Comparison

Rivercast vs River Reports

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

Head to head
About

Rivercast

Monitor river levels, flow rates, and flood warnings with real-time data and forecasts. Get custom alerts for your favorite waterways and visualize trends with interactive graphs. Essential for anyone living, working, or recreating near water.

Highlights
  • Official flood warnings and alerts
  • River stage height and flow rate
  • Color-coded river status indicators
  • Customizable push notification alerts
  • Interactive map of river gauges
  • Detailed historical and forecast data
  • Home and Lock Screen widgets
Features
Read full description

Whether you're a boater, property owner, fisherman, paddler, whitewater rafter, or someone who works or lives near the water, Rivercast® makes it easy to see exactly what's happening on the rivers that matter to you. Rivercast includes: • Over 12,000 active gauges across USA • Official flood warnings and alerts from the National Weather Service • River stage height in feet • River flow rate in CFS (when available) • Color indicators showing when a river is normal, rising, or flooding • Current observations and recent history • Custom river level alerts when a river reaches your chosen level (Premium feature) • NOAA river forecasts (when available) • Interactive Map showing all nearby river gauges • Search by waterway name, state, or NOAA 5-digit station ID • Interactive Graphs with pinch-to-zoom and pan • Add your own reference lines to graphs for landmarks or safety levels • Favorites list for quick access to your key locations • Share graphs via iMessage, Email, Facebook, and more • Full Dark Mode support • Companion Apple Watch app to monitor your favorites (Premium feature) • Home Screen, Lock Screen, and StandBy Mode Widgets to monitor your favorites Rivercast’s map not only shows where gauges are located, but color-codes them to indicate whether each station is at normal levels, approaching flood stage, or above flood stage. Tap any location to view the latest observations or open an interactive graph for detailed trends. Pinch or drag to zoom and pan, or tap and hold for precise readings using the crosshair tool. Customize your hydrographs with personal level markers for bridges, sandbars, rocks, or safe navigation levels. Add favorite gauges for quick monitoring anytime. Rivercast uses official NOAA observation and forecast data and requires an internet connection for data access. Data is displayed in feet or cubic feet per second (CFS) when available, always shown in your local time. A trusted tool for boaters, fishermen, property owners, paddlers, scientists, and marine professionals who need clear, reliable river information. River gauges reported are USA only. We take our accuracy seriously! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Some Frequently Asked Questions: Where does Rivercast get its data? This app uses NOAA sources for its raw data for our custom graphing and mapping solutions. Some locations available only from other agencies (such as USGS) may not appear in this app. Why does Rivercast sometimes show slightly different flow data (CFS) than USGS? CFS is a calculated estimate derived from stage height. NOAA and USGS may sometimes use different data models, so results can vary slightly—usually within a few percent. Stage height should always be identical between NOAA and USGS, and designated flood stages are usually based on height in feet. Why does Rivercast only show observations, but not forecasts, for my river? NOAA provides forecasts for many, but not all, monitored rivers. Some forecasts are seasonal or only issued during high-water events. My river gauge was there yesterday, but it’s gone today. Why? River gauges occasionally have technical issues transmitting data or may even be washed out during flooding. Some are also seasonal. NOAA typically restores data within a few days or weeks. Can you add location XYZ to your app? We wish we could! If NOAA doesn’t report data for that location, we unfortunately can’t include it. Rivercast displays all stations that NOAA provides for public use. For more information, visit www.RivercastApp.com Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula Disclaimer: Rivercast is not affiliated with or endorsed by NOAA, USGS, or any other government entity. Rivercast

About

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.

Highlights
  • Real-time river flows
  • Historical river flow data
  • Weather conditions
  • Consolidated data sources
  • Coverage across American West states
  • Easily digestible view
Features
Read full description

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

Rivercast4 screens
River Reports4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: River Reports at none against Rivercast's 2. River Reports also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). Rivercast's advantage is review sentiment (85% vs 50%) and update cadence (every 11 days vs every 25 months). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Rivercast sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. River Reports asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Rivercast holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rivercast has 11K ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Rivercast's written reviews are positive against 50% of River Reports's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rivercast ships an update every 11 days, River Reports every 25 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Rivercast versus River Reports: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRivercastRiver Reports
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (11K ratings) — better4.4 (13 ratings)
Positive reviews84.6% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings11K — better13
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterEvery 25 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#142 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS18.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJuggernaut Technology, Inc.Greg Lamp

Customer experience

Rivercast

All ratings11,359 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral3.9%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews123 reviews
Positive84.6%
Neutral2.4%
Negative13.0%

River Reports

All ratings13 ratings
Positive84.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative15.4%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

Rivercast

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Forecast data not always available
  • Occasional crashes or freezes
  • Issues with updating the app or reinstating premium subscription

Requested features

5 requests
  • Notification alerts when water levels reach certain thresholds
  • Ability to view longer historical data
  • Integration with weather data and forecasts
  • Water temperature information
  • More river/stream coverage, especially for smaller waterways

River Reports

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Rivercast

Subscriptions1
  • Rivercast Premium Plus$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Rivercast Premium Lifetime$44.99
None

River Reports

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Rivercast free?
Rivercast is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is River Reports free?
River Reports is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Rivercast or River Reports?
Rivercast is rated higher. Rivercast averages 4.7 out of 5 from 11K ratings, while River Reports averages 4.4 from 13 ratings.
Do Rivercast or River Reports have ads?
Rivercast shows ads; River Reports does not.
Which is updated more often, Rivercast or River Reports?
Rivercast ships an update every 11 days, and River Reports every 25 months. Most recently, Rivercast was updated on November 3, 2026 and River Reports on September 21, 2026.

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