Comparison

whitewater.guide vs River Runner

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

Head to head
About

whitewater.guide

Discover and explore river sections with detailed information for kayakers. Filter by difficulty, water level, and style, view photos and videos, and navigate to access points easily. All essential whitewater information in one place.

Highlights
  • River section discovery
  • Map and list view
  • Filter by difficulty and water level
  • Photos and videos
  • Navigation to access points
  • Detailed river descriptions
Features
Read full description

Аll-in-one mobile app for kayakers and all White Water enthusiasts. In the app you can find river sections both in the list or on the map. You can filter them by difficulty, current water level, rating or whitewater style. For each section you can read a description, check out photos and videos, water levels if provided and navigate to the put-in/take-out using any navigation app with one tap.

About

River Runner

This app provides real-time river flow data and forecasts for whitewater enthusiasts. It displays a live map of river conditions, including CFS, runnable ranges, and weather, helping users find and plan their next paddling adventure.

Highlights
  • Live streamflow heatmap
  • Real-time CFS and conditions score
  • Hourly weather forecast for put-in
  • Save favorite runs
  • Flow alerts
  • GPS session tracking
Features
Read full description

River Runner answers the only question that matters: is it worth paddling today? Every river in the country is drawn in living color — the line's color and thickness change with how much water is actually flowing right now. Whitewater runs glow orange on top. Tap one and you get a plain-English answer: a 0–100 score, Prime / Good / Fair / Poor, and exactly why — today's flow against the run's runnable range, rising or dropping, cold water, wind, and any flood warning. No account, no sign-up. KNOW THE FLOW - A live flow map of the entire national river network, modeled hourly — colored from trickle to huge - 15,000+ USGS gauges with live readings, 7-day trends, and gage height - Tap any river reach for its flow, speed, and what that means in plain words - A "runs near you" list that scores the whitewater within driving range — before you commit to the shuttle KNOW THE RUN - A conditions score for every run, with the reasons spelled out - Runnable range, class, gradient, length, rapid-by-rapid descriptions - Put-ins & take-outs on the map, each with a Drive Here button for shuttle day - Hourly weather for the run itself, not the nearest town STAY AHEAD OF IT - Flow alerts: save a run and get pinged the moment it comes into range - Live NWS flood warnings on the map — always on, always free - A Home Screen widget with the score and flow of the run nearest you - Saved runs keep their last known conditions even with no signal at the put-in MAKE IT YOURS - Record your trips: GPS trail, speed, distance, and that day's conditions - Anonymous riverside reports from paddlers actually standing at the water — location-verified, on the map for 24 hours - A Paddle Guide that explains cfs, classes, and the map in plain English - Easy-read mode: rounded, larger, non-italic type for dyslexic and low-vision paddlers River Runner Pro unlocks unlimited saved runs, alerts, and recorded trips, plus the extra map layers — put-ins & take-outs, wind, rain, air temperature, and drought. The flow map, run scores, search, reports, and flood warnings are free forever. — SAFETY: River Runner provides modeled and observed information for planning only. Rivers change fast and no forecast guarantees safe conditions. Scout what you can't see, wear a PFD, dress for the water temperature, and never paddle alone. River Runner Pro is an auto-renewing subscription. - Monthly: $3.99 / month - Annual: $24.99 / year Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Terms of Use: https://snoflo.org/products/riverrunner#terms Privacy Policy: https://snoflo.org/products/riverrunner#privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

whitewater.guide4 screens
River Runner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: whitewater.guide at 12.4 against River Runner's 16.6. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. whitewater.guide sells 8 one-off in-app purchases and River Runner sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

whitewater.guide ships an update every 3 weeks, River Runner monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
whitewater.guide versus River Runner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterwhitewater.guideRiver Runner
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews70.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS12.4 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size74 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWhitewater Guide App IncSnoflo.org LLC

In-app purchases

8 purchases

whitewater.guide

One-time8
  • Pyrenees$4.99
  • Uganda$7.99
  • Georgia (country)$8.99
Show 5 more
  • Altai$9.99
  • Scotland$9.99
  • Kyrgyzstan$12.99
  • Québec$13.99
  • Norway$13.99
2 purchases

River Runner

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Annual$24.991 Year

Questions

Is whitewater.guide free?
whitewater.guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is River Runner free?
River Runner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do whitewater.guide or River Runner have ads?
Neither whitewater.guide nor River Runner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, whitewater.guide or River Runner?
whitewater.guide ships an update every 3 weeks, and River Runner monthly. Most recently, whitewater.guide was updated on October 8, 2026 and River Runner on October 11, 2026.

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