Comparison

Surf Captain vs Current

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
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

Current

Get detailed, physics-based surf forecasts for California breaks. See wave height, how waves break, swell details, wind, tide, and water temperature. A free daily forecast is available, with premium features for multi-day predictions and advanced statistics.

Highlights
  • Physics-based surf forecasts
  • Wave break type prediction
  • Swell partitions and timeline
  • Lull duration and wave energy
  • Water temperature
  • Multi-day forecast (premium)
Read full description

Current gives you physics-based surf forecasts for every break In California and the East and Gulf Coasts. Current is part of a movement to create more accurate and detailed surf forecasts. What you get: • 8-day surf forecast for every spot - swell, wind, tide, surf heights, and ratings • An animated map - wind, currents, and swell in motion, surf height painted along the coastline • Spot stats you won't find anywhere else - set height, breaker type, peakiness • Secret spots - draw your own spot anywhere on the coast and get a full forecast for it Today's forecast is free for every spot. Upgrade to Current Premium for multi-day forecasts, detailed surf-zone statistics, and map overlays. Forecasts are estimates — always check real conditions and surf within your limits. - Support URL: https://currentsurf.com · Marketing URL (optional): https://currentsurf.com · Privacy Policy URL: https://currentsurf.com/privacy CURRENT PREMIUM (optional subscription) Premium Monthly - $4.99/month, auto-renews. Unlocks the full 8-day forecast everywhere: future-day map overlays, future-day spot stats, and up to 100 secret spots. Today's forecast is always free. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews monthly unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your App Store settings. Privacy Policy: https://currentsurf.com/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://currentsurf.com/terms

Screenshots

Surf Captain4 screens
Current4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Current at none against Surf Captain's shown. Surf Captain's advantage is ratings volume (129 vs 14) and update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, rating, review sentiment 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

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 Current sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Surf Captain against 4.7 for Current. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Surf Captain has 129 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of Surf Captain's written reviews are positive against 80% of Current's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Surf Captain ships an update weekly, Current fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Surf Captain versus Current: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSurf CaptainCurrent
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (129 ratings)4.7 (14 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.8% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings129 — better14
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank#108 — better#180
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWeather CaptainColin Weaver

Customer experience

Surf Captain

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

Current

All ratings14 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

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
1 purchases

Current

Subscriptions1
  • Current Premium$4.991 Month

Questions

Is Surf Captain free?
Surf Captain is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Current free?
Current is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Surf Captain or Current?
Current is rated higher. Surf Captain averages 4.6 out of 5 from 129 ratings, while Current averages 4.7 from 14 ratings.
Do Surf Captain or Current have ads?
Surf Captain shows ads; Current does not.
Which is updated more often, Surf Captain or Current?
Surf Captain ships an update weekly, and Current fortnightly. Most recently, Surf Captain was updated on October 16, 2026 and Current on October 8, 2026.
Which is more popular, Surf Captain or Current?
Surf Captain currently peaks at #108 in the App Store charts, and Current at #180. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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