Comparison

Surf Captain vs Hanalei River

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

Head to head
About

Surf Captain

Get detailed 16-day surf forecasts for numerous locations across North America and the Caribbean. This app provides highly accurate predictions in a user-friendly interface, making it easy to plan your next surf session.

Highlights
  • 16-day surf forecasts
  • United States forecasts
  • Canada forecasts
  • Central America forecasts
  • Caribbean forecasts
  • Accurate predictions
  • Simple interface
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Surf Forecasts Made Awesome! Surf Captain gives you 16-day surf forecasts in an app that's fast and simple to read. WHAT YOU GET • 16-day surf forecast, so you can plan your surf week • Surf height, swell, wind and tide together in one timeline • Swell breakdown showing the individual swells behind the surf, with height, period and direction • Favorites for the spots you check every day • Surf alerts that notify you when a spot is forecast to hit the conditions you set • Hundreds of locations across the United States, Canada, Central America and the Caribbean, with more regions on the way FORECASTS BUILT FOR THE BREAK Surf Captain doesn't just show open-ocean numbers. Our own wave model is tuned for each location, so the surf forecast reflects what reaches the beach: swell direction, wind, tide and nearby buoy data. FREE AND PRO The free app gives you the 5 day forecast for any spot. Surf Captain Pro unlocks the full 16 days, surf alerts and more for only $1.67 per month. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the period, and you can manage them in your account settings. Also works with your AI assistant: connect Surf Captain to Claude to ask about surf conditions in plain language. Questions or feedback? Use Contact inside the app. We read everything. Terms: https://surfcaptain.com/terms Privacy: https://surfcaptain.com/privacy Terms Of Use: https://surfcaptain.com/terms Privacy policy: https://surfcaptain.com/privacy

About

Hanalei River

Monitor river gauge heights and road conditions on Kaua'i during heavy rains. Access real-time data from USGS river gauges and view traffic camera feeds to check road accessibility. Future updates will include push notifications for rising river levels.

Highlights
  • USGS river gauge height monitoring
  • Hanalei Initiative road camera access
  • All Kaua'i river gauge data
  • Push notifications for rising rivers (upcoming)
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The Hanalei River decides a lot of days on the North Shore. This app tells you where it stands, in one number, plus everything you need to read it. THE RIVER RIGHT NOW Open the app and the river's height sits at the top of the screen, in feet, next to what it means against the 5 ft flood stage: Normal, Elevated, Near flood stage, or Flood stage. A trend chip says whether the river is rising, falling, or holding, and by how much in the last hour. Every reading is stamped with its age, and when a gauge goes quiet or the USGS equipment fails, the app says so. An old number never gets dressed up as a live one. THE LAST FEW DAYS AT A GLANCE A stage chart plots recent gauge history, with the flood line drawn in whenever the river is anywhere near it. You see a squall's rise and fall, not just this minute's reading. LIVE ROAD CAM The Hanalei road cam, streaming live, courtesy of the Hanalei Initiative. The app finds the current stream on its own, so it keeps working when the broadcast restarts. WEATHER THAT LEADS WITH WHAT MATTERS Watches, warnings, and advisories in force for the North Shore come first, not buried in a technical narrative. Under that, the seven-period NWS forecast with temperature, wind, and chance of rain, and the full forecast discussion from NWS Honolulu when you want the reasoning behind it. Active flood alerts show up on the river screen too. TIDE AND DISCHARGE A tide curve for the day ahead with the next high or low called out, plus the river's discharge in cubic feet per second. EVERY GAUGE ON KAUAI One tab, one row per river: current level, direction, and a sparkline of recent readings. Hanalei, Wailua, Waimea, and the rest — the whole island in a few seconds of scrolling. ON YOUR WRIST The Apple Watch app keeps current height, reading time, discharge, and the next tide a glance away. NO ACCOUNT, NO ADS Nothing to sign up for. Pull to refresh, or just reopen the app and it updates itself. Full dark mode, so a 2 a.m. check doesn't light up the room. Readings come from the USGS gauge on the Hanalei River, tide predictions from NOAA, and alerts and forecasts from the National Weather Service. A gauge reading is not a road report. The app can tell you the river has reached flood stage; it cannot tell you whether water is over the road. Follow county and emergency guidance, and never drive through moving water.

Screenshots

Surf Captain4 screens
Hanalei River4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Surf Captain at Free against Hanalei River's $0.99. Surf Captain also leads on ratings volume (1.1K vs 22) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). Hanalei River's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On 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

Surf Captain is free to download; Hanalei River costs $0.99 up front. Surf Captain sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. Hanalei River asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Surf Captain holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Surf Captain has 1.1K ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Surf Captain's written reviews are positive against 67% of Hanalei River's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Surf Captain ships an update weekly, Hanalei River every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard10 real differences · 1 level
Surf Captain versus Hanalei River: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSurf CaptainHanalei River
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.8 (1.1K ratings) — better4.5 (22 ratings)
Positive reviews78.9% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings1.1K — better22
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#156#24 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB33 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperWeather CaptainONOSOL LLC

Customer experience

Surf Captain

All ratings1,121 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral1.4%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews38 reviews
Positive78.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative21.1%

Hanalei River

All ratings22 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral9.1%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Surf Captain

Subscriptions3
  • Surf Captain Pro14 Days trial$9.991 Year
  • Surf Captain Pro Annual14 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Surf Captain Pro Plus Annual14 Days trial$39.991 Year
None

Hanalei River

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Surf Captain free?
Surf Captain is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hanalei River free?
Hanalei River costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Surf Captain or Hanalei River?
Surf Captain is rated higher. Surf Captain averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Hanalei River averages 4.5 from 22 ratings.
Do Surf Captain or Hanalei River have ads?
Surf Captain shows ads; Hanalei River does not.
Which is updated more often, Surf Captain or Hanalei River?
Surf Captain ships an update weekly, and Hanalei River every 2 weeks. Most recently, Surf Captain was updated on November 3, 2026 and Hanalei River on November 3, 2026.
Which is more popular, Surf Captain or Hanalei River?
Surf Captain currently peaks at #156 in the App Store charts, and Hanalei River at #24. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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