Tide Chart USA vs Ocean Watch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Tidal information display
- Designed for fishing
- Recreational use
- No warranty provided
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"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.
Ocean Watch
Access tide predictions for over 3,300 stations across the US and Caribbean. Visualize tide data with stunning graphics and an interactive almanac. Plan your activities with offline access to predictions and custom notes.
- 3,300+ tide stations
- Stunning graphics and visualizations
- Offline tide predictions
- Interactive almanac
- Integrated station map
- Custom notes and images
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• Over 3,300 stations on every coast of the US and beyond. (Note: limited support for stations beyond the US and Caribbean) • Stunning images, graphics and innovative visualizations to make sense of the information you care most about. • Tide predictions anywhere anytime. Sophisticated prediction algorithms and decades of data, all included so you don’t need a data connection. • Interactive Almanac so you can see the future and make your plans. • Integrated Station Map to get the big picture. • Updated design across Watch / iPhone / iPad and Mac • Best-in-class widgets and complications • Make it personal with custom notes and images.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Ocean Watch at none against Tide Chart USA's shown. Ocean Watch also leads on device support (4 vs 2). Tide Chart USA's advantage is monetization model (ad-supported vs paid) and ratings volume (7.7K vs 2.5K). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Tide Chart USA against 4.8 for Ocean Watch. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7.7K and 2.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 68% of Tide Chart USA's written reviews are positive against 73% of Ocean Watch's.
Tide Chart USA ships an update every 5 months, Ocean Watch every 8 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Tide Chart USA | Ocean Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (7.7K ratings) | 4.8 (2.5K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 68.0% of reviews | 73.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7.7K — better | 2.5K |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months — better | Every 8 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 281 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | hanitaro | Blue Bright Labs LLC |
Customer experience
Tide Chart USA
Ocean Watch
User reviews
Tide Chart USA
From 7.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent tide chart
- 👍 Easy to read and understand
- 👍 Useful for boating, fishing, and other activities
- 👍 Accurate and reliable
- 👍 Simple and visually appealing
Room to improve
- 🐛 Location issues - app defaults to wrong location
- 🐛 Inaccurate tide information in some areas
- 🐛 Unable to change or add locations
- 🐛 Daylight saving time not handled properly
- 🐛 Tide chart not detailed enough in some areas
Ocean Watch
From 2.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Accurate tide information
- 🌟 Excellent app design and user experience
- ⏱️ Quick and responsive
- 🔍 Useful for planning beach activities
- 🗺️ Supports multiple locations
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 🔍 Limited coverage for some areas (e.g., Canada)
- 🔍 Inconsistent performance on Apple Watch
- 🔍 Complications not always accurate or up-to-date
- 🔍 Difficulty setting favorites or customizing the app
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
Ocean Watch
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes when trying to open tide station details
- Tide data sometimes stuck on wrong location
- Apple Watch app not syncing or updating correctly
- Issues with the app's widget not displaying accurate information
Requested features
5 requests- Add water temperature and wind speed data
- Improve Apple Watch complication to show more detailed tide information
- Expand coverage to more locations, especially in Canada and other countries
- Add ability to set tide alerts or notifications
- Improve stability and reliability to reduce crashes
In-app purchases
Tide Chart USA
No in-app purchases
Ocean Watch
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Tide Chart USA free?
Is Ocean Watch free?
Which has better reviews, Tide Chart USA or Ocean Watch?
Do Tide Chart USA or Ocean Watch have ads?
Which is updated more often, Tide Chart USA or Ocean Watch?
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