Comparison

Spitcast Surf Report vs Surf Captain

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

Head to head
About

Spitcast Surf Report

Get accurate surf forecasts for numerous locations across Northern and Southern California. This app interprets buoy data to provide easy-to-understand surf reports, helping surfers plan their next session.

Highlights
  • Accurate surf forecasts
  • Northern & Southern California spots
  • Buoy data interpretation
  • Easy-to-understand reports
  • Regional coverage
Features
Read full description

Spitcast gives you accurate surf forecasts for surf spots throughout Northern CA and Southern California. Surfers trust our surf prediction algorithm to interpret buoy data and provide easy to understand and reliable surf reports at surf spots in regions including Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Seal Beach, Orange County, San Diego, and Santa Cruz. Check the forecast, grab your surfboard, and go for a surf! —— Spitcast Subscription purchase details —— • Subscription services are rendered for 1 month • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase • Subscription automatically renews • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal • Subscriptions may be managed by the user via the iPhone Settings app • Terms and conditions and privacy policy can be found here https://www.spitcast.com/terms/ and https://www.spitcast.com/privacy/

About

Surf Captain

Get detailed 16-day surf forecasts for numerous locations across North America and the Caribbean. This app provides highly accurate predictions in a user-friendly interface, making it easy to plan your next surf session.

Highlights
  • 16-day surf forecasts
  • United States forecasts
  • Canada forecasts
  • Central America forecasts
  • Caribbean forecasts
  • Accurate predictions
  • Simple interface
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Surf Forecasts Made Awