Comparison

Hanalei River vs Surf

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Hanalei River

Monitor river gauge heights and road conditions on Kaua'i during heavy rains. Access real-time data from USGS river gauges and view traffic camera feeds to check road accessibility. Future updates will include push notifications for rising river levels.

Highlights
  • USGS river gauge height monitoring
  • Hanalei Initiative road camera access
  • All Kaua'i river gauge data
  • Push notifications for rising rivers (upcoming)
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The Hanalei River decides a lot of days on the North Shore. This app tells you where it stands, in one number, plus everything you need to read it. THE RIVER RIGHT NOW Open the app and the river's height sits at the top of the screen, in feet, next to what it means against the 5 ft flood stage: Normal, Elevated, Near flood stage, or Flood stage. A trend chip says whether the river is rising, falling, or holding, and by how much in the last hour. Every reading is stamped with its age, and when a gauge goes quiet or the USGS equipment fails, the app says so. An old number never gets dressed up as a live one. THE LAST FEW DAYS AT A GLANCE A stage chart plots recent gauge history, with the flood line drawn in whenever the river is anywhere near it. You see a squall's rise and fall, not just this minute's reading. LIVE ROAD CAM The Hanalei road cam, streaming live, courtesy of the Hanalei Initiative. The app finds the current stream on its own, so it keeps working when the broadcast restarts. WEATHER THAT LEADS WITH WHAT MATTERS Watches, warnings, and advisories in force for the North Shore come first, not buried in a technical narrative. Under that, the seven-period NWS forecast with temperature, wind, and chance of rain, and the full forecast discussion from NWS Honolulu when you want the reasoning behind it. Active flood alerts show up on the river screen too. TIDE AND DISCHARGE A tide curve for the day ahead with the next high or low called out, plus the river's discharge in cubic feet per second. EVERY GAUGE ON KAUAI One tab, one row per river: current level, direction, and a sparkline of recent readings. Hanalei, Wailua, Waimea, and the rest — the whole island in a few seconds of scrolling. ON YOUR WRIST The Apple Watch app keeps current height, reading time, discharge, and the next tide a glance away. NO ACCOUNT, NO ADS Nothing to sign up for. Pull to refresh, or just reopen the app and it updates itself. Full dark mode, so a 2 a.m. check doesn't light up the room. Readings come from the USGS gauge on the Hanalei River, tide predictions from NOAA, and alerts and forecasts from the National Weather Service. A gauge reading is not a road report. The app can tell you the river has reached flood stage; it cannot tell you whether water is over the road. Follow county and emergency guidance, and never drive through moving water.

About

Surf

Get simple, accurate surf forecasts for over 7,000 breaks worldwide. Plan your sessions with detailed wave information, tide times, and mapping to find the best conditions and nearby spots. Access extended forecasts and custom alerts with premium features.

Highlights
  • Detailed surf forecasts
  • Wavefinder map
  • Live webcam links
  • Tide times
  • 12-day forecasts
  • Custom surf alerts
Features
Read full description

Surf-Forecast.com gives you simple, accurate and easy-to-read surf forecasts so you have the best chance of hitting those breaks when the waves are pumping. Built by surfers, for surfers, and trusted by millions of surfers for over 20 years, our updated app lets you see all your favorite surf spots at a glance. Providing detailed surf forecasts for over 7,000 breaks worldwide, our new features let you see further ahead than ever before - giving you plenty of advance warning for when those swells start coming in. Find the best surfing conditions near you and use the rating tool to find exactly when to go. – FREE App Features ⁃ Detailed surf forecasts ⁃ Wavefinder map ⁃ Live webcam links ⁃ Multi-swell component presentation ⁃ Tide times ⁃ Detailed mapping to locate nearby breaks – Surf Premium Benefits ⁃ Access to the full 16 days of our new Wavefinder feature ⁃ Hourly forecasts ⁃ 16 day forecasts ⁃ Custom surf alerts ⁃ Ad-free browsing on our website So what are you waiting for? Grab your board and get exploring. We’ll see you out there! For the full Terms and Conditions of this service please visit: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Hanalei River4 screens
Surf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Surf at Free against Hanalei River's $0.99. Surf also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (997 vs 22). Hanalei River's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On chart position 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

Surf is free to download; Hanalei River costs $0.99 up front. Surf sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Hanalei River asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Surf holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Surf has 997 ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Hanalei River's written reviews are positive against 86% of Surf's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hanalei River ships an update every 2 weeks, Surf every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Hanalei River versus Surf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHanalei RiverSurf
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (22 ratings)4.9 (997 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews86.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings22997 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#124#110 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB138 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperONOSOL LLCMeteo365 Ltd.

Customer experience

Hanalei River

All ratings22 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral9.1%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%

Surf

All ratings940 ratings
Positive99.3%
Neutral0.1%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews125 reviews
Positive86.4%
Neutral4.0%
Negative9.6%

Bugs and requests

Hanalei River

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Surf

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes or freezes on some devices
  • Geolocation issues with break markers

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to manually refresh data
  • More detailed tidal/current information
  • Expanded location coverage
  • Improved accuracy for wave height/conditions

In-app purchases

None

Hanalei River

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Surf

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Service: Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Premium Service (Yearly)$34.991 Year

Questions

Is Hanalei River free?
Hanalei River costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Surf free?
Surf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Hanalei River or Surf?
Surf is rated higher. Hanalei River averages 4.5 out of 5 from 22 ratings, while Surf averages 4.9 from 997 ratings.
Do Hanalei River or Surf have ads?
Surf shows ads; Hanalei River does not.
Which is updated more often, Hanalei River or Surf?
Hanalei River ships an update every 2 weeks, and Surf every 6 weeks. Most recently, Hanalei River was updated on October 25, 2026 and Surf on October 25, 2026.
Which is more popular, Hanalei River or Surf?
Hanalei River currently peaks at #124 in the App Store charts, and Surf at #110. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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