Comparison

Terrafin Mobile vs Bluewater Forecast

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

Head to head
About

Terrafin Mobile

Access detailed marine data, including sea surface temperature, chlorophyll, and currents, for fishing, diving, and research. Download charts for offline use and track your vessel's location in real-time.

Highlights
  • Offline chart downloads
  • Real-time vessel tracking
  • Latitude/Longitude/Temperature readings
  • Mark waypoints
  • Distance & Bearing calculations
  • Sea Surface Temperature charts
  • Chlorophyll/Ocean Color charts
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Terrafin has provided key satellite data online for anglers, divers, and researchers since 1998. Now, Terrafin Mobile gives subscribers easy access to this data from your iPhone or iPad. Note: The Terrafin Mobile app installs with an assortment of sample charts, that you can use to try the various features. Access to current data requires an active subscription to the Terrafin website, available @ $119/year. Terrafin Mobile Features: • Browse Terrafin website to easily select charts. • Charts are downloaded to device for use offline. • Tap and drag cursor for accurate positioning. • Latitude / Longitude / Temperature readings at cursor. • Mark waypoints. • Distance & Bearing to waypoint or cursor. • Real time vessel location and track displayed on chart (GPS enabled device required). Data available with Terrafin Mobile • Hi Res (1.1km) Sea Surface Temperature Charts, updated multiple times daily. • Hi Res (1.1km) Chlorophyll / Ocean Color Charts, updated daily. • Altimetry (Sea Surface Height) Charts, updated daily. • Geostrophic Currents Charts, updated daily. • CloudFree SST charts, updated daily. • LEO 1 Day Composite SST charts, updated daily. Areas of Coverage: • U.S. East, West, and Gulf Coasts • Alaska & Hawaii • Caribbean & Bermuda • Mexico, including Baja and Sea of Cortez • Central America (Pacific Coast) • Venezuela • Brazil • Australia East Coast • Northwest Africa SAVE FUEL – SAVE $$$ - CATCH MORE FISH!

About

Bluewater Forecast

This marine weather app provides detailed forecasts for coastal areas, including wave height, wind, tides, and sea surface temperature. It offers a map-first interface with customizable layers and a one-screen dashboard for saved locations. An optional subscription unlocks advanced features like inshore topography and fishing hotspots.

Highlights
  • Map-based marine weather forecasts
  • Wave height, period, and direction
  • Wind and gusts
  • Tides, water levels, and currents
  • Radar and cloud imagery
  • Sea surface temperature
  • Saved spots with push alerts
Features
Read full description

Bluewater Forecast is a map-first marine weather app for inshore and offshore anglers, surfers, sailors, divers and boaters. It puts the forecast on a chart and covers the next five days for 45 locations on the US Atlantic, Gulf, Pacific and Hawaii coasts. Turn on the layers you need and they render over your coastline. WHAT YOU GET (FREE) • Buoys — NOAA NDBC stations nationwide: wave height, period, wind, water and air temperature, pressure, updated every 10 minutes • Waves — height, period and direction from GFS-Wave, hour by hour to five days, with the swell trains split out • Wind & gusts — NOAA HRRR 3 km for the first two days, the NWS National Blend to day five, drawn as streamlines • Tides, water levels and currents — NOAA CO-OPS predictions, observed water level against the tide (surge shows as the gap), and tidal current stations • Radar and clouds — NOAA MRMS quality-controlled radar (non-precipitation echoes removed) and GOES-East imagery, plus forecast cloud and precipitation fields when the clock is moved forward • Sea surface temperature (NASA MUR), NWS marine alerts, NOAA artificial reefs, the NOAA nautical chart • A one-screen dashboard for your spot: conditions, tide, sun and moon, a five-day meteogram, the nearest buoys • Saved spots, and push alerts when a spot's wind, swell and tide line up BLUEWATER PRO • Inshore Topo — bottom structure for creeks, passes and flats from NOAA topobathy lidar and sonar surveys, rendered at about 3 m: 1 ft contours in the shallows, relief shading for holes and ledges, intertidal flats marked, and a 3D mode that tilts the chart over the surveyed bottom. Covers the 45 dashboard locations. • Temperature breaks — labelled isotherms from NASA MUR sea surface temperature, in °F • Fishing hotspots — a composite that scores where temperature breaks, colour changes, current edges, eddy edges and bathymetric slope coincide • Ocean currents and eddies — Copernicus Marine forecast currents as flowing particles, with sea-height rings that trace the eddy edges • Chlorophyll — NASA PACE ocean colour, the boundary between blue and green water DESIGNED FOR THE WATER A dark, high-contrast chart built to be read in sunlight. Forecast fields are prepared on our servers ahead of time, so most views load in about a second, and the last forecast for a saved spot stays on screen while a weak connection catches up. ONE CLOCK Move the time from now to five days out and every forecast layer follows — wind, waves, clouds, currents, tides. Observation layers fade when the clock leaves the present rather than presenting old data as a forecast. FREE TO USE The forecast, buoys, radar, charts and map are free. Bluewater Pro is an optional subscription managed on our website; sign in with a Pro account here and its layers unlock. Bluewater Forecast is an independent app, not affiliated with NOAA, NASA or Copernicus. It is a planning tool — never for navigation or safety-of-life decisions. Inshore Topo depths are relative to NAVD88 (about mid tide), survey dates vary by area, and conditions at sea change faster than any forecast.

Screenshots

Terrafin Mobile3 screens
Bluewater Forecast4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Bluewater Forecast at none against Terrafin Mobile's 1. Bluewater Forecast also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). Terrafin Mobile's advantage is chart position (#87 vs unranked). On price, rating, ads 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. Terrafin Mobile sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Bluewater Forecast asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Terrafin Mobile against 5.0 for Bluewater Forecast. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Terrafin Mobile ships an update every 6 weeks, Bluewater Forecast every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Terrafin Mobile versus Bluewater Forecast: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTerrafin MobileBluewater Forecast
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews36.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings13 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFreemium — better
Best chart rank#87 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTerrafin Satellite ImagingCORY LANE BROWN

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Terrafin Mobile

One-time1
  • Terrafin Membership 12 Months$119.00
None

Bluewater Forecast

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Terrafin Mobile free?
Terrafin Mobile is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bluewater Forecast free?
Bluewater Forecast is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Terrafin Mobile or Bluewater Forecast?
Terrafin Mobile and Bluewater Forecast are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do Terrafin Mobile or Bluewater Forecast have ads?
Neither Terrafin Mobile nor Bluewater Forecast shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Terrafin Mobile or Bluewater Forecast?
Terrafin Mobile ships an update every 6 weeks, and Bluewater Forecast every 4 days. Most recently, Terrafin Mobile was updated on November 1, 2026 and Bluewater Forecast on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons