Comparison

Rivers.run vs TextMeAvy

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

Head to head
About

Rivers.run

Access real-time river data including water levels, temperature, and skill level estimates. Discover nearby rivers using GPS, search by various criteria, and utilize interactive maps for navigation. Includes weather overlays for rain tracking.

Highlights
  • Water levels and temperature
  • Crowdsourced skill level estimates
  • GPS river discovery
  • Search by water level, skill, name
  • Interactive river maps
  • Weather overlays for rain
  • Offline access to downloaded data
Features
Read full description

Real-time river levels and crowdsourced paddling beta for whitewater paddlers. Rivers.run covers 10,000+ rivers and creeks across the US, Canada, and the UK & Ireland. Match live gauge data with hard-won local knowledge: flow color-coding, rapid-by-rapid descriptions, access points, and difficulty ratings, all in one place. Flow data comes straight from government gauges — USGS, Environment Canada, and the UK & Ireland — alongside NOAA forecasts. River descriptions, access points, and runnable levels are crowdsourced by the paddling community. KEY FEATURES Live Flows & Forecasts See current levels from USGS, Environment Canada, UK, and Ireland gauges, with simple low/runnable/high color coding. Dig into 28-day history graphs and NOAA forecasts to plan ahead. Switch freely between imperial and metric (CFS/CMS, ft/m, °F/°C). Interactive Map & Weather Radar Discover nearby rivers, view live weather radar (US), and tap any run for gauge readings, access points, and rapid descriptions. Offline Navigation (USA-only) Easy, free state-by-state map downloads keep you oriented when your signal disappears. Find put-ins and take-outs, get directions, and follow your live GPS location with no cell service at all — your favorites, lists, and saved flows come along too. Powerful Search & Filtering Find your next trip by water level, difficulty class, distance, region, custom tags, and more — then sort by what's running right now. Flow Alerts That Find Rare Runs Star the runs you care about and get an alert the moment they come into your preferred range — perfect for creeks that only run a few days a year. Prefer the big picture? Switch to a daily email digest of conditions, delivered at a time you choose. Custom Lists & Sync Build river lists by region, difficulty, or trip plan, and sync them across all your devices. Apple Watch Sync your lists to the companion Apple Watch app and check levels from the trailhead. Community-Driven Can't find your local creek? Disagree with a runnable level? The map is crowdsourced: anyone can suggest edits, new access points, or a fresh run write-up, and our moderators review every change to keep it accurate. Built for Everyone Dark mode and a colorblind-friendly palette come standard. Rivers.run is free, open-source, and built by paddlers for paddlers. River flows change and conditions can vary rapidly. Always exercise caution, wear appropriate safety gear, and verify local conditions before paddling. Need help or have feedback? Reach out to support@rivers.run Privacy Policy: https://rivers.run/privacy Terms of Service: https://rivers.run/terms

About

TextMeAvy

Features
Read full description

Use the TextMeAvy app to request and visualize avalanche forecasts when in the backcountry.

Screenshots

Rivers.run4 screens
TextMeAvy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: TextMeAvy at every 2 days against Rivers.run's every 6 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rivers.run ships an update every 6 weeks, TextMeAvy every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Rivers.run versus TextMeAvy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRivers.runTextMeAvy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (28 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews54.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings28 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size44 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTucker WillenborgTextMe LLC

In-app purchases

None

Rivers.run

No in-app purchases

None

TextMeAvy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Rivers.run free?
Rivers.run is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is TextMeAvy free?
TextMeAvy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Rivers.run or TextMeAvy have ads?
Neither Rivers.run nor TextMeAvy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Rivers.run or TextMeAvy?
Rivers.run ships an update every 6 weeks, and TextMeAvy every 2 days. Most recently, Rivers.run was updated on September 21, 2026 and TextMeAvy on September 16, 2026.

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