New update is garbage
- Too many ads
- Shorter viewing
Show 365 moreShow fewer
- Too many premium cameras
- Outdated and Unusable
- Clunky, unintuitive
- Requires too many clicks
- Saved web link needed
- Deceptive Subscription Practices
- No courtesy heads-up for renewal
- Money yanked from bank
- Non-Existent Customer Support
- Radio silent
- Ignored emails
- One-sentence dismissal
- Zero regard for customer loyalty
- Pocket money for unused service
- Ignore requests for fair resolution
- Save money and sanity
- Use Surfline or anything else
- Very poor app compared to windows version
- Super useful!! But
- Could add more cams
- Not working
- Doesn't open
- Hasn't opened for months
- Definitely switching to Surfline
- Broken
- Will no longer open on my phone
- Tried deleting and reinstalling to no success
- Paul
- Joined for a week to see if I like it
- Pay money for live feed
- Half of them don't work
- Only start at 9 o'clock
- APP KEEPS CRASHING
- Can't even open the app
- Crashing on iPhone 13 Pro
- Crashing on iPad Air 11
- App is so buggy
- For the amount paid, this app is way too buggy
- Sometimes it doesn't open
- Often have to close and re-start
- Some cameras don't render
- Sloppy as the forecaster notes
- Good, when it works (rarely)
- Performance is inconsistent
- Frequent crashes, especially upon opening
- Persisted for months
- Making it unusable
- Regular maintenance and updates neglected
- Disappointing
- App stopped working
- Second time couldn't open the app
- 3 days this week
- Same problem a few weeks ago
- How can I stop my subscription?
- Website is much better than the app
- App does not let you easily pick a surf cam
- Cams don't load easily
- Usually use the website and not the app
- Dubious reports
- Surf reports fail to match conditions
- Emailed twice, asking for clarification
- Emails went unanswered
- Make of this what you will
- Waste of money
- App is slow
- Couldn't see that the cam I wanted was offline before paying
- SURF SCAM & APP SMEAR
- Spent more time with lawyers & legal representation
- App smear to be downloaded
- Paid for monthly subscription
- Clicked on spot, nothing?
- Blank screen
- Clicked on other places, no worries, all works
- Already disappointed
- Couldn't get a refund
- Had to call apple to get money back
- Surfers ain't surfers anymore
- Sharks in dolphin skins
- Grant robilliard
- Hi guys
- Like your much more honest approach
- More honest approach to surf reporting and surf forecasting
- Than other big surf websites
- Its vital to keep real
- When websites go after clickbait they lose their soul
- Surfers feel “ connected “ when the truth is told
- So far, I’m really enjoying Swellnet
- Thanks Heaps
- Cheers grant
- Swellnet App
- Want to cancel my subscription
- View is too small on my iPhone
- No 'My Account' on the App to cancel
- Downloaded the App from the Swellnet website
- Sharon Hulme
- Can’t see some cams
- Can’t see some of my favourite cams
- Due to them upgrading them
- Keeping in touch and up to date.
- Swellnet allows me to be up to date
- With current surf conditions
- Very much appreciated
- Surfer who does not spend as much time as he would like at the beach
- Very good predictor of new swells and weather conditions
- Allowed me to make the most of the limited time I get to hit the water
- No cams
- None of my local sufcams work
- Occasionally get snapper cam but that’s it
- Live right on the beach at surf beach Phillip island
- Surf report ain’t that accurate
- Kinda like it as u won’t get as many people down here
- If u ever want someone who surfs to do the report .let me know
- Overall the forecasting is pretty good
- Happy with the service
- Would be cool if the cams worked
- Was told to log out and then restore purchase
- It didn’t work
- Cheers Swellnet
- Best surf forecast going!
- Best surf report going
- Written detailed forecast is the most accurate I’ve come across
- In 25 years of surfing!
- Great info, excellent surfcams.
- Only criticism I’d have is that the tide info could be better presented on a timeline type graph
- And more accurate wind graphs.
- Great app
- Loving this app.
- Feels very old school but accurate at the same time
- Terrible Customer Service and Cam Outage
- Kiama surf cam has been down for months
- Tried contacting Swellnet to see what’s going on
- Only cam I use
- Heard nothing
- No attempt to fix the issue
- 2-3 months and the cam is still down
- Would not recommend Swellnet to anyone.
- Terrible service
- App doesn’t deliver the service they promise
- 8 times out of 10 the app would send an error message
- Or say that there is an issue with the camera
- Don’t recommend to purchase this app
- Heard better consumer experience from other forecasting providers
- Terrible experience with Swellnet
- Cameras don’t work as you would expected.
