Comparison

Weather Underground vs Wave Whisperer

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

Head to head
About

Weather Underground

Get hyper-local weather forecasts and severe storm alerts powered by a vast network of personal weather stations. Track current conditions, view interactive radar maps, and receive customizable notifications for upcoming weather events.

Highlights
  • Hyper-local forecasts
  • Severe weather alerts
  • Interactive radar maps
  • Personal weather station data
  • Hourly/daily forecasts up to 15 days
  • Air quality and UV index
Features
Read full description

Discover a reliable, real-time and hyper-local forecast that will always warn you about upcoming severe weather. Weather Underground combines data from over 250,000+ personal weather stations and a proprietary forecast model to give you the most accurate and hyperlocal forecasts, at a microclimate level. Discover about current conditions, interactive Nexrad radar, get customizable severe weather alerts and much more. You’ll always be prepared for whatever the weather brings. 5 REASONS TO DOWNLOAD WEATHER UNDERGROUND • Severe weather alerts: set weather alerts for your exact position, so you can always be prepared for an upcoming storm! • Local conditions: get current weather conditions from local weather stations and hourly/daily summary forecasts up to 10 days in the future, which include chance of precipitation and daily weather summaries. • Most detailed weather data: stay updated with the best weather data including temperature, “Feels Like,” wind speed, wind directions, today’s rain accumulation, humidity, dew point, visibility, and pressure. • Other geographical data: discover our air quality index, UV index, local flu outbreaks, sunrise & sunset and moonrise & moonset. • Customized experience: set your app with light & dark modes, various map types and units. DISCOVER THE UNIQUE FEATURES OF WEATHER UNDERGROUND • Interactive radar maps & severe weather: • The most interactive weather map on mobile allows you to select from different weather overlays, personal weather stations, nexrad radar, satellite, heat maps, and rain accumulation. • Sophisticated weather visualizations with hi-res satellite & cloud cover imagery from GOES-16, powered by data from NOAA. • Keep an eye out for extreme weather and always be prepared with severe weather alerts. Accurate hyper-local forecasts: • Over 250,000 personal weather stations report the most accurate local weather conditions. • Made to fill in the gaps between the airport weather stations that other weather services rely upon to generate forecasts - meaning our data is generated from actual data points in your neighborhood. Subscribe to Premium! • Upgrade and remove all ads from your weather app by purchasing an annual subscription. • Access Smart Forecasts: set your ideal weather conditions for your outdoor activities and we’ll tell you when to go. • View Extended Hourly Forecasts up to 15 days in the future. You can cancel your Weather Underground subscription anytime through your iTunes account settings, or it will automatically renew. This must be done 24 hours before the end of any subscription period to avoid being charged another fee. Subscription payments will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of your purchase and upon commencement of each renewal term. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. ----- Privacy & Feedback • Our Privacy Policy can be viewed here: https://www.wunderground.com/company/privacy-policy • Our Terms of Use can be viewed here: https://www.wunderground.com/company/legal
 • If you have any questions or suggestions about our weather service, please do not hesitate to get in touch at support@wunderground.com.

About

Wave Whisperer

Access real-time buoy data for surfers, including swell height, period, direction, and sea surface temperature. Track historical readings, compare conditions over 24 hours, and learn about buoy data with an educational section. Features a low-light mode and customizable units.

Highlights
  • Real-time buoy data (swell, period, direction, temp)
  • 24-hour condition comparison
  • Save and revisit historical readings
  • Rotating compass with swell direction
  • Buoy School educational section
  • Low Light display mode
  • Customizable units (feet/meters, F/C)
Features
Read full description

Read the buoy. Watch the water. Train your call. Wave Whisperer pulls current buoy data straight from CDIP (Scripps) and NOAA's National Data Buoy Center. See current swell height, period, direction, and sea surface temperature for your break, all on one clean screen. Built for surfers who want the numbers as measured, not a forecast. Study for a season. See the results. With time, discipline and patience, you become a better surfer who understands the ocean and your break. What you get: • Your own buoys: five to start, the nearest to you when location is on, then any of 109 across the North Pacific • Individual swells and the average period, two switches you turn on when you want them • 24-hour comparison, so you can see how conditions have shifted • Recent data at a glance; press and hold a row to log a past reading • Your logbook: tap the pencil to log a reading, name it what you saw, and star it. When a live reading matches a starred log, an amber ring highlights CURRENT • A rotating compass with swell direction on the rim • Buoy School: what every reading means, with CDIP's own definitions and links • Dark display mode for dawn patrol • Feet and Fahrenheit, or meters and Celsius; 12-hour or 24-hour clock • A share card for the current reading No ads. No accounts. No tracking. Your logbook stays on your device and in your own iCloud. Try it free for 30 days. After that, a one-time $1.99 unlock keeps it going. No subscription. Wave Whisperer shows current measured conditions. It is not a forecast and does not tell you whether to paddle out. Always use your own judgment and official sources for marine safety. Not affiliated with NOAA, NDBC, CDIP, or Scripps.

Screenshots

Weather Underground4 screens
Wave Whisperer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Wave Whisperer at 100% against Weather Underground's 26%. Wave Whisperer also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.9) and ads (none vs shown). Weather Underground's advantage is ratings volume (32K vs 2) and chart position (#10 vs unranked). On price, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Weather Underground sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Wave Whisperer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Wave Whisperer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Weather Underground has 32K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 26% of Weather Underground's written reviews are positive against 100% of Wave Whisperer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Weather Underground ships an update every 2 months, Wave Whisperer monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Weather Underground versus Wave Whisperer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWeather UndergroundWave Whisperer
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (32K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews25.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings32K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#10 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size90 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWeather Underground, LLCIn the Moment Technology LLC

Customer experience

Weather Underground

All ratings31,600 ratings
Positive73.1%
Neutral5.8%
Negative21.1%
Written reviews993 reviews
Positive25.7%
Neutral14.4%
Negative59.9%

Wave Whisperer

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Weather Underground

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Incorrect weather data and forecasts
  • Inability to change location
  • Disappearing weather station data
  • Ads and subscription issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Restore previous app layout and features
  • Customizable weather data display
  • Improved weather station integration
  • Offline mode for weather data

Wave Whisperer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Weather Underground

Subscriptions2
  • WU Premium (Monthly)$3.991 Month
  • WU Premium (Yearly)$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • WU Ad-Free for 1 year$1.99
1 purchases

Wave Whisperer

One-time1
  • Lifetime Unlock$1.99

Questions

Is Weather Underground free?
Weather Underground is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Wave Whisperer free?
Wave Whisperer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Weather Underground or Wave Whisperer?
Wave Whisperer is rated higher. Weather Underground averages 3.9 out of 5 from 32K ratings, while Wave Whisperer averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Weather Underground or Wave Whisperer have ads?
Weather Underground shows ads; Wave Whisperer does not.
Which is updated more often, Weather Underground or Wave Whisperer?
Weather Underground ships an update every 2 months, and Wave Whisperer monthly. Most recently, Weather Underground was updated on November 1, 2026 and Wave Whisperer on October 28, 2026.

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