# Beachsafe vs SharkSmart

The clearest difference is rating: Beachsafe at 5.0 against SharkSmart's 4.3. Beachsafe also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (46% vs 26%). SharkSmart's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (282 vs 3). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Beachsafe holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SharkSmart has 282 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of Beachsafe's written reviews are positive against 26% of SharkSmart's.

Beachsafe ships an update every 6 months, SharkSmart weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Beachsafe | SharkSmart |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beachsafe/id397699623/reviews)** | [4.3 (282 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sharksmart/id915621811/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 3 | **282** |
| Positive reviews | **46.5% of reviews** | 26.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 100 MB | 49 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Surf Life Saving Australia Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/397699626) | [NSW Department of Primary Industries](https://appshunter.io/developer/476014891) |

## What reviewers say

### Beachsafe

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beachsafe/id397699623)

Discover Australian beaches with real-time information on surf conditions, weather, hazards, and lifesaving services. Find patrolled beaches, learn about safety, and get expert advice on rip currents and marine life.

**Highlights:** Find nearby beaches with GPS, View surf, weather, and tide forecasts, Check patrol service information, Identify beach hazards and warnings, Access surf safety advice, Save favorite beaches

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### SharkSmart

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sharksmart/id915621811)

Stay informed about shark activity in NSW before you swim. Get real-time alerts on tagged shark detections and drone sightings. Understand shark behavior and assess your personal risk for a safer beach experience.

**Highlights:** Real-time shark alerts, Drone and tagged shark detections, Interactive risk assessment, Shark and marine animal identification, Beach mitigation gear locations, Smartwatch compatibility

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 📍 Real-time shark detection and tracking
- 🎯 Valuable safety information for ocean users
- 📊 Comprehensive shark tagging data
- 🏖️ Helpful for swimmers and surfers
- 👍 Good app concept and design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing
- 📬 Excessive notifications from distant locations
- ⚙️ Notification settings not persisting
- 🐢 Slow loading times
- 🚫 Unable to add/save favorite beaches

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on startup or when opening alerts
- Favorite beaches not saving or reverting to all beaches
- Search function not listing available beaches
- Map hanging when opening away from beaches
- Notifications not respecting location radius settings

**Requested features**

- Ability to name individual tracked sharks
- Shark size and weight information at tagging
- Historical shark movement patterns and migration data
- Deep links from notifications to specific beaches
- Time-series reporting for shark activity


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Beachsafe free?

Beachsafe is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is SharkSmart free?

SharkSmart is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Beachsafe or SharkSmart?

Beachsafe is rated higher. Beachsafe averages 5.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while SharkSmart averages 4.3 from 282 ratings.

### Do Beachsafe or SharkSmart have ads?

Neither Beachsafe nor SharkSmart shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Beachsafe or SharkSmart?

Beachsafe ships an update every 6 months, and SharkSmart weekly. Most recently, Beachsafe was updated on September 19, 2026 and SharkSmart on September 22, 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.*