Comparison

PNW Current Atlas vs Tides Explorer

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
Currently charting
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

Tides Explorer

This app provides accurate tide, current, and weather predictions using official NOAA data for thousands of stations. Plan your water activities with clear charts, sun/moon information, and customizable widgets.

Highlights
  • Accurate tide and current predictions
  • Fast station search
  • Favorites for quick access
  • Interactive charts
  • Weather data at stations
  • Sun, moon, and twilight info
  • Home and Lock Screen widgets
Features
Read full description

Tides Explorer — Accurate Tides, Currents, and Marine Weather Tides Explorer is a precision tide and current app for sailors, boaters, paddlers, and swimmers, built on official NOAA data covering over 6,000 stations across the United States and international waters. It helps you understand not just what the water will do, but when and why, using clear charts and reliable predictions you can plan around. Core Features Get accurate tide and current predictions straight from NOAA, with fast search by name or location and interactive charts for exploring and comparing stations. At supported stations, see real observed water levels laid over the prediction (Pro) — so you know what the water's actually doing, not just what it's supposed to do. Save your favorite spots for quick access (Pro), track real-time weather at supported stations — wind, air and water temperature, and barometric pressure (Pro) — and check sun, moon, and twilight times to help plan your time on the water. Plan Around What Matters to You Drag a custom reference line onto any favorite station's chart — on a current station, mark a safe velocity to catch slack water before transiting a pass — and see exactly when you're above or below it. Set alerts for high and low tides, current extremes, your reference line, or slack water itself (Pro), plus new Moon Over Water alerts for when moonrise or moonset lines up with the water near sunset or sunrise. Designed for Apple Platforms Tides Explorer includes Home and Lock Screen widgets and a full Apple Watch app with multiple complications, all optimized for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Built for the Water Ideal for sailing, boating, kayaking, swimming, fishing, and coastal exploration, Tides Explorer delivers dependable marine data without clutter, so you can plan confidently and focus on the water.

Screenshots

PNW Current Atlas4 screens
Tides Explorer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Tides Explorer at 100% against PNW Current Atlas's 44%. Tides Explorer also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.5) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 11 months). PNW Current Atlas's advantage is chart position (#190 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 17.6). On price, ratings volume, 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. PNW Current Atlas sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Tides Explorer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tides Explorer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 33 and 26 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of PNW Current Atlas's written reviews are positive against 100% of Tides Explorer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PNW Current Atlas ships an update every 11 months, Tides Explorer every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
PNW Current Atlas versus Tides Explorer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPNW Current AtlasTides Explorer
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (33 ratings)5.0 (26 ratings) — better
Positive reviews43.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings33 — better26
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#190 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS9.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTinyOctopus, LLCLonnie Millett

Customer experience

PNW Current Atlas

All ratings33 ratings
Positive54.5%
Neutral18.2%
Negative27.3%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive43.8%
Neutral31.3%
Negative25.0%

Tides Explorer

All ratings25 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
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
1 purchases

Tides Explorer

One-time1
  • Lifetime purchase$3.00

Questions

Is PNW Current Atlas free?
PNW Current Atlas is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tides Explorer free?
Tides Explorer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PNW Current Atlas or Tides Explorer?
Tides Explorer is rated higher. PNW Current Atlas averages 3.5 out of 5 from 33 ratings, while Tides Explorer averages 5.0 from 26 ratings.
Do PNW Current Atlas or Tides Explorer have ads?
Neither PNW Current Atlas nor Tides Explorer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PNW Current Atlas or Tides Explorer?
PNW Current Atlas ships an update every 11 months, and Tides Explorer every 2 months. Most recently, PNW Current Atlas was updated on November 2, 2026 and Tides Explorer on November 3, 2026.

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