Comparison

XTide vs PNW Current Atlas

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

PNW Current Atlas

Access detailed current prediction charts for the Pacific Northwest, covering regions like the Juan de Fuca Strait and San Juan Islands. View any date or time within the current year with free yearly updates, and use the app offline.

Highlights
  • View past/future date/time predictions
  • Daylight savings time correction
  • Jump to 'Now' prediction
  • Swipe/tap to move through time
  • Zoomable prediction details
  • Offline functionality
  • Free yearly updates
Features
Read full description

The PNW Current Atlas brings a fast and easy way to view Pacific Northwest current prediction charts for the Juan de Fuca Strait / Strait of Georgia regions on your mobile device. This includes complete coverage of the US San Juan Islands, the Canadian Gulf Islands, and the Eastern Juan de Fuca Strait and more. This digital current atlas includes predictions for the current year with free yearly updates so that you never have to buy a reference or look-up table ever again. Features: ◆ View any date/time within a tide cycle, past or future (within the current year) ◆ Fully corrected for Daylight savings time ◆ Easily jump to the prediction closest to Now with a single tap ◆ Easily move forwards or backwards through prediction time by tapping or swiping ◆ Zoom into predictions to see more detail ◆ Works offline - no Internet connection needed! ◆ Includes all predictions for the current calendar year with free yearly updates ◆ and more...

Screenshots

XTide2 screens
PNW Current Atlas4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: XTide at 100% against PNW Current Atlas's 42%. XTide also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). PNW Current Atlas's advantage is ratings volume (33 vs 3) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 14.0). On price, 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. PNW Current Atlas sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. XTide asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

XTide holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PNW Current Atlas has 33 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of XTide's written reviews are positive against 42% of PNW Current Atlas's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

XTide ships an update every 3 months, PNW Current Atlas every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
XTide versus PNW Current Atlas: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterXTidePNW Current Atlas
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (3 ratings) — better3.5 (33 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better41.9% of reviews
Number of ratings333 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 11 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB56 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLee Ann RuckerTinyOctopus, LLC

Customer experience

XTide

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

PNW Current Atlas

All ratings33 ratings
Positive54.5%
Neutral18.2%
Negative27.3%
Written reviews31 reviews
Positive41.9%
Neutral32.3%
Negative25.8%

In-app purchases

None

XTide

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

PNW Current Atlas

One-time2
  • 3-Day Free TrialFree
  • Current Atlas unlimited access$19.99

Questions

Is XTide free?
XTide is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PNW Current Atlas free?
PNW Current Atlas is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, XTide or PNW Current Atlas?
XTide is rated higher. XTide averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while PNW Current Atlas averages 3.5 from 33 ratings.
Do XTide or PNW Current Atlas have ads?
Neither XTide nor PNW Current Atlas shows ads.
Which is updated more often, XTide or PNW Current Atlas?
XTide ships an update every 3 months, and PNW Current Atlas every 11 months. Most recently, XTide was updated on October 9, 2026 and PNW Current Atlas on October 20, 2026.

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