- App it very confusing
- Always a camera down
- Trouble login in or checking a surf spot in the mornings
- Happy to keep supporting
- No improvement on these issues along the years
- See others comments and actioned the issues.
- Bring back comprehensive spot menu view
- Good if the full surf spot/ location menu was visible in the mobile app
- Similar to what is viewable in the desktop app
- Used to be a feature in the earlier app version
- If I want to search for a spot but I’m not sure what region it’s under, it’s difficult to search on
- Have to resort to the desktop app
- If I want to browse any region to see where the surf is good say if I was planning a trip, this is also difficult
- Has problems finding any location
- Every time I search for a surf spot, it will always say it had a problem finding location
- Money Grab
- Surfing was always meant to be free
- Now these grubs are blocking all cams unless you pay up
- Pro subscriber since day one
- App looks great
- Can you please add the tide visualiser?
- Thanks
- New version looks great
- Used to have issues with the app login
- So just used the website
- Finally logged in to the new version 2
- Looks great!
- Gibs
- Happy to take my money each month
- Won’t give me any of the access to the subscription
- Even after I’ve contacted them
- Started a new account
- Greedy trash with ads.
- App doesn’t function properly
- Always asking for upgraded account
- Do not recommend.
- Cameras are not working
- Been 3 days the cam are not working in my app
- While if I go through internet they do.
- All the locations give me a black screen
- Swellnet a new app is good stuff
- New improved Swellnet app is awesome
- No bugs and glitches at this point
- Works well and serves purpose !
- Problem solved
- Solid app.
- No bells and whistles, just quality reports.
- Very good (heeeeps better), gets the job done.
- Congrats
- Bout time!!!
- Easy and simple to use.
- Glad to see subscribers money being well spent
- Perfect app for a lazy surf check 👍
- Nice update
- V2.0 update looks great, congrats.
- Let us know if you need another mobile dev who surfs
- New updated app..absolutely rubbish
- Navigating the app is confusing.
- Half the cameras are out of action
- Basic written surf report and the odd free surf cam are classed as premium.
- Corporate greed gets to even one
- Instead of giving a little back to the surf community.
- Desktop access ok but app is terrible
- Great cams and service providing swell forecast and live cams
- App on iPhone has so many issues
- Not letting watch replays on app
- No option for it
- Subscriber for both swellnet & surfline
- If you’re in doubt and can’t afford both, go for Surfline for no issues
- Sorry swellnet, but being honest
- Decided not to pay a good IT guy for the job
- ‘Premium’? Compared to what?
- Like everyone else's experience, this app crashes
- Cams pause mid stream
- Always has to be open, shut down and reopened again to work.
- Silently pocketing subscriber fees
- Doing nothing about the clear consistent issues raised in the reviews
- Some kind of acknowledgment or sign of life from this company would be appreciated.
- Bugs appear app related
- Could be easily fixed
- Rely on some consideration toward customer experience and satisfaction.
- Not holding my breath.
- Average app
- Great surf forecast.
- Really bad app!
- Never opens
- Just stays in a white screen!
- So frustrating.
- First review I’ve ever given
- How much it pisses me off!
- Disappointed
- If I could give it zero star I would
- Very bad costumer service
- They never respond
- Cameras do not always work
- Quality is terrible
- Fix the app
- Delete and reload the app maybe three times a day
- Freezes and doesn’t get back to the home screen
- A bit of maintenance wouldn’t go astray
- Surf reports are ok
- Where I live I sometimes question if we are looking at the same place
- They talk it up a bit
- Fix the crashing!
- Pay money for this
- Works on the web fine
- App is absolutely useless
- Never works
- Always crashes
- The App and website barely work
- Not worth paying a subscription for
- Terrible!
- This app and my subscription was useless.
- 9/10 it doesn’t load, freezes, shuts down
- Anything but actually work!
- Do not bother.
- App crashes constantly
- Please work on the app and fixing the bugs.
- It is so frustrating to use.
- Can’t believe I pay for this still!!
- Needs urgent updates
- They never invest in the app??
- It is clunky and needs updates.
- Just hire a UX designer?
- Good content, bad interface
- Daily surf reports, ratings and surf cams are unreal
- Application needs attention.
- Heaps of bugs
- Always crashing
- Returning errors
- Just blank screening
- Pretty average for a paid subscription ap.
- Annoying app
- Glad I tried it,for only one month!!
- Have to keep marking my favourites.
