iCTides vs Absolute Tides
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iCTides
Access tide predictions for over 4400 US coastal locations, along with current time, sunrise/sunset, and moonrise/moonset. Enjoy customizable backgrounds and soothing ocean sounds for a tranquil experience.
- 4400+ US coastal tide predictions
- Current time, sunrise, sunset, moonrise/moonset
- Customizable backgrounds and slideshows
- Soothing ocean sound effects
- Watch app with complications
- Offline tide calculations
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iCTides for the iPhone and the iPod Touch provides predictions of times for high and low tides for over 4400 costal locations around the US, including Alaska, Hawaii and overseas US territories. Times are displayed with clocks that feature beautiful background images of tropical and ocean scenes. Soothing sounds of the ocean play in the background (can be disabled). Features: - High and low tide predictions for 4400 US costal locations. - Tide location can be selected from a list or via points on the map. - Also displays clocks for: - Current Time - Next Sunrise - Next Sunset - Next Moonrise - Next Moonset - Next Full Moon - 55 background images that can be shown individually or as a slide show. - Animated sweep second hand using a fishing pole and hook on the Current Time clock. - Plays soothing ocean sounds in the background (can be disabled). - Can be set to keep the iPhone on continuously for desk displays or to turn off automatically using the current iPhone settings. - Tide and other times are calculated locally (no net access required for predictions). - Watch app with complications available for most watch faces Special thanks to David Flater for developing the original XTide program and to Ann Rucker for porting XTide to Cocoa.
Absolute Tides
Access official UKHO tidal data offline for up to a year in advance. View monthly tide tables, daily charts, and tidal streams. Includes weather forecasts and anchoring assistance.
- Offline UKHO tidal data
- Annual data plugins
- Monthly tide tables
- Daily tide charts
- Tidal stream view
- Met Office weather forecast
- Anchoring assistance
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Displays officially licenced UKHO tidal data on an annual basis without ever needing to go online. The tidal data is contained in our annual data plugins and must be purchased using in-app purchases. Once you have purchased the data, this app will allow you to view UKHO standard port tides up to a year in advance. The app will also calculate secondary port tides using its own built in offsets. (The 'UK data 2016' IAP contains data for 38 primary ports and over 500 secondary ports, see our website for more details on coverage) The main view is an 'At a glance' table view of each month's tides and tidal ranges. Selecting an entry will display an easy to use daily chart view showing the tide height for any time of day and a tidal stream view showing tidal direction and speed at hourly intervals. The Weather section downloads and displays the current Met Office Inshore Forecast. Absolute Tides also makes anchoring easy by calculating the maximum and minimum tides beween the current time and any selected future date/time. Note: This application will NOT work without at least one of our tidal data in-app purchases being installed. Please check that the tide data you want is available before downloading this app. The small print: For leisure use only. Heights of tides can vary from those predicted depending on the prevailing weather conditions. All data is given in good faith and is believed to be correct but we accept no responsibility for any consequential loss or damage arising from use of this application. Secondary port data calculated using offsets will be less accurate than the UKHO standard port data. This app is neither affiliated to nor endorsed by the Met Office.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Absolute Tides at Free against iCTides's $0.99. Absolute Tides also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 44%). iCTides's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 11) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). On update cadence, ads 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
Absolute Tides is free to download; iCTides costs $0.99 up front. Absolute Tides sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. iCTides asks for nothing beyond the download.
iCTides ships an update every 7 months, Absolute Tides every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 2, 2026 and August 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iCTides | Absolute Tides |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 44.4% of reviews | 67.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 5 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Seaside Apps | Darren Edwards |
Customer experience
iCTides
Absolute Tides
In-app purchases
iCTides
No in-app purchases
Absolute Tides
- UK Tides 2016Free
- UK Tides 2017Free
- UK Tides 2018Free
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- UK Tides 2019Free
- UK & Eire Tides 2020Free
- UK & Eire Tides 2021Free
- UK & Eire Tides 2022$2.99
- UK & Eire Tides 2023$2.99
- UK & Eire Tides 2024$2.99
- UK & Eire Tides 2026$2.99
- UK & Eire Tides 2025$2.99









