Surf Captain vs Surf
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 16-day surf forecasts
- United States forecasts
- Canada forecasts
- Central America forecasts
- Caribbean forecasts
- Accurate predictions
- Simple interface
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Surf Captain makes knowing the upcoming surfing conditions a breeze with 16 day surf forecasts for the United States, Canada, Central America, and the Caribbean. Highly accurate forecasts in a simple to use application. New regions will be added in time. Terms Of Use: https://surfcaptain.com/terms Privacy policy: https://surfcaptain.com/privacy
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 update cadence: Surf Captain at weekly against Surf's every 6 weeks. Surf's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.6) and ratings volume (940 vs 107). On price, ads, 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
Both are free to download. Surf Captain sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year and Surf sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Surf holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Surf has 940 ratings behind it against 107, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Surf Captain's written reviews are positive against 87% of Surf's.
Surf Captain ships an update weekly, Surf every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.
| Parameter | Surf Captain | Surf |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (107 ratings) | 4.9 (940 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 77.4% of reviews | 86.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 107 | 940 — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #81 — better | #108 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 61 MB | 138 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Weather Captain | Meteo365 Ltd. |
Customer experience
Surf Captain
Surf
Bugs and requests
Surf Captain
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
Surf Captain
- 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
Surf
- Premium Service: Monthly$4.991 Month
- Premium Service (Yearly)$34.991 Year
