Comparison

MSW Surf Forecast vs Surf Captain

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

Head to head
About

MSW Surf Forecast

Access comprehensive surf forecasts, live surf cams, and expert reports for breaks worldwide. Plan future surf trips with 16-day forecasts and relive your sessions with wave analysis and video playback. Shop surf gear and stay updated on surf news.

Highlights
  • Live surf cams at 950+ breaks
  • 16-day long-range forecasts
  • Daily surf reports from experts
  • Wave height, wind, weather, and tide data
  • Surf Alerts for perfect conditions
  • Cam Rewind for session replays
  • Surf gear shopping with premium benefits
Features
Read full description

Magicseaweed has joined Surfline and the MSW app is no longer being supported. You can now get all your favorite features on Surfline: ​ ​Keep track of current surf conditions.​ -View live surf cams at 950+ breaks around the world.​ -Get daily surf reports from our team of experts.​ -View wave height, live wind, weather, water temperature, and tide.​ -Choose to get notified when the conditions are perfect at your favorite spots with Surf Alerts. ​ -View detailed buoy charts and nearshore models.​ ​Plan future surf adventures.​ -Use 16-day long-range forecasts to plan ahead.​ -Read swell analysis from our in-house forecasting team.​ ​Relive your sessions and watch your waves.​ -Use Cam Rewind to watch and download your best waves (and wipeouts).​ -Sync your Apple Watch to log Surfline Sessions and get your waves sent straight to your phone.​ -View detailed analysis of waves ridden, length of ride, and speed.​ -Share your rides with friends and on social media.​ Shop top-quality surf essentials.​ -Shop a selection of surfboards, wetsuits, surf accessories, and other gear. ​ -Save up to $60 on every order. (Premium only)​ -Get free shipping on every order. (Premium only)​ -View gear guides, reviews, and other gear-related stories. ​Stay connected to all things surf.​ -Watch the world’s best waves with live coverage of major swell events.​ -Read up on the latest surf news, travel, training, and gear content.​ ​Search for ‘Surfline’ on the App Store to download. ​ --​ MSW Pro Subscriptions and Renewals​ Magicseaweed Pro Subscriptions are no longer available to purchase for most subscribers as part of the migration to Surfline. MSW Pro subscribers now have access to a Surfline Premium membership until the end of their current MSW Pro subscription term. Unless auto-renewal is turned off through iTunes account settings, the Surfline Premium membership will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of your current MSW subscription term. Full terms and conditions can be found at https://magicseaweed.com/legal/terms-and-conditions-of-use/.​

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

Screenshots

MSW Surf Forecast4 screens
Surf Captain4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Surf Captain at weekly against MSW Surf Forecast's every 6 weeks. Surf Captain also leads on chart position (#118 vs unranked). MSW Surf Forecast's advantage is review sentiment (93% vs 79%) and ratings volume (15K vs 1.1K). On price, rating, ads 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. MSW Surf Forecast sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Surf Captain sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. 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 — 4.8 for MSW Surf Forecast against 4.8 for Surf Captain. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MSW Surf Forecast has 15K ratings behind it against 1.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 93% of MSW Surf Forecast's written reviews are positive against 79% of Surf Captain's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MSW Surf Forecast ships an update every 6 weeks, Surf Captain weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
MSW Surf Forecast versus Surf Captain: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMSW Surf ForecastSurf Captain
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (15K ratings) — better4.8 (1.1K ratings)
Positive reviews93.1% of reviews — better78.9% of reviews
Number of ratings15K — better1.1K
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksWeekly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#118 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB63 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperSurfline/WavetrakWeather Captain

Customer experience

MSW Surf Forecast

All ratings14,904 ratings
Positive98.2%
Neutral1.0%
Negative0.7%
Written reviews494 reviews
Positive93.1%
Neutral2.8%
Negative4.0%

Surf Captain

All ratings1,121 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral1.4%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews38 reviews
Positive78.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative21.1%

Bugs and requests

MSW Surf Forecast

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Favorites list not syncing across devices
  • Webcam functionality not working as expected

Requested features

4 requests
  • Customizable notifications for swell/conditions
  • Improved sorting/filtering of favorite spots
  • More detailed local spot descriptions
  • Integration with other weather/surf apps

Surf Captain

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

MSW Surf Forecast

One-time1
  • MSW App+$2.99
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

Questions

Is MSW Surf Forecast free?
MSW Surf Forecast is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Surf Captain free?
Surf Captain is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MSW Surf Forecast or Surf Captain?
MSW Surf Forecast is rated higher. MSW Surf Forecast averages 4.8 out of 5 from 15K ratings, while Surf Captain averages 4.8 from 1.1K ratings.
Do MSW Surf Forecast or Surf Captain have ads?
Both MSW Surf Forecast and Surf Captain show ads.
Which is updated more often, MSW Surf Forecast or Surf Captain?
MSW Surf Forecast ships an update every 6 weeks, and Surf Captain weekly. Most recently, MSW Surf Forecast was updated on November 4, 2026 and Surf Captain on November 3, 2026.

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