Comparison

True Surf vs Skimboard Hero

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

Head to head
About

True Surf

Experience the most authentic surfing simulation with realistic physics and live weather forecasts from Surfline. Master real-time controls, travel to world-famous breaks, and compete in WSL events. Evolve your surfer, build your gear, and chase the perfect wave.

Highlights
  • Realistic physics simulation
  • Live Surfline weather forecasts
  • World-famous surf breaks
  • Real-time touch controls
  • Character progression and customization
  • Board quiver management
  • Live WSL competitions
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Conquer legendary past swells by crushing feat-based missions across a quiver of boards, from the world’s leading shapers, and unlock 34 of the planet's most iconic surf spots. Experience mind blowing realistic wave graphics, driven by True Axis' cutting-edge, real-world physics simulation engine, featuring real-time surf conditions powered by Surfline! True Surf is the Official Game of World Surf League (WSL). REAL TIME CONTROLS Realistic touch based physics enable complete control of your surfer in real time. Use one finger, your thumb or mind surf with two fingers like the Pros. NEW GAMEPLAY: FIRST PERSON BARREL MODE Automatically switch to first person mode when in the barrel. NEW MISSION MODE: Smash feat-based missions across the world’s most iconic breaks to unlock new surf spots! Every victory earns you essential rewards to fuel your career, including Clams, Travel Tickets, and Perfect Storms to boost live conditions. IMPROVED REPLAY GRAPHICS Edit and share POV drainers, pig dog shots in the barrel, and spine-twisting laybacks in the pocket! THE WORLD'S BEST WAVES A huge part of surfing is about chasing the perfect wave and True Surf comes jam-packed with the world's best. Travel the world chasing classic reef breaks with hollow barrels at Pipe in Hawaii, Cloudbreak, Fiji to rolling 'power-curve' breaks at Bells Beach, Australia. Or try to beat the sections at some of the world's fastest point breaks like Jeffreys Bay, South Africa. If BIG waves are your thing then head to Nazare, Portugal and Jaws (Pe-ahi), Hawaii. True Surf has it all including Surf Ranch, the epic man made wave located between farm fields in California’s Central Valley. REAL-TIME CONDITIONS POWERED BY SURFLINE True Surf is powered by real time surf forecasting data from Surfline (experts in marine weather forecasting). Data is updated throughout the day and includes Swell Height, Swell Direction, Wind, Tide and Water Temperature. PERFECT STORM Play god of thunder and boost LIVE swells. WILDLIFE Surf with dolphins, look out for the sharks! COMPETE IN WSL CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR EVENTS Are you ready for the CT? Test your skills in WSL Events and compete against other players from around the world to see if you have what it takes to become a CT champ! CHARACTER & QUIVER Experience apparel and boards from legendary brands including Billabong, Catch Surf, Firewire Surfboards, Pyzel Surfboards, Quiksilver, Roxy, Rusty, Shane, SharpEye Surfboards, Simon Anderson Surfboards, Slater Designs, Stretch Boards, and Vissla. Note: An internet connection is required to access some features. Frequent Flyer (monthly) is a monthly subscription service that enables you unlimited travel to all surf spots in True Surf. Frequent Flyer Monthly cost 2.99 USD/month (or local equivalent) and will be charged on your iTunes Account after purchase and when the subscription renews monthly. Perfect Storm (monthly) is a monthly subscription service that enables you unlimited activations of Perfect Storms at all surf spots in True Surf. Perfect Storms provide a boost to live surf conditions and each activation lasts for 5 minutes. Perfect Storm Monthly cost 2.99 USD/month (or local equivalent) and will be charged on your iTunes Account after purchase and when the subscription renews monthly. Subscriptions will renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to users iTunes account settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Terms of service can be found at https://trueaxis.com/tsfua.html

About

Skimboard Hero

Experience the world's first arcade-style skimboarding game with hand-drawn graphics. Master seamless controls, collect in-game currency to unlock new characters and boards, and customize your ride. Compete on leaderboards or challenge friends to become the ultimate skimboarder.

