Comparison

NOAA Tide Chart Pro vs Great Lakes Wave

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

Head to head
About

NOAA Tide Chart Pro

Access comprehensive tide station data with accurate predictions for high and low tides globally. Plan your activities with daily forecasts, real-time solar data, and historical tide information. Features customizable widgets and favorites for easy access.

Highlights
  • Detailed tidal predictions
  • Daily tide forecasts
  • Real-time solar data
  • Monthly tide reports
  • Tide history data
  • Search by name or station ID
  • Customizable widgets
Features
Read full description

Welcome to NOAA Tides Live Observation, an easy-to-use app that gives you access to comprehensive tide station information. We have made use of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's ( NOAA) API’s to bring you accurate and reliable tide data. With our app, you can easily keep track of tides and plan your activities accordingly. Whether you're a beachgoer, fisher, boater, or just interested in tides, our app has something for everyone. Our app offers professional tide predictions for high and low tides across the globe, as well as day-to-day forecasts for in-depth tidal data on a specific date. You can also access real-time solar data for sunrise and sunset times, as well as monthly reports for long-term planning. Here is a summary of the features we offer: • Detailed tidal predictions for high and low tides around the world • Daily forecasts for detailed tidal data on a specific date • Real-time solunar data for sunrise and sunset times • Monthly reports for long-term planning • Tide history data: Quickly and easily access to past tide information • The ability to search for tides by name or station id • Customizable and easy-to-use widgets for tailored tide information. • The option to add tides as favorites and quickly view their high/low information • The ability to track tides and filter them by three categories: All, Nearest, and Favorites • Customizable measurement settings to suit your preferences Terms of Use https://tide.nextstack.org/public/terms-of-usage.pdf

About

Great Lakes Wave

Access detailed wave and water forecasts for all five Great Lakes. View real-time data on waves, wind, currents, temperature, and water levels. Explore depth maps and nautical charts for enhanced navigation.

Highlights
  • Wave forecast (6 days)
  • Water forecast (5 days)
  • Water temperature
  • Water current
  • Water level
  • Depth maps
  • Nautical charts
Features
Read full description

Great Lakes - Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake America and Lake Superior. Great Lakes Map App provides Wave map forecast , Water map forecast for the five lakes. Wave map forecast contains Wave, Wind well, Swell and Wind. Water map contains Water temperature, Water current, Water Level. In addition, you can also view the depth maps and nautical chart map of great lakes in the APP 【Pro】 1. Wave forecast for 6 days. 2. Water forecast for 5 days. 3. Water forecast for all listed depths. 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/greatlakes/user Privacy policy: https://www.astronomyobserver.net/h5/greatlakes/privacy

Screenshots

NOAA Tide Chart Pro4 screens
Great Lakes Wave4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Great Lakes Wave at Free against NOAA Tide Chart Pro's $49.99. Great Lakes Wave also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.6) and ads (none vs shown). NOAA Tide Chart Pro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 11 months). On device support and iOS requirement 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

Great Lakes Wave is free to download; NOAA Tide Chart Pro costs $49.99 up front. Great Lakes Wave sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. NOAA Tide Chart Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Great Lakes Wave holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 18 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NOAA Tide Chart Pro ships an update every 2 months, Great Lakes Wave every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 2 level
NOAA Tide Chart Pro versus Great Lakes Wave: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNOAA Tide Chart ProGreat Lakes Wave
Price$49.99Free — better
Rating3.6 (5 ratings)4.4 (18 ratings) — better
Number of ratings518 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 11 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size173 MB20 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperNextStack LLC雪平 王

Customer experience

NOAA Tide Chart Pro

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%

Great Lakes Wave

All ratings17 ratings
Positive88.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.8%

In-app purchases

None

NOAA Tide Chart Pro

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Great Lakes Wave

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Pro$2.991 Month
  • Annual Pro$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Pro$49.99

Questions

Is NOAA Tide Chart Pro free?
NOAA Tide Chart Pro costs $49.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Great Lakes Wave free?
Great Lakes Wave is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, NOAA Tide Chart Pro or Great Lakes Wave?
Great Lakes Wave is rated higher. NOAA Tide Chart Pro averages 3.6 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Great Lakes Wave averages 4.4 from 18 ratings.
Do NOAA Tide Chart Pro or Great Lakes Wave have ads?
NOAA Tide Chart Pro shows ads; Great Lakes Wave does not.
Which is updated more often, NOAA Tide Chart Pro or Great Lakes Wave?
NOAA Tide Chart Pro ships an update every 2 months, and Great Lakes Wave every 11 months. Most recently, NOAA Tide Chart Pro was updated on November 3, 2026 and Great Lakes Wave on October 30, 2026.

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