Comparison

Surf Captain vs Surf Report

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

Surf Report

Access detailed surf forecasts for over 6,000 global surf spots. Filter conditions like swell height, direction, and wind speed to find the optimal time for your next session. Offers a 7-day forecast and wave map for pro users.

Highlights
  • Global surf spot forecasts
  • Advanced filtering options
  • 7-day surf forecast
  • 7-day wave map
  • Swell height, period, and direction
  • Wind speed and direction
Features
Read full description

Surf Report provide surf forecast of 6268 surf spot in the world. Surf report add filter to select the best time to surf. the filter include time, swell height, swell period, swell direction, wind speed, wind direction. 【Pro】 Surf Report for 7 days wave map for 7 days Purchase Notes: 1. The account will be automatically renewed and deducted the corresponding fee 1 day before the expiration. 2. If you need to cancel the renewal, please cancel in your personal iTunes account at least 1 day in advance. 3. After purchase, users can manage or turn off automatic renewal in personal account settings. Terms of Services : https://www.astronomyobserver.net/h5/surf/user Privacy policy: https://www.astronomyobserver.net/h5/surf/privacy

Screenshots

Surf Captain4 screens
Surf Report4 screens

Verdict

The call

Surf Captain and Surf Report both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 76% of Surf Captain's written reviews are positive against 25% of Surf Report's. Surf Captain also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (1.1K vs 4). Surf Report's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Surf Captain sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year and Surf Report 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

Surf Report holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Surf Captain has 1.1K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 76% of Surf Captain's written reviews are positive against 25% of Surf Report's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Surf Captain ships an update weekly, Surf Report every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Surf Captain versus Surf Report: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSurf CaptainSurf Report
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.1K ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.8% of reviews — better25.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1.1K — better4
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank#130 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWeather Captain雪平 王

Customer experience

Surf Captain

All ratings129 ratings
Positive89.9%
Neutral2.3%
Negative7.8%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive75.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative24.2%

Surf Report

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%

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
3 purchases

Surf Report

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Pro$2.991 Month
  • Annual Pro$17.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Pro$49.99

Questions

Is Surf Captain free?
Surf Captain is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Surf Report free?
Surf Report is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Surf Captain or Surf Report?
Surf Report is rated higher. Surf Captain averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Surf Report averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Surf Captain or Surf Report have ads?
Surf Captain shows ads; Surf Report does not.
Which is updated more often, Surf Captain or Surf Report?
Surf Captain ships an update weekly, and Surf Report every 2 months. Most recently, Surf Captain was updated on October 30, 2026 and Surf Report on October 30, 2026.

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