Highlights
  • Hand-drawn graphics
  • Seamless tilt and swipe controls
  • Collect sand dollars and treasure chests
  • Unlockable characters and boards
  • Custom skimboard designer
  • Leaderboard competition
  • Versus Mode
Features
Read full description

THE WORLD’S ONLY SKIMBOARDING GAME Skimboard Hero is the world’s first arcade style skimboarding game with 100% hand drawn graphics, combining fast-paced gameplay and quick decision-making with completely seamless movement. Collect sand dollars, treasure chests, and powerups to reach the top! SEAMLESS CONTROLS Traverse the surf with tilt steering, swipe up and down to avoid obstacles, and tap the targets to nail tricks! COMPETITIVE GAMEPLAY Reach the top of the leaderboard or challenge your friends in Versus Mode to become the best on the beach! CUSTOMIZE YOUR LOADOUT Start building your arsenal. You will need a brave skimboarder and a board worthy of the challenge ahead. Collect sand dollars and treasure chests to unlock brand new characters and boards as you progress! DESIGN YOUR OWN SKIMBOARD Express yourself by crafting your very own skimboard with a fully featured designer! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - You wake up from a nap on the beach one beautiful day, only to find that all of the friends you came with are gone. You notice something peculiar happening on the beach; floating, spinning sand dollars now dot the endless shore. You can feel an intense vibration at your side— your skimboard! When you bring it to the shore and toss it down to ride, you realize that it now travels endlessly. It is in this moment that you understand your newfound duty. You are a SKIMBOARD HERO.

Screenshots

True Surf4 screens
Skimboard Hero4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Skimboard Hero at 4.8 against True Surf's 3.9. Skimboard Hero also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 61%) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 13.0). True Surf's advantage is ratings volume (3.5K vs 112) and chart position (#85 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. True Surf sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Skimboard Hero sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Skimboard Hero holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: True Surf has 3.5K ratings behind it against 112, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of True Surf's written reviews are positive against 100% of Skimboard Hero's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

True Surf ships an update fortnightly, Skimboard Hero every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
True Surf versus Skimboard Hero: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTrue SurfSkimboard Hero
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (3.5K ratings)4.8 (112 ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3.5K — better112
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#85 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.010.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size211 MB116 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTrue AxisJakob Herlitz

Customer experience

True Surf

All ratings3,441 ratings
Positive68.2%
Neutral10.6%
Negative21.2%
Written reviews1,137 reviews
Positive60.8%
Neutral16.9%
Negative22.3%

Skimboard Hero

All ratings109 ratings
Positive98.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

True Surf

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Waves not generating properly at Surf Ranch
  • Progression resets and lost progress
  • Inability to travel to desired surf spots

Requested features

5 requests
  • First-person camera mode
  • Customizable boards and characters
  • Competitive multiplayer mode
  • Career mode with challenges and sponsorships
  • Ability to create and share custom surf spots

Skimboard Hero

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

7 purchases

True Surf

Subscriptions2
  • Perfect Storm (monthly)$2.991 Month
  • Frequent Flyer (monthly)$2.991 Month
One-time5
  • Handful of Clams$0.99
  • Bag of Clams$7.99
  • Chest of Clams$28.99
Show 2 more
  • Boatload of Clams$49.99
  • Sea of Clams$99.99
3 purchases

Skimboard Hero

One-time3
  • Curtis$2.99
  • Melon$2.99
  • Recurve$2.99

Questions

Is True Surf free?
True Surf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Skimboard Hero free?
Skimboard Hero is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, True Surf or Skimboard Hero?
Skimboard Hero is rated higher. True Surf averages 3.9 out of 5 from 3.5K ratings, while Skimboard Hero averages 4.8 from 112 ratings.
Do True Surf or Skimboard Hero have ads?
Neither True Surf nor Skimboard Hero shows ads.
Which is updated more often, True Surf or Skimboard Hero?
True Surf ships an update fortnightly, and Skimboard Hero every 2 weeks. Most recently, True Surf was updated on October 28, 2026 and Skimboard Hero on October 20, 2026.

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