- App doesn’t remember your frequented reports.
- So many other issues also
- Can’t be bothered wasting more of my time...
- Get Surfline,much better
- Almost Amazing
- Cams, reports and forecasts are all good
- Just missing a bit of polish.
- Biggest downfall is the wams don’t show the date or time
- Doesn’t work on iPhone 11 Pro
- Seems to launch in a white screen every time.
- Only had the app load a handful of times
- Get 5 seconds of free video
- Have to subscribe to payed content.
- Why would I pay for something I can’t access 99% of the time?
- Worst app
- Have the app for less than 24 hours.
- Screen freezes with white background.
- Only way to fix this is delete and reinstall.
- Absolute nightmare
- Terrible Experience
- First your app had an issue with the video player
- Downloaded the update
- All I see is a white screen now.
- Annoying startup on iPad Air
- Subscriber so now have access to ad free cams reports etc.
- When using my laptop, the site opens in the browser with no problems
- When I use the app on iPad Air, it will open ok on the odd occasion
- Generally it hangs on a white screen on initial startup
- Getting nothing
- Pretty annoying as the iPad is the device I travel with not the laptop!
- Maybe time to use some of that subscript money and iron out the bugs!
- Posted in February, it’s now November and still the same!
- Maybe time to drop the subscription.
- Could use the $100 to buy coffee to sip on while I watch the ads!
- Get it sorted or lose subscribers
- Surf forecast are great when using a laptop or computer
- App needs some serious work.
- White screen is so annoying
- As a subscriber for $80 a year you expect a much better app.
- Closeout
- Totally rubbish app
- Frequently doesn’t load
- Incredibly unstable.
- Currently can’t use it because it requires me to update it when there’s no update available!
- Never use such an annoying and frustrating app before
- Despite paying the best part of $100 for an annual swellnet subscription.
- Come on Stu and Ben you can surely make an app that works properly for your loyal subscribers.
- Note: The winds are so hilariously wrong for the Hunter Coast
- I may as well stick my hand out the window of the car whilst it’s moving.
- Nice app !!
- Useful app for surfing enthusiasts.
- Needs a proper update!
- Amount of times I have to restart the app because the forecast isn’t showing on the screen properly is ridiculous!
- Amount of times you have to re-save your favourite because it doesn’t save properly.
- Especially when you pay for these features and it doesn’t work.
- What’s the point in paying?
- Cmon guys, make our lives a little easier and fix it up already!
- Please!
- Handy but super annoying.
- As others mention, the info and daily updates are good.
- When you can get them.
- Load speed it unforgivable
- App constantly logs users out
- Requires favourite reviews/cams etc to be reset.
- Having paid an annual subscription in full I am forced to persist
- If I’d know this would be the experience I would not have paid.
- Such a huge shame
- For what should be one of my most used apps.
- Pop up ads have killed it
- Always used Swellnet before my early morning surfs.
- Recently they’ve brought in pop up ads
- Made it a pain to use.
- At least a couple pop up ads whenever you open the app
- Smaller than usual close buttons
- Almost always redirected when you try to close the ads).
- Seems like a small inconvenience
- For an otherwise half decent app.
- Other spaces for advertising which are far less invasive and frustrating for users.
- Fantastic application!
- Downloaded this application by recommendation from a friend
- Gotten so hooked
- Gone off and bought a surfboard and am now leaning to surf!
- App is very intuitive
- Gives convenient real-time information
- Including videos from the beaches!
- Love your work!
Requested features
8 requests- Add more cams
- Add dark mode
- Add tide visualiser
- Better tide info presentation
- More accurate wind graphs
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Bring back comprehensive spot menu view
- Add replay option
- Hire a UX designer
Surf Report
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Swellnet Surf Forecasts, Cams
- Swellnet Pro iOS14 Days trial$6.991 Month
- Swellnet Pro (24-Hour Access)$0.99
- Swellnet Pro (7-Day Access)$1.99
- Swellnet Pro (24-Hour Access)$1.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Swellnet Pro (7-Day Access)$2.99
Surf Report
- Monthly Pro$2.991 Month
- Annual Pro$17.991 Year
- Lifetime Pro$49.99
Questions
Is Swellnet Surf Forecasts, Cams free?
Is Surf Report free?
Which has better reviews, Swellnet Surf Forecasts, Cams or Surf Report?
Do Swellnet Surf Forecasts, Cams or Surf Report have ads?
Which is updated more often, Swellnet Surf Forecasts, Cams or Surf Report?
Other comparisons
