# Surfline vs SurfWaves

The clearest difference is ads: SurfWaves at none against Surfline's shown. SurfWaves also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). Surfline's advantage is chart position (#5 vs unranked) and review sentiment (86% vs 75%). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Surfline sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $14.95 per month and SurfWaves sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Surfline | SurfWaves |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (31K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/surfline-wave-and-surf-reports/id393782096/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **31K** | — |
| Positive reviews | **85.9% of reviews** | 75.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#5** | — |
| Size | 207 MB | 80 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | +4 |
| Developer | [Surfline/Wavetrak](https://appshunter.io/developer/329198084) | [Dereck Vicentin Leme](https://appshunter.io/developer/1735624560) |

## What reviewers say

### Surfline

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/surfline-wave-and-surf-reports/id393782096)

**Currently charting:** #5 Top Grossing · Weather, #30 Top Free · Weather (US App Store)

This app provides detailed surf forecasts, live conditions, and expert analysis to help surfers plan their sessions. Access over 1000 live cams worldwide, hourly data on wave height, wind, and tide, and track your progress with session logging. Premium members receive exclusive discounts and giveaways.

**Highlights:** Global live surf cams, Hourly condition data, Expert surf reports, Detailed forecast analysis, Session logging, Apple Watch integration

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Surfline Premium | $14.95 | per month |
| Surfline Premium | $15.99 | per month |
| SL Premium - Monthly | $15.99 | per month |
| Surfline Forecast membership | $39.99 | per year |
| Surfline Premium with ads | $69.99 | per year |
| Surfline Premium | $99.99 | per year |
| Surfline Premium | $99.99 | per year |
| Surfline Premium | $119.99 | per year |
| Surfline Premium | $119.99 | per year |
| Surfline Premium+ | $149.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌊 Accurate surf forecasting
- 📽️ Useful live surf cams
- 🤙 Helpful for planning surf trips
- 🏄‍♂️ Invaluable for surfers
- 🗺️ Comprehensive coverage of surf spots

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤑 Expensive premium subscription
- 🚫 Limited access for free users
- 🌐 Inconsistent accuracy of forecasts
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate for new users
- 🔴 Frequent ads for premium service

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Inconsistent performance on different devices
- Unreliable live cam functionality
- Issues with login and account management

**Requested features**

- More live cams at popular surf spots
- Improved forecast accuracy and reliability
- Ability to share/comment on surf sessions
- Better integration with fitness trackers
- Customizable alerts and notifications


### SurfWaves

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/surfwaves/id6748910140)

This app uses AI to predict optimal surfing conditions, recommending the best beaches and times to surf. It offers real-time visual analysis of beach cameras for wave quality, crowd, wind, and tide, with customizable regional settings and multilingual support.

**Highlights:** AI-powered surf condition forecasting, Smart beach and time recommendations, Live image analysis of beach cameras, Wave quality, crowd, wind, and tide interpretation, Customizable regional settings and units, Multilingual support, Home screen widgets and Apple CarPlay integration

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| mensal R$9.90 | $9.99 | per month |
| Trimestral R$29.90 | $24.99 | per 3 months |
| Anual R$129.90 | $99.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Surfline free?

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

### Is SurfWaves free?

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

### Do Surfline or SurfWaves have ads?

Surfline shows ads; SurfWaves does not.

### Which is updated more often, Surfline or SurfWaves?

Surfline ships an update weekly, and SurfWaves weekly. Most recently, Surfline was updated on November 1, 2026 and SurfWaves on October 30, 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.*