Surf Captain vs Swell Intel
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 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
Swell Intel
Get detailed surf forecasts, real-time conditions, and smart alerts to find the best waves. Plan your surf trips with up to 16-day forecasts and easily scan spot conditions at a glance. Receive notifications when conditions meet your standards, ensuring you never miss a good session.
- Detailed surf forecasts up to 16 days
- Real-time wave height, swell, and wind data
- Smart alerts for optimal surf conditions
- At-a-glance spot condition ratings
- Detailed forecast charts (swell, wind, tide)
- Find and save nearby surf spots
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Swell Intel gives you everything you need to score the best waves — detailed surf forecasts, real-time conditions, and smart alerts that tell you when to go. Check the Conditions - Wave height, swell direction, wind speed, and surf quality ratings for every surf spot across the US and Puerto Rico. Forecasts extend up to 16 days so you can plan trips with confidence. At-a-Glance Conditions- Spot cards show morning, midday, and evening ratings at a glance — quickly scan which spots are firing and when the window is best without tapping into every forecast. Surf Alerts - Set a minimum condition rating on your favorite spots and get notified by push notification or email when conditions meet your standards. Never miss a good session again. Detailed Forecast Charts - Dive into swell period and direction, wind barbs, wave energy, tide charts, and sunrise/sunset — all the data you need in one place. Find Nearby Spots - Discover surf spots near your with real-time conditions and ratings. Save your favorites for quick access. Free to Use, More with Premium - Free: 5-day forecast, 5 nearby spots, 5 favorites, 1 alert - Premium Plus: 16-day forecast, 15 spots, 15 favorites, 10 alerts Terms of service - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Swell Intel at none against Surf Captain's shown. Swell Intel also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 76%). Surf Captain's advantage is ratings volume (1.1K vs 11). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases 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 Swell Intel sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Swell Intel 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 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Surf Captain's written reviews are positive against 100% of Swell Intel's.
Surf Captain ships an update weekly, Swell Intel every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Surf Captain | Swell Intel |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (1.1K ratings) | 5.0 (11 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.1K — better | 11 |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | #187 — better | #198 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 61 MB | 51 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Weather Captain | Swell Intel LLC |
Customer experience
Surf Captain
Swell Intel
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
Swell Intel
- Swell Intel Premium Monthly14 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Swell Intel Premium Plus14 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Premium Yearly14 Days trial$24.991 Year









