Comparison

PNW Current Atlas vs BayCurrents

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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...

About

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.

Highlights
  • High-resolution surface current maps
  • 48-hour future forecasting
  • Offline autonomous operation
  • NOAA numerical model data
  • Supports recreational and professional maritime activities
Features
Read 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

PNW Current Atlas4 screens
BayCurrents4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PNW Current Atlas sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. BayCurrents asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
PNW Current Atlas versus BayCurrents: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPNW Current AtlasBayCurrents
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (33 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews41.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings33 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 10 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS9.0 — better17
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTinyOctopus, LLCMonterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Customer experience

PNW Current Atlas

All ratings33 ratings
Positive54.5%
Neutral18.2%
Negative27.3%
Written reviews31 reviews
Positive41.9%
Neutral32.3%
Negative25.8%

BayCurrents

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

PNW Current Atlas

One-time2
  • 3-Day Free TrialFree
  • Current Atlas unlimited access$19.99
None

BayCurrents

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PNW Current Atlas free?
PNW Current Atlas is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BayCurrents free?
BayCurrents is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PNW Current Atlas or BayCurrents?
BayCurrents is rated higher. PNW Current Atlas averages 3.5 out of 5 from 33 ratings, while BayCurrents averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do PNW Current Atlas or BayCurrents have ads?
Neither PNW Current Atlas nor BayCurrents shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PNW Current Atlas or BayCurrents?
PNW Current Atlas ships an update every 11 months, and BayCurrents every 10 months. Most recently, PNW Current Atlas was updated on October 24, 2026 and BayCurrents on October 21, 2026.

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