Weather vs BayCurrents
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Weather
This app provides hyper-local weather forecasts with a beautiful, interactive map. Visualize wind, rain, snow, tides, and more with customizable layers and detailed graphs. Get minute-by-minute changes and set personalized alerts for any location.
- Interactive global weather map
- Minute-by-minute condition changes
- Wind speed and direction forecasts
- Tide and current speed/direction
- Customizable map layers
- Weather alerts
- Widget for quick access
Read full descriptionHide full description
Saildrone builds and manages a global fleet of wind and solar-powered autonomous ocean vehicles designed to collect data critical weather forecasting and climate modeling. Featured in: New York Times, Outside, Popular Mechanics, Bloomberg, Forbes & more! Saildrone Forecast is a beautiful and accurate weather app that uses the same data expertise we use to manage our fleet of ocean drones. Get hyper-local current and future conditions presented on an easy-to-use weather map, glanceable tables, and scrollable graphs. Take advantage of powerful design customizations to visualize map conditions the way you like. Weather anything with high-definition forecasts powered by cutting-edge technology. And—NO ADS EVER! Saildrone Forecast Top Features – Free to All - Check current conditions and minute-by-minute changes on a fully interactive global weather map - Actual and feels-like temperature - Rain, snow, and mixed accumulation - Wind speed and direction across land and sea - Tide and current speed and direction for oceans, seas, and bays - Search for locations or landmarks around the world - Set weather alerts—where and when you want to receive them - Add the widget to your device’s widget screen for quick access to conditions - Data security—your personal data will never be sold to 3rd-party companies Get the Most Out of Saildrone Forecast - Customize layers with transparency, units, color range, particles, vector arrows, or barbs - Long tap any spot on the map to reveal conditions for a precise location - Save and name favorite locations by tapping the star - Tap the color wheel to enable Local Colors for a more precise range of color values - Get a 5K map view of your local weather with a Premium subscription Sailors Love Saildrone Forecast! Saildrone Forecast is designed for use on both land and water, but with wind-powered water activities at our core, sailors (windsurfers and kite surfers) love the hyper-local wind speed and direction and current forecasts. “What makes Saildrone Forecast superior to other available sailing weather apps is that it’s updated on a day-to-day basis with fresh high-definition forecasts available each morning,” said Will Paxton, a San Francisco-based pro sailor. Upgrade to HD Weather Life is busy-always be prepared to make the most of your time outdoors. Unlock high-definition forecasts, basically a street-level view of your local weather, with a Saildrone Forecast premium subscription. From sea to summit, know the best time and place for your favorite activities so you can perform at your peak in all weather conditions. A must-have for sailing, surfing, running, cycling, and more! We offer 2 subscription packages: Standard Premium Monthly – $0.99/month and Standard Premium Yearly – $9.99/year. Your account will be charged at the end of your trial period and upon commencement of each renewal term. Purchased subscriptions will be renewed automatically and can be canceled at any time via Apple ID settings. To avoid being charged, cancellation must be done 24 hours before the expiration of the trial period or expiration of the current subscription. Better Data Means Better Forecasts Saildrone’s mission is to collect and share more data about the planet. The oceans cover more than 70% of Earth’s surface and drive weather, regulate temperature, and ultimately support life on Earth. Much of the weather we experience on land starts in the oceans, so we believe weather forecasting should start in the oceans, too. Our global fleet of saildrones continuously sails the world’s oceans collecting atmospheric and oceanographic data. These expeditions generate unmatched, proprietary high-resolution data sets that are used by scientists at the world’s leading science organizations to better understand air-sea interactions and improve long-range weather forecasting and prediction of extreme weather events. We invite you to join our mission! Download Saildrone Forecast now. Some icons by Icons8.
BayCurrents
Visualize high-resolution surface currents in the San Francisco Bay. This app supports various maritime activities with data up to 48 hours in the future. It operates autonomously offline, using NOAA model data enhanced by radar and tidal observations.
- High-resolution surface current maps
- 48-hour future forecasting
- Offline autonomous operation
- NOAA numerical model data
- Supports recreational and professional maritime activities
Read full descriptionHide full description
BayCurrents is a mobile app for displaying maps of high resolution surface currents within the San Francisco Bay. The app is intended to support a wide range of maritime activities, from recreational fishing and sailing to the operation of professional transport vessels. The source for the surface current data is a numerical model operated by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The model benefits from oceanographic high-frequency radar (HFR) measurements from the Central & Northern California Ocean Observing System (CeNCOOS) HFR Network, along with other observations such as tides and wind. The resulting dataset contains current vector fields for hourly timestamps ranging from the recent past, to the present and up to 48 hours into the future. The complete vector dataset is downloaded by the app to allow autonomous offline operation. This app contains experimental data and is NOT for navigational purposes.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: BayCurrents at 5.0 against Weather's 4.4. BayCurrents also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10). Weather's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 10 months) and ratings volume (546 vs 5). 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
Both are free to download. Weather sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. BayCurrents asks for nothing beyond the download.
BayCurrents holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Weather has 546 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Weather ships an update every 9 days, BayCurrents every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Weather | BayCurrents |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (546 ratings) | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 69.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 546 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Every 10 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 17 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 283 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Saildrone, Inc. | Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute |
Customer experience
Weather
BayCurrents
Bugs and requests
Weather
Reported bugs
5 issues- Tidal current data not loading
- Crashes when switching between locations
- Temperature readings significantly off
- Subscription management issues
- Broken help and feedback channels
Requested features
5 requests- Radar and precipitation data
- Customizable alerts and notifications
- Integration with other weather services
- Improved accuracy for complex coastal regions
- Offline mode and data caching
BayCurrents
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Weather
- Everyday HD - Monthly7 Days trial$0.991 Month
- HD Wind - Monthly7 Days trial$0.991 Month
- UHD Pro Wind & Water - Monthly14 Days trial$0.991 Month
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Everyday HD - Monthly3 Days trial$0.991 Month
- UHD Pro Monthly - CW Promo7 Days trial$0.991 Month
- Ultra HD Pro - Monthly3 Days trial$0.991 Month
- Premium - Monthly3 Days trial$0.991 Month
- Everyday HD - Yearly3 Days trial$9.991 Year
- Ultra HD Pro - Yearly3 Days trial$9.991 Year
- Premium - Yearly3 Days trial$9.991 Year
BayCurrents
No in-app purchases







