Comparison

Surf Captain vs Weather Nerd

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

Weather Nerd

Get detailed weather forecasts and updates. This rebuilt application offers improved performance and a cleaner interface for all your weather needs. Contact the developer with any issues.

Highlights
  • Detailed weather forecasts
  • Real-time updates
  • Improved performance
  • Clean interface
  • Subscription required
Features
Read full description

Heads up... a subscription is required. Weather data aint cheap. Weather Nerd has been rebuilt from the ground up. Should run faster, cleaner, better on the latest devices. Probably some bugs to sort out so ping me if you run into any problems - weathernerdhelp@gmail.com Terms of Use (UELA) https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula Privacy Policy https://allstarapps.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Surf Captain4 screens
Weather Nerd3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Surf Captain at 4.8 against Weather Nerd's 3.7. Surf Captain also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 3). Weather Nerd's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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 Weather Nerd sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Surf Captain holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Surf Captain has 1.2K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Surf Captain ships an update weekly, Weather Nerd every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Surf Captain versus Weather Nerd: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSurf CaptainWeather Nerd
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.2K ratings) — better3.7 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews79.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.2K — better3
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
Best chart rank#168 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWeather CaptainAll Star Apps

Customer experience

Surf Captain

All ratings1,193 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral1.5%
Negative1.1%
Written reviews39 reviews
Positive79.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.5%

Weather Nerd

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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
2 purchases

Weather Nerd

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Annual$5.991 Year

Questions

Is Surf Captain free?
Surf Captain is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Weather Nerd free?
Weather Nerd is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Surf Captain or Weather Nerd?
Surf Captain is rated higher. Surf Captain averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Weather Nerd averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Surf Captain or Weather Nerd have ads?
Surf Captain shows ads; Weather Nerd does not.
Which is updated more often, Surf Captain or Weather Nerd?
Surf Captain ships an update weekly, and Weather Nerd every 3 weeks. Most recently, Surf Captain was updated on November 7, 2026 and Weather Nerd on November 5, 2026.

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