Comparison

Tide Alert (NOAA) vs Surf Report

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

Head to head
About

Tide Alert (NOAA)

Get accurate tide predictions, lunar phases, and weather data with personalized alerts. Features offline access, customizable charts, and Apple Watch integration. Ideal for anyone who enjoys coastal activities.

Highlights
  • Personalized high and low tide alerts
  • Offline tide information
  • Lunar phase calendar
  • Swell chart with height, period, and direction
  • Compare tide charts across multiple stations
  • Customizable tide charts and alerts
  • Apple Watch integration
Features
Read full description

Tide Alert is the #1 app for tide predictions, tidal currents, and lunar phases, all in one beautiful interface. Powered by NOAA tide forecasts, it delivers accurate high tide and low tide times, current speeds, slack tide windows, swell data, water temperature, and wind conditions for thousands of stations along the US coastline. Set custom alerts for high tide, low tide, or any tide level you choose and never miss a window again. With full offline support, your tide data is always available, even without cell service. What's New: Tidal Currents & Slack Tides • View real-time tidal current speed overlayed on the tide chart. • See slack tide periods with estimated begin and end times. • Current data sourced from NOAA current prediction stations. Compare Tide Charts • Compare multiple stations side by side. • Add stations to compare directly from the map. Monthly High & Low • Redesigned monthly view with visual tide range bars. • See the month's lowest, highest, and average tidal range at a glance. Apple Watch • New ocean conditions view with wind, swell height, water temperature, and current speed. • Tap the wave icon on the main screen to check conditions instantly. Wind, Swell & Water Temperature • Hourly wind speed, gust, and direction forecasts. • Swell chart with height, period, and direction. • Water temperature from NOAA and Open-Meteo. Who is Tide Alert for? Anyone who needs to know the tides. Fishermen timing their catch. Surfers checking swell and tides together. Kayakers and paddleboarders planning safe launches. Boaters and sailors navigating harbors. Crabbers and clammers working low tides. Beach photographers chasing golden hour at low tide. Dog walkers, birdwatchers, and tide pool explorers. Divers planning slack water entries. Key Features: • Tide predictions for thousands of NOAA stations across the US. • Tidal current speed and slack tide annotations on the chart. • Custom tide alerts — get notified for high tide, low tide, or any level. • Full offline access to tide data and charts for favorite stations. • Interactive map with station discovery and quick actions. • Compare tide charts across multiple stations. • Monthly high & low tide overview with daily range bars. • Wind, swell, and water temperature conditions. • Sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset on the chart. • Moon phase calendar. • Apple Watch app with tide chart, conditions, and complications. • Home Screen, Lock Screen, and StandBy widgets. • iOS Shortcuts and Siri voice commands. • Customizable chart symbols and reference levels. • Supports all US time zones and daylight saving time. Tide Alert is free to try with all features available during the trial period. After the trial, a subscription is required to continue. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ DISCLAIMER — See https://tidealert.app/disclaimer.html Use Tide Alert at your own risk. Tide data does not account for the effects of wind, storms, rain, freshwater runoff, or floods. The tide graph uses predicted high and low tide events with approximated segments between them. Do NOT use Tide Alert for NAVIGATION or any purpose that may result in personal injury or property damage. Tide Alert is not liable for any loss, injuries, or damage caused by its use. Tide Alert is not associated with NOAA.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Global surf spot forecasts
  • Advanced filtering options
  • 7-day surf forecast
  • 7-day wave map
  • Swell height, period, and direction
  • Wind speed and direction
Features
Read 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

Tide Alert (NOAA)4 screens
Surf Report4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Tide Alert (NOAA) at 75% against Surf Report's 25%. Tide Alert (NOAA) also leads on ratings volume (45K vs 4) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Surf Report's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Alert (NOAA) sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 3 months 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Surf Report holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tide Alert (NOAA) has 45K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of Tide Alert (NOAA)'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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tide Alert (NOAA) ships an update every 3 weeks, Surf Report every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Tide Alert (NOAA) versus Surf Report: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTide Alert (NOAA)Surf Report
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (45K ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews — better25.0% of reviews
Number of ratings45K — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank#44 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRivolu LLC雪平 王

Customer experience

Tide Alert (NOAA)

All ratings44,538 ratings
Positive96.2%
Neutral2.2%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews144 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral6.9%
Negative18.1%

Surf Report

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%

Bugs and requests

Tide Alert (NOAA)

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App crashes on launch after iOS updates
  • Tide data not syncing correctly with visual indicators

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add support for negative tide levels
  • Improve sync between app and Apple Watch
  • Implement family sharing for subscription

Surf Report

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Tide Alert (NOAA)

Subscriptions2
  • 3 Months Full Access$6.993 Months
  • Tide Alert 1 Year Subscription$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Tide Alert Gold$99.99
3 purchases

Surf Report

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Pro$2.991 Month
  • Annual Pro$17.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Pro$49.99

Questions

Is Tide Alert (NOAA) free?
Tide Alert (NOAA) is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Surf Report free?
Surf Report is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Tide Alert (NOAA) or Surf Report?
Surf Report is rated higher. Tide Alert (NOAA) averages 4.8 out of 5 from 45K ratings, while Surf Report averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Tide Alert (NOAA) or Surf Report have ads?
Neither Tide Alert (NOAA) nor Surf Report shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tide Alert (NOAA) or Surf Report?
Tide Alert (NOAA) ships an update every 3 weeks, and Surf Report every 2 months. Most recently, Tide Alert (NOAA) was updated on October 2, 2026 and Surf Report on October 1, 2026.

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