Comparison

PNW Current Atlas vs Actual Currents

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

Actual Currents

Visualize real-time tidal currents with animated particles and a detailed heatmap on an interactive nautical map. Plan your trips with confidence by scrubbing through time to see how currents change throughout the day, with options for global ocean currents and wind overlays.

Highlights
  • Animated tidal current visualization
  • Real-time wind overlay
  • Interactive nautical map
  • Time scrubber for predictions
  • Route planning with current analysis
  • Global ocean currents view
Features
Read full description

Actual Currents brings tidal currents to life with real-time animated particle visualization on a nautical-grade interactive map. See the actual flow of water in your area — not just tide times, but the speed and direction of tidal currents rendered as thousands of flowing particles over a detailed heatmap. Plan your trip with confidence by scrubbing through time to see how currents change throughout the day. FEATURES • Animated tidal current visualization with speed-colored particles and GPU-accelerated heatmap • Time scrubber — view current predictions for any time, past or future • Globe view with global ocean currents when zoomed out • Real-time wind overlay with global weather data • ENC nautical chart data with navigation aids, depth soundings, and depth contours • Satellite, bathymetry, and nautical basemap options • Route planning with current-aware analysis • Trip logging with GPS drift tracking • Location search to jump to any harbor or waterway COVERAGE • US Atlantic coast — Maine to Florida • US Pacific coast — Washington to California • Gulf of Mexico • Global ocean surface currents BUILT FOR BOATERS Whether you're sailing, fishing, kayaking, or navigating commercially, understanding tidal currents is critical for safety and efficiency. Actual Currents gives you an intuitive, visual understanding of water movement that tide tables alone can't provide. SUBSCRIPTION TIERS • Basic (free) — Real-time currents within ±3 hours of now • Pro ($4.99/mo) — Full historical and forecast access • Unlimited ($39.99/yr) — Full historical and forecast access with 7-day free trial Terms of Use: https://www.actualcurrents.com/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://www.actualcurrents.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

PNW Current Atlas4 screens
Actual Currents4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Actual Currents at 4.7 against PNW Current Atlas's 3.5. Actual Currents also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 11 months) and review sentiment (67% vs 44%). PNW Current Atlas's advantage is chart position (#193 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). 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 Actual Currents sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Actual Currents holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 33 and 21 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of PNW Current Atlas's written reviews are positive against 67% of Actual Currents's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PNW Current Atlas ships an update every 11 months, Actual Currents fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
PNW Current Atlas versus Actual Currents: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPNW Current AtlasActual Currents
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (33 ratings)4.7 (21 ratings) — better
Positive reviews43.8% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings33 — better21
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#193 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTinyOctopus, LLCLuka Catipovic

Customer experience

PNW Current Atlas

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

Actual Currents

All ratings21 ratings
Positive90.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.5%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

PNW Current Atlas

One-time2
  • 3-Day Free TrialFree
  • Current Atlas unlimited access$19.99
3 purchases

Actual Currents

Subscriptions3
  • Pro monthly$2.991 Month
  • Unlimited monthly$4.991 Month
  • Unlimited Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is PNW Current Atlas free?
PNW Current Atlas is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Actual Currents free?
Actual Currents is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PNW Current Atlas or Actual Currents?
Actual Currents is rated higher. PNW Current Atlas averages 3.5 out of 5 from 33 ratings, while Actual Currents averages 4.7 from 21 ratings.
Do PNW Current Atlas or Actual Currents have ads?
Neither PNW Current Atlas nor Actual Currents shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PNW Current Atlas or Actual Currents?
PNW Current Atlas ships an update every 11 months, and Actual Currents fortnightly. Most recently, PNW Current Atlas was updated on November 6, 2026 and Actual Currents on November 9, 2026.

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