# BayCurrents vs Actual Currents

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BayCurrents at none against Actual Currents's 3. BayCurrents also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Actual Currents's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (20 vs 3). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Actual Currents sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. BayCurrents asks for nothing beyond the download.

BayCurrents holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Actual Currents has 20 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

BayCurrents ships an update every 2 months, Actual Currents fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BayCurrents | Actual Currents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/baycurrents/id1591997070/reviews)** | [4.7 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/actual-currents/id6761431005/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 3 | **20** |
| Positive reviews | — | 60.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 1 MB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute](https://appshunter.io/developer/997448509) | [Luka Catipovic](https://appshunter.io/developer/1889586305) |

## What reviewers say

### BayCurrents

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/baycurrents/id1591997070)

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.

**Highlights:** High-resolution surface current maps, 48-hour future forecasting, Offline autonomous operation, NOAA numerical model data, Supports recreational and professional maritime activities

**In-app purchases:** none


### Actual Currents

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/actual-currents/id6761431005)

Visualize real-time tidal currents with animated particles and a detailed heatmap on an interactive nautical map. Plan your trips with confidence by scrubbing through time to see how currents change throughout the day, with options for global ocean currents and wind overlays.

**Highlights:** Animated tidal current visualization, Real-time wind overlay, Interactive nautical map, Time scrubber for predictions, Route planning with current analysis, Global ocean currents view

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Unlimited monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Yearly | $39.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BayCurrents free?

BayCurrents is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Actual Currents free?

Actual Currents is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, BayCurrents or Actual Currents?

BayCurrents is rated higher. BayCurrents averages 5.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Actual Currents averages 4.7 from 20 ratings.

### Do BayCurrents or Actual Currents have ads?

Neither BayCurrents nor Actual Currents shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BayCurrents or Actual Currents?

BayCurrents ships an update every 2 months, and Actual Currents fortnightly. Most recently, BayCurrents was updated on October 4, 2026 and Actual Currents on October 13, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*