Comparison

HI Buoy vs myWind

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

Head to head
About

HI Buoy

This app displays the latest data from wave buoys across Hawai'i on an interactive map. Users can customize which buoys appear and view detailed swell power graphs or recent readings for each. It also offers a list view as an alternative to the map.

Highlights
  • Interactive map of Hawai'i buoys
  • Customizable buoy display
  • Swell Power Graph (16 hours)
  • Recent buoy readings
  • List view option
  • Simple and beautiful interface
Features
Read full description

Paddle out knowing what's out. Every wave buoy in the Hawaiian chain, in one place, reporting what the ocean is actually doing. HI Buoy reads live from the NOAA National Data Buoy Center stations moored around the islands — Waimea Bay, Barbers Point, Mokapu Point, Hanalei, Pauwela, Hilo, and the deep-water stations far offshore — and shows you the numbers straight. This is measured data, not a forecast. Every figure came off a buoy in the water. THE WHOLE CHAIN AT A GLANCE Open the map and every buoy carries its current wave height and swell direction, color-coded so a big day stands out before you read a single number. Tap any buoy for the full picture. THE NUMBERS THAT MATTER Wave height, dominant period, average period and dominant direction, plus the swell and wind-wave trains broken out separately with their own height, period and direction. A steepness reading tells you whether it's clean groundswell or short, wind-driven chop. SWELL POWER A height reading alone won't tell you whether a swell is filling in or fading. HI Buoy charts sixteen hours of hourly spectral energy so you can see the trend, with the raw frequency spectra underneath. Touch and drag to inspect any hour. RECENT LOG The last sixteen hourly observations laid out in full — height, period, direction, swell and wind wave — so you can read the shift for yourself. HONEST WHEN A BUOY GOES QUIET Buoys break down, drift, and get pulled for maintenance. When one stops reporting, HI Buoy says so plainly instead of leaving an old number on screen looking current. BUILT FOR THE ISLANDS All times in Hawaii Standard Time, no converting in your head. Choose which buoys you want to see and hide the rest. A large-type setting for reading at arm's length. Designed for iPhone and iPad, in portrait and landscape.

About

myWind

Features
Read full description

Know before you go. myWind gives you the most complete wind forecast available — powered by 11 weather models so you can plan your next session with confidence. MULTI-MODEL FORECASTS Compare GFS, ECMWF, ICON, Meteo-France, GEM, HRRR, NAM, and more — all in one view. See where models agree and where they diverge. Our BLEND mode combines them into a single weighted forecast using circular wind direction averaging. MY SPOTS GLANCE See all your saved spots at a glance with color-coded 7-day wind bars. Instantly spot the best days across all your locations. Tap a spot to dive into the full forecast. HOURLY DETAIL Drill into any day to see hour-by-hour wind speed, gusts, direction, tide, temperature, and precipitation. Rotate to landscape for a combined data view. SMART WIND RANGE Set your personal sweet spot — your minimum and maximum rideable wind. The entire app color-codes around YOUR preferences: green means go, yellow means maybe, red means stay home (or grab a bigger kite). SESSION LOG Track your sessions with wind conditions, gear used, and personal ratings. Build your riding history over time. WORKS WORLDWIDE 500+ preset kite spots across 40+ countries, or drop a pin anywhere on the map to add your own secret spot. Regional high-resolution models (HRRR 3km, GEM-HR 2.5km, NAM 12km) automatically activate for US and Canada locations. PRIVACY FIRST Zero tracking. Zero analytics. Zero ads. All your data stays on your device. We don't even have a server — your spots, settings, and sessions never leave your phone. AVAILABLE IN 4 LANGUAGES English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese — automatically detected from your device settings.

Screenshots

HI Buoy4 screens
myWind4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: HI Buoy at weekly against myWind's every 6 weeks. myWind's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HI Buoy ships an update weekly, myWind every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
HI Buoy versus myWind: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHI BuoymyWind
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperONOSOL LLCAlex Veilleux

In-app purchases

None

HI Buoy

No in-app purchases

None

myWind

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HI Buoy free?
HI Buoy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is myWind free?
myWind is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do HI Buoy or myWind have ads?
Neither HI Buoy nor myWind shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HI Buoy or myWind?
HI Buoy ships an update weekly, and myWind every 6 weeks. Most recently, HI Buoy was updated on November 2, 2026 and myWind on November 5, 2026.

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