FloodWatch vs River Reports
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
FloodWatch
Monitor real-time river and flood data across the United States. Track river height, discharge, precipitation, and water temperature with data from USGS and NWS. Ideal for property owners, outdoor enthusiasts, and anyone needing flood awareness.
- Real-time river data
- Historical trends and graphs
- Favorites list for gauges
- Nationwide US coverage
- Flood awareness alerts
- Recreation water condition checks
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Whether you live near a river, enjoy kayaking or fishing, or simply want to stay informed about potential flooding, FloodWatch keeps you connected to the latest conditions across the United States. Powered by data from the US Geological Survey (USGS) and National Weather Service (NWS), FloodWatch helps you monitor rivers and streams with precision and confidence. Key Features • Real-Time River Data – Track current river height, discharge, precipitation, and water temperature from thousands of USGS gauges nationwide. • Historical Trends & Graphs – Visualize how river levels, streamflow, rainfall, and temperature change over time. • Favorites List – Save your most important gauges for instant access to the latest readings. • Nationwide Coverage – Explore data for rivers and streams throughout the U.S., including flood-stage information from NWS. • Flood Awareness – Keep watch on flood-prone areas and monitor rising waters before they become a threat. • Great for Recreation – Check water conditions before heading out to fish, paddle, or swim. Only USGS gauges with real-time data capabilities are included, so you’ll always get the most accurate and up-to-date information available. Whether you’re safeguarding your property, planning your next river trip, or simply fascinated by hydrology, FloodWatch gives you the insight to stay prepared when water levels change.
River Reports
Access real-time and historical river flow data for hundreds of locations in the American West. This app simplifies finding crucial information for outdoor activities like float trips or checking local creek conditions, consolidating data from various government sources.
- Real-time river flows
- Historical river flow data
- Weather conditions
- Consolidated data sources
- Coverage across American West states
- Easily digestible view
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River Reports provides real time and historical river flows and weather conditions for hundreds of locations across the American West. Whether you're planning your next float trip or you want to check the flows on your local creek, we've got you covered. We built River Reports after wasting hours searching through government sites trying to find relevant data. This is now a thing of the past. River Reports aggregates federal, state, and local data sources to bring you easily digestible, consolidated view of every river, creek, and stream. River Reports does not have ads. We built River Reports because we're fellow anglers who like checking flows! It's as simple as that. Coverage • Colorado • Idaho • Montana • Utah • Texas • Washington • Wyoming Data Sources • USGS • USBR • Division of Water Resources
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: River Reports at none against FloodWatch's 5. River Reports also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). FloodWatch's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 25 months) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). On price 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. FloodWatch sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. River Reports asks for nothing beyond the download.
FloodWatch holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FloodWatch has 328 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of FloodWatch's written reviews are positive against 50% of River Reports's.
FloodWatch ships an update every 2 months, River Reports every 25 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | FloodWatch | River Reports |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (328 ratings) — better | 4.4 (13 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 58.3% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 328 — better | 13 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 25 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Brian Deshong | Greg Lamp |
Customer experience
FloodWatch
River Reports
Bugs and requests
FloodWatch
Reported bugs
19 issues- App crashes on opening
- App crashes when updating levels
- App crashes when scrolling through favorites
- App crashes a lot
- App kicks out when viewing favorites
Show 14 moreShow fewer
- Map keeps returning to current location
- Layout changed, not preferred
- Does not work since September 11
- Update didn't resolve problem
- App kicks out when trying to access
- New update made nothing work
- Interface not intuitive
- Gauges not appearing on map initially
- Full page ads impede navigation
- App doesn't work at all
- No data or functions
- Inaccurate and missing major points
- App crashes on initial launch
- App crashes when trying to scroll thru favorites
Requested features
21 requests- Add alerts for flood stage
- Add Lock Screen widgets
- Add search bar for gauges
- Add CFS readings
- Add alerts for flow rate
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- Add historical data query
- Add data extractor to email
- Add link to data source website
- Add more information on the gage itself
- Add average conditions or trends
- Add push notifications
- Add ability to email charts
- Add automatic surfing to USGS website
- Add flood level for each river
- Add ability to send push notification for flooding potential
- Add discharge data
- Add complications for watch faces
- Add ability to remove ALL ads
- Add a "tell friends" function
- Add more sensors to pop up
- Add ability to get notified when water reaches a certain level in a certain area
River Reports
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
FloodWatch
- Tip Level 1$0.99
- Tip Level 2$2.99
- Tip Level 3$5.99
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Ad Removal$8.99
- Tip Level 4$9.99
River Reports
No in-app purchases
