Buoy Map vs PNW Current Atlas
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Buoy Map
Visualize real-time ocean and lake buoy data, including wave height, wind conditions, and water temperature. Access historical graphs and detailed sensor readings to stay informed about marine environments.
- 48hr wave height graphs
- Wind speed and direction
- Air pressure and trend
- Air and water temperature
- Wave period and direction
- OpenStreetMap integration
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Buoy Map puts live NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) observations on a worldwide map of ocean and lake stations. Tap a buoy to see what that station is actually reporting right now. Conditions typically update about every 30 minutes, depending on the station. WHAT YOU GET • Interactive map of NOAA / NDBC buoys around the world • Opens near your location on first launch • Remembers your last map view, including pan and zoom • Keeps the last loaded map if you lose signal, so you can still check what you already loaded when offline • 72-hour wave height graph when the station reports wave data • Light and dark map themes BUOY DATA Each station has a different set of instruments, so not every buoy reports every field. When the data is there, Buoy Map can show: • Wind direction, speed, and gusts • Wave height, dominant period, average period, and wave direction • Air pressure and pressure trend • Air temperature and water temperature • 72-hour wave height graph WHO IT’S FOR Surfers, sailors, fishers, paddlers, and anyone who wants a quick look at real water conditions before heading out or while already on the water. No account. No feed of extra forecasts mixed in. Just the buoy map and the observations. CREDITS Map tiles: OpenStreetMap. Map engine: Leaflet. Suggestions are welcome. I plan to keep improving Buoy Map, enjoy!
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: PNW Current Atlas at Free against Buoy Map's $1.99. PNW Current Atlas also leads on ratings volume (33 vs 1) and review sentiment (44% vs 33%). Buoy Map's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 3.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On 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
PNW Current Atlas is free to download; Buoy Map costs $1.99 up front. PNW Current Atlas sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Buoy Map asks for nothing beyond the download.
Buoy Map holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PNW Current Atlas has 33 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 33% of Buoy Map's written reviews are positive against 44% of PNW Current Atlas's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Buoy Map ships an update every 5 months, PNW Current Atlas every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Buoy Map | PNW Current Atlas |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 3.5 (33 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | 43.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 33 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months — better | Every 11 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 0 MB | 56 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Joel Lisenby | TinyOctopus, LLC |
Customer experience
Buoy Map
PNW Current Atlas
In-app purchases
Buoy Map
No in-app purchases
PNW Current Atlas
- 3-Day Free TrialFree
- Current Atlas unlimited access$19.99
Questions
Is Buoy Map free?
Is PNW Current Atlas free?
Which has better reviews, Buoy Map or PNW Current Atlas?
Do Buoy Map or PNW Current Atlas have ads?
Which is updated more often, Buoy Map or PNW Current Atlas?
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