PNW Current Atlas vs Actual Currents
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...
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.
- Animated tidal current visualization
- Real-time wind overlay
- Interactive nautical map
- Time scrubber for predictions
- Route planning with current analysis
- Global ocean currents view
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | PNW Current Atlas | Actual Currents |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (33 ratings) | 4.7 (21 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 43.8% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 33 — better | 21 |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #193 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 56 MB | 22 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TinyOctopus, LLC | Luka Catipovic |
Customer experience
PNW Current Atlas
Actual Currents
In-app purchases
PNW Current Atlas
- 3-Day Free TrialFree
- Current Atlas unlimited access$19.99
Actual Currents
- Pro monthly$2.991 Month
- Unlimited monthly$4.991 Month
- Unlimited Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
Questions
Is PNW Current Atlas free?
Is Actual Currents free?
Which has better reviews, PNW Current Atlas or Actual Currents?
Do PNW Current Atlas or Actual Currents have ads?
Which is updated more often, PNW Current Atlas or Actual Currents?
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