PNW Current Atlas vs BayCurrents
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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...
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
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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 PNW Current Atlas's 3.5. BayCurrents also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2). PNW Current Atlas's advantage is ratings volume (33 vs 5) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 17). On price, update cadence, 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. PNW Current Atlas sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. BayCurrents asks for nothing beyond the download.
BayCurrents 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 5, so its average is the more settled of the two.
PNW Current Atlas ships an update every 11 months, BayCurrents every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PNW Current Atlas | BayCurrents |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (33 ratings) | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 41.9% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 33 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | Every 10 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 17 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 56 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TinyOctopus, LLC | Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute |
Customer experience
PNW Current Atlas
BayCurrents
In-app purchases
PNW Current Atlas
- 3-Day Free TrialFree
- Current Atlas unlimited access$19.99
BayCurrents
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is PNW Current Atlas free?
Is BayCurrents free?
Which has better reviews, PNW Current Atlas or BayCurrents?
Do PNW Current Atlas or BayCurrents have ads?
Which is updated more often, PNW Current Atlas or BayCurrents?
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