Pilau Kai vs Surf
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pilau Kai
Stay informed about ocean water quality across Hawaii's beaches with real-time updates and interactive maps. Plan your aquatic adventures with confidence, ensuring a safe and memorable experience.
- Real-time ocean water quality updates
- Comprehensive beach coverage
- Interactive maps with water quality status
- Informed decision-making for aquatic activities
- Safe ocean adventures
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Dive into the pristine waters of Hawaii with Pilau Kai, your ultimate companion for staying informed about the ocean water quality in the Aloha State. As we celebrate our first year, Pilau Kai continues to be your trusted source for up-to-date information on the health of Hawaii's oceans. Key Features: Real-Time Data Updates: Stay in the loop with live, real-time updates on ocean water quality across Hawaii's renowned beaches. Pilau Kai ensures you receive the latest information to make informed decisions about your aquatic adventures. Comprehensive Beach Coverage: From the bustling shores of Waikiki to the hidden gems of Maui, Pilau Kai covers a wide array of beaches and coastal areas, providing you with comprehensive insights into water conditions. Interactive Maps: Navigate with ease using interactive maps that highlight water quality status, allowing you to plan your beach day with confidence. Whether you're a local or a visitor, Pilau Kai ensures you find the perfect spot for your ocean escapades. Make your ocean adventures memorable and safe with Pilau Kai.
Surf
Get simple, accurate surf forecasts for over 7,000 breaks worldwide. Plan your sessions with detailed wave information, tide times, and mapping to find the best conditions and nearby spots. Access extended forecasts and custom alerts with premium features.
- Detailed surf forecasts
- Wavefinder map
- Live webcam links
- Tide times
- 12-day forecasts
- Custom surf alerts
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Surf-Forecast.com gives you simple, accurate and easy-to-read surf forecasts so you have the best chance of hitting those breaks when the waves are pumping. Built by surfers, for surfers, and trusted by millions of surfers for over 20 years, our updated app lets you see all your favorite surf spots at a glance. Providing detailed surf forecasts for over 7,000 breaks worldwide, our new features let you see further ahead than ever before - giving you plenty of advance warning for when those swells start coming in. Find the best surfing conditions near you and use the rating tool to find exactly when to go. – FREE App Features ⁃ Detailed surf forecasts ⁃ Wavefinder map ⁃ Live webcam links ⁃ Multi-swell component presentation ⁃ Tide times ⁃ Detailed mapping to locate nearby breaks – Surf Premium Benefits ⁃ Access to the full 16 days of our new Wavefinder feature ⁃ Hourly forecasts ⁃ 16 day forecasts ⁃ Custom surf alerts ⁃ Ad-free browsing on our website So what are you waiting for? Grab your board and get exploring. We’ll see you out there! For the full Terms and Conditions of this service please visit: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pilau Kai at none against Surf's 2. Pilau Kai also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 6 weeks) and review sentiment (100% vs 86%). Surf's advantage is ratings volume (999 vs 2) and chart position (#99 vs unranked). On price, rating, 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. Surf sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Pilau Kai asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Pilau Kai against 4.9 for Surf. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Surf has 999 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Pilau Kai's written reviews are positive against 86% of Surf's.
Pilau Kai ships an update every 6 days, Surf every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pilau Kai | Surf |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | 4.9 (999 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 86.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 999 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #99 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 138 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Cory Pratt | Meteo365 Ltd. |
Customer experience
Pilau Kai
Surf
Bugs and requests
Pilau Kai
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Surf
Reported bugs
2 issues- Crashes or freezes on some devices
- Geolocation issues with break markers
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to manually refresh data
- More detailed tidal/current information
- Expanded location coverage
- Improved accuracy for wave height/conditions
In-app purchases
Pilau Kai
No in-app purchases
Surf
- Premium Service: Monthly$4.991 Month
- Premium Service (Yearly)$34.991 Year
