BayCurrents vs Set And Drift
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BayCurrents
Visualize high-resolution surface currents in the San Francisco Bay. This app supports various maritime activities with data up to 48 hours in the future. It operates autonomously offline, using NOAA model data enhanced by radar and tidal observations.
- High-resolution surface current maps
- 48-hour future forecasting
- Offline autonomous operation
- NOAA numerical model data
- Supports recreational and professional maritime activities
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BayCurrents is a mobile app for displaying maps of high resolution surface currents within the San Francisco Bay. The app is intended to support a wide range of maritime activities, from recreational fishing and sailing to the operation of professional transport vessels. The source for the surface current data is a numerical model operated by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The model benefits from oceanographic high-frequency radar (HFR) measurements from the Central & Northern California Ocean Observing System (CeNCOOS) HFR Network, along with other observations such as tides and wind. The resulting dataset contains current vector fields for hourly timestamps ranging from the recent past, to the present and up to 48 hours into the future. The complete vector dataset is downloaded by the app to allow autonomous offline operation. This app contains experimental data and is NOT for navigational purposes.
Set And Drift
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Take Current Measurements using any physical measuring device (e.g. a current stick) Ping the start and end locations, and the Set & Drift app will automatically calculate the Set Direction & Drift Rate of the current. Specify the original Event Time & Location, and the app will estimate the SAR target's approximate location.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Set And Drift at every 4 days against BayCurrents's every 10 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
BayCurrents ships an update every 10 months, Set And Drift every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BayCurrents | Set And Drift |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute | Susanne LEECH |
In-app purchases
BayCurrents
No in-app purchases
Set And Drift
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is BayCurrents free?
Is Set And Drift free?
Do BayCurrents or Set And Drift have ads?
Which is updated more often, BayCurrents or Set And Drift?
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