Comparison

Surf Captain vs CoreSurfer Surf Reports

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

CoreSurfer Surf Reports

Features
Read full description

CoreSurfer brings live surf forecasting, spot discovery, maps, favorites, and trip planning into a native iPhone experience. Check current surf conditions at a glance with wave height, Core Score, wind, swell, tides, sunrise, sunset, air temperature, water temperature, and confidence. Open the full forecast for detailed 36-hour graphs and a 10-day outlook designed for quick surf decisions. Explore surf spots by region, browse an interactive map, save favorites to your CoreSurfer account, and keep a local surf trip journal for upcoming or past travel. CoreSurfer is built as the mobile companion to CoreSurfer.com, using live forecast data from the production CoreSurfer forecast engine. Features: • Live surf reports and forecasts • Core Score surf quality rating • Wave, wind, swell, tide, and temperature details • 36-hour forecast graphs • 10-day surf outlook • Interactive surf map • Spot search and regional browsing • Favorite spots with account sync • Local surf trip planning journal • Native iPhone interface built for fast checks Whether you are checking your local break before dawn or planning your next surf trip, CoreSurfer helps you find the best window to paddle out.

Screenshots

Surf Captain4 screens
CoreSurfer Surf Reports4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CoreSurfer Surf Reports at none against Surf Captain's 3. CoreSurfer Surf Reports also leads on ads (none vs shown). Surf Captain's advantage is chart position (#138 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price and device support 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. CoreSurfer Surf Reports asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Surf Captain versus CoreSurfer Surf Reports: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSurf CaptainCoreSurfer Surf Reports
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (968 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews75.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings968 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly—
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#138 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWeather CaptainSouthRock Technologies, LLC

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
None

CoreSurfer Surf Reports

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Surf Captain free?
Surf Captain is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CoreSurfer Surf Reports free?
CoreSurfer Surf Reports is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Surf Captain or CoreSurfer Surf Reports have ads?
Surf Captain shows ads; CoreSurfer Surf Reports does not.

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