Comparison

Tide Chart USA vs Tideline

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

Head to head
About

Tide Chart USA

Access detailed tidal information for various locations. This app is designed for recreational fishing enthusiasts, providing essential data for planning your next outing. It is intended for personal use and not for commercial navigation.

Highlights
  • Tidal information display
  • Designed for fishing
  • Recreational use
  • No warranty provided
Features
Read full description

"Tide Chart USA" is an application to display tidal information. I made for fun fishing. This program is not available for commercial purposes, and navigation. THERE IS NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND.

About

Tideline

Get detailed tide and current forecasts for thousands of US coastal stations. Access live buoy conditions, beach hazards, and weather information. Includes home screen widgets and an Apple Watch app for convenient access.

Highlights
  • Tidal current speed and direction
  • Rip current risk and beach alerts
  • Wave height and swell data
  • Water temperature and wind
  • Sunrise, sunset, and moon phases
  • Home screen and lock screen widgets
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Tideline is a tide and current forecasting app for boaters, anglers, surfers, and beachgoers. Official NOAA data for thousands of US coastal stations, plus tidal currents and slack water, live buoy conditions, and National Weather Service beach hazards. Built for people who actually need to know what the water is doing. FEATURES Tidal currents: flood and ebb speed, flow direction, and the next slack water Rip current risk, breaking surf, and National Weather Service beach alerts Wave height, swell period, and direction from the nearest NDBC buoy Water temperature, air temperature, and wind Next high or low with a live countdown, and a full tide chart for the day Sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset, and first and last light Home screen widgets in three sizes, plus a lock screen widget Widgets follow the location you set, or pin one to a specific station Apple Watch app that runs on its own, with watch face complications Works offline, so everything you've loaded stays on your device Set a reference line at a height that matters to you, drawn on the chart Thousands of NOAA tide stations across the US coast Every time framed in the station's own time zone, not your phone's TIDELINE PRO Save up to 10 locations Extended tide forecast, 7 days or 30 12-month tide table of every high and low Tide alerts before every high or low, on the locations you choose Best fishing times from solunar feeding periods, with the windows that land on moving water marked WHY TIDELINE Knowing when high tide is only gets you part of the way. Tideline answers the question that actually matters on the water: what is it doing right now, and what will it be doing when I get there. Tides, currents, swell, wind, and beach hazards in one place, with every number labeled with where it came from and how far away. NOAA-POWERED ACCURACY Every tide and current prediction comes directly from NOAA's Tides and Currents service, the official source for US tide predictions. Wave and sea temperature data comes from the NOAA National Data Buoy Center, and beach hazards from the National Weather Service. No third-party guesswork, and every card names the station or buoy it read. DESIGNED FOR THE WATER Whether you're timing an inlet, planning a fishing trip, checking the surf, launching a kayak, or walking the flats at low water, Tideline shows you what you need to know quickly and tells you honestly where it came from. PRIVACY Tideline doesn't collect your data. Location stays on your device and is used only to find the nearest NOAA station. There are no accounts, no tracking, and no analytics. Built in Maine by one person, for anglers, boaters, and surfers. Data from NOAA Tides & Currents, the National Weather Service, and the NOAA National Data Buoy Center. Tideline is an independent app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NOAA. Tide and current predictions are for general planning. Always consult official NOAA charts and local authorities for navigation.

Screenshots

Tide Chart USA4 screens
Tideline4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tide Chart USA at none against Tideline's 1. Tide Chart USA also leads on ratings volume (8.2K vs 9) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). Tideline's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 67%). 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. Tideline sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Tide Chart USA asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tideline holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tide Chart USA has 8.2K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Tide Chart USA's written reviews are positive against 100% of Tideline's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tide Chart USA ships an update every 5 months, Tideline every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Tide Chart USA versus Tideline: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTide Chart USATideline
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (8.2K ratings)5.0 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews67.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings8.2K — better9
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperhanitaroAlan Hubbard

Customer experience

Tide Chart USA

All ratings7,745 ratings
Positive95.6%
Neutral2.3%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews104 reviews
Positive67.3%
Neutral7.7%
Negative25.0%

Tideline

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Tide Chart USA

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Tide information off by an hour
  • App gets stuck in wrong location
  • Spelling errors in the app
  • Incompatible with some devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to scroll backwards in time
  • Extend timeline further into the future
  • Add more location options
  • Include current weather and conditions
  • Provide a widget for the lock screen

Tideline

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Tide Chart USA

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Tideline

One-time1
  • Tideline Pro$4.99

Questions

Is Tide Chart USA free?
Tide Chart USA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tideline free?
Tideline is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Tide Chart USA or Tideline?
Tideline is rated higher. Tide Chart USA averages 4.8 out of 5 from 8.2K ratings, while Tideline averages 5.0 from 9 ratings.
Do Tide Chart USA or Tideline have ads?
Tide Chart USA shows ads; Tideline does not.
Which is updated more often, Tide Chart USA or Tideline?
Tide Chart USA ships an update every 5 months, and Tideline every 3 days. Most recently, Tide Chart USA was updated on November 6, 2026 and Tideline on November 5, 2026.

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