Comparison

PredictWind vs Surf Buddy Wave Height

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

Head to head
About

PredictWind

Get detailed marine weather forecasts, including wind, wave, tide, and current predictions. Compare multiple global weather models and access high-resolution maps. Optimize your routes and plan departures with AI-powered insights and historical climate data.

Highlights
  • Multiple global weather model comparison
  • High-resolution forecast maps
  • AI-powered weather routing
  • Departure planning tools
  • Tidal and ocean current maps
  • 10-day forecast and climate data
  • Live wind observations and webcams
Features
Read full description

Official weather supplier to the 37th America's Cup and The Ocean Race. Founded by Olympian and two-time America's Cup winner Jon Bilger, and used by over 2 million sailors, cruisers, fishers, boaters, paddlers, wingfoilers and kiters. Free wind, wave, tide, current and rain forecasts for anywhere on the water, from your home harbour to the middle of an ocean. FORECASTS YOU CAN CROSS-CHECK Compare the world's top-ranking models side by side: ECMWF, AIFS, ICON, UKMO and GFS, plus our own PWAi, PWG and PWE models. Add high-resolution regional models including HRRR, RRFS, AROME, ICON D2, UKMO 2K and our exclusive 1 km PWG & PWE, where available. When the models agree, go. When they don't, you know to wait. MAPS BUILT FOR THE WATER High-resolution forecast maps down to 1 km in selected areas for wind, gust, wave, rain, cloud, pressure, CAPE, air and sea temperature, ocean data and solunar, with animated streamlines, wind barbs or arrows and synoptic displays. Split-screen maps compare models or conditions, such as wind alongside currents. DASHBOARD TO SEE EVERYTHING Our new Dashboard brings together your Daily Briefing, wind, wave and tidal current maps, forecast graphs and a 10-day forecast, all in one view. WEATHER ROUTING PredictWind calculates the optimal route for comfort or speed, factoring in wind, wave, tide, ocean current, depth and your sailing yacht's or powerboat's dimensions and performance. Power Routing finds fuel-efficient routes tailored to your powerboat. Plan longer passages with ECMWF ensemble forecasts out to 30 days. DEPARTURE PLANNING See the conditions you'd meet across four departure times, then choose the departure window that suits your boat and your crew. TIDAL AND OCEAN CURRENT MAPS Tidal current maps at 100 m resolution in high-current areas, a 400 m model within 90 km of the coast and 4 km out to 600 km offshore, coupled with global ocean currents for the complete picture. AI ROUTING AND DEPARTURE SUMMARIES Trained for what matters to boaters, our AI summaries give you expert insight to help you make the right call and keep your family, friends and crew safe. PLAN AHEAD WITH CLIMATE DATA Explore 10 years of wind, wave and weather data, with monthly averages and wind and wave roses. Compare typical morning, afternoon and night conditions to choose when and where to sail, race or explore. PASSAGE GUIDE Find the best time of year for passages worldwide, with months rated Good, Marginal or Avoid, plus written summaries of historical conditions and seasonal planning advice. SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW Live wind observations, webcams and AIS coverage of more than 280,000 vessels, so you know the real conditions before you leave the dock. Hybrid satellite imagery, global rain radar and lightning overlays help you track approaching weather, rain and thunderstorms. ALSO INCLUDED • Daily Briefing: the forecast as a plain-text summary. • Tables: detailed wind, wave and rain analysis side by side. • Graphs: compare multiple forecasts at once. • Forecast Validation: see which model has been most accurate near you, checked against actual wind observations. • Weather Alerts: get told when your conditions arrive, including GMDSS extreme weather warnings. • Local Knowledge: the best spots, amenities and activities at your destination. • GPS Tracking: a free tracking page for your blog or website with wind data overlaid. • AI Polars: learn your boat's performance for more accurate routing. Requires a DataHub and Professional subscription. • Forecast Replay, Sail Crossover charts and comfort routing modes for maximum roll, vertical acceleration and slamming. Free to download, with forecasts for any location. Basic, Standard and Professional subscriptions add higher-resolution models, longer-range data and expert tools. Terms and conditions: https://www.predictwind.com/about-us/terms-and-conditions Privacy policy: https://www.predictwind.com/about-us/privacy-policy

About

Surf Buddy Wave Height

Access global wave height and direction data on an interactive map. This tool helps surfers track swells and find optimal surf spots worldwide.

Highlights
  • Global wave height data
  • Wave direction tracking
  • Interactive map interface
  • Swell tracking for surfers
  • Find best surf spots
Features
Read full description

The Surf Buddy Wave Height app provides global wave height and direction data in the form of an interactive map, which is a great tool for surfers for tracking swells and hitting the best surf spots.

Screenshots

PredictWind4 screens
Surf Buddy Wave Height3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PredictWind at 84% against Surf Buddy Wave Height's 0%. PredictWind also leads on rating (4.8 vs 1.0) and ads (none vs shown). Surf Buddy Wave Height's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. PredictWind sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Surf Buddy Wave Height asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PredictWind holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PredictWind has 33K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of PredictWind's written reviews are positive against 0% of Surf Buddy Wave Height's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PredictWind ships an update every 9 days, Surf Buddy Wave Height every 20 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
PredictWind versus Surf Buddy Wave Height: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPredictWindSurf Buddy Wave Height
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (33K ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews84.4% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings33K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 20 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
Best chart rank#25 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size111 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPredictWind Limitedcorey hoggard

Customer experience

PredictWind

All ratings32,906 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral2.1%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews461 reviews
Positive84.4%
Neutral3.0%
Negative12.6%

Surf Buddy Wave Height

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

PredictWind

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes or freezes on some devices
  • Inconsistent performance across different locations
  • Subscription issues and billing problems

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved integration with other apps and charts
  • More frequent weather model updates
  • Earlier weather forecast updates
  • Ability to customize alert settings
  • Improved offline functionality

Surf Buddy Wave Height

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

PredictWind

Subscriptions10
  • Basic - Monthly7 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Basic - 3 Monthly7 Days trial$12.003 Months
  • Basic - Annual7 Days trial$29.001 Year
Show 7 more
  • Standard - Monthly7 Days trial$49.001 Month
  • Standard - 3 Monthly$99.003 Months
  • Professional - Monthly7 Days trial$99.001 Month
  • Standard - 3 Monthly7 Days trial$99.003 Months
  • Standard - Annual7 Days trial$249.001 Year
  • Professional - 3 Monthly7 Days trial$249.003 Months
  • Professional - Annual7 Days trial$499.001 Year
None

Surf Buddy Wave Height

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PredictWind free?
PredictWind is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Surf Buddy Wave Height free?
Surf Buddy Wave Height is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PredictWind or Surf Buddy Wave Height?
PredictWind is rated higher. PredictWind averages 4.8 out of 5 from 33K ratings, while Surf Buddy Wave Height averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do PredictWind or Surf Buddy Wave Height have ads?
Surf Buddy Wave Height shows ads; PredictWind does not.
Which is updated more often, PredictWind or Surf Buddy Wave Height?
PredictWind ships an update every 9 days, and Surf Buddy Wave Height every 20 months. Most recently, PredictWind was updated on November 11, 2026 and Surf Buddy Wave Height on November 5, 2026.

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