Comparison

XTide vs Tide Guide

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

Head to head
About

XTide

Get tide and current predictions with this app. It offers information for your favorite tide stations and is based on the open-source XTide for Unix. Note: not for navigation and accuracy depends on harmonic data.

Highlights
  • Tide and current predictions
  • Apple Watch app and widget
  • Favorite tide station information
  • Based on open-source XTide
  • Supports custom harmonics files
Read full description

XTide provides tide and current predictions. The Apple Watch app and Widget show information for the closest of your favorite tide stations. It is based on the popular open source XTide for Unix from http://www.flaterco.com/xtide/introduction.html XTide includes a harmonics file (tide data) for the United States only due to legal issues with the data from other countries, but supports custom harmonics files. See https://flaterco.com/xtide/faq.html#60 for more information. NOT FOR NAVIGATION This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. The author assumes no liability for damages arising from use of this program OR of any 'harmonics data' that might be distributed with it. For details, see the appended GNU General Public License. (Accurate tide predictions can only be made if the 'harmonics data' for the relevant location are good. Unfortunately, the only way the maintainer of those data has of knowing when they are bad is when someone with access to authoritative tide predictions or observations reports a problem. You should not use this program or any data files that might be distributed with it if anyone or anything could come to harm as a result of an incorrect tide prediction. NOAA and similar agencies in other countries can provide you with certified tide predictions if that is what you need.) XTide's predictions do not incorporate the effects of tropical storms, El Niño, seismic events, subsidence, uplift, or changes in global sea level.

About

Tide Guide

Access detailed tide and marine weather forecasts worldwide. Visualize conditions with beautiful charts and customize your experience with widgets and Live Activities. Plan your next outdoor adventure with confidence.

Highlights
  • Worldwide tide and marine weather data
  • Full-screen dynamic charts
  • Monthly and yearly tide tables
  • Home and Lock Screen widgets
  • Live Activities for current conditions
  • Siri and Shortcuts integration
  • Lunar phase calendar
Features
Read full description

The award winning tide app for Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad and Mac. Never miss a tide, sunset, or beautiful day on the water. Tide Guide features tide and marine weather conditions from trusted data providers worldwide. It's beautiful, powerful, and provides easy access to thousands of different tide stations around the world. # Apple Design Award & App Store App of the Year Finalist # Built for Apple Watch Gorgeous full screen charts provide detailed tide and weather conditions. Each chart is dynamic and can switch between other conditions and views with just a tap. # Monthly & Yearly Tide Tables View detailed forecasts for 10 days, and tide tables for the next 12 months. Various display options allow for powerful layout customizations. # Home and Lock Screen Widgets Add beautiful and powerful widgets to your Home Screen or Lock Screen. Tide Guide features an extensive set of widgets, with powerful customization options allow for endless combinations of marine and tide conditions. # Live Activities Use Live Activities to follow the current tide or sunset. There are different options for various “island activities.” Track the current tide, wind direction, solar progress, or lunar phase. # Summary Shortcuts Use Siri or the Shortcuts app to view different summaries of the tide, surf conditions, upcoming forecasts, and more. Ask Siri “Tide Guide Surf Report” to never miss the next swell. # Lunar Calendar Easily track the current lunar phase with a beautiful lunar phase calendar. Explore the altitude and elevation of the moon throughout the day, and view detailed solunar times like nautical dawn, dusk, and more. # Pro Features Many features in the app are free to use, and certain availability varies by region. Widgets, complications, detailed charts, and future table data require an active Pro subscription. Privacy & Terms: https://tideguide.com/privacy https://tideguide.com/terms

Screenshots

XTide2 screens
Tide Guide4 screens

Verdict

The call

XTide and Tide Guide both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of XTide's written reviews are positive against 55% of Tide Guide's. XTide also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 12) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 26.0). Tide Guide's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (10K vs 3). On price, rating, ads 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

Both are free to download. Tide Guide sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. XTide asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for XTide against 4.7 for Tide Guide. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tide Guide has 10K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of XTide's written reviews are positive against 55% of Tide Guide's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

XTide ships an update every 3 months, Tide Guide every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
XTide versus Tide Guide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterXTideTide Guide
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (3 ratings)4.7 (10K ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better54.7% of reviews
Number of ratings310K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
Best chart rank—#37 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS14.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB275 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLee Ann RuckerCondor Digital

Customer experience

XTide

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Tide Guide

All ratings10,226 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral2.8%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews380 reviews
Positive54.7%
Neutral11.6%
Negative33.7%

Bugs and requests

XTide

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Tide Guide

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Keyboard not appearing in location search
  • Tide data inaccuracies compared to other sources
  • Widgets and complications disappearing or not updating
  • App crashing when switching between locations or opening certain features

Requested features

6 requests
  • Ability to view more than a few days at a time
  • Display of current and historical tide heights
  • Integration of swell height and direction data
  • Offsets for tide times and heights
  • Map view for selecting locations
Show 1 more
  • Family sharing support

In-app purchases

None

XTide

No in-app purchases

11 purchases

Tide Guide

Subscriptions10
  • Tide Guide Pro (1 Month)3 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Tide Guide Pro (1 Month)$3.991 Month
  • Tide Guide Pro (1 Month)7 Days trial$3.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Tide Guide Pro$4.991 Month
  • Tide Guide Pro (1 Month)$4.991 Month
  • Tide Guide Pro (12 Months)3 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Tide Guide Pro (12 Months)7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Tide Guide Pro (12 Months)$29.991 Year
  • Tide Guide Pro (12 Months)7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Tide Guide Pro7 Days trial$40.001 Year
One-time1
  • Tide Guide Pro (Lifetime)$150.00

Questions

Is XTide free?
XTide is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tide Guide free?
Tide Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, XTide or Tide Guide?
Tide Guide is rated higher. XTide averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Tide Guide averages 4.7 from 10K ratings.
Do XTide or Tide Guide have ads?
Neither XTide nor Tide Guide shows ads.
Which is updated more often, XTide or Tide Guide?
XTide ships an update every 3 months, and Tide Guide every 3 days. Most recently, XTide was updated on October 24, 2026 and Tide Guide on November 1, 2026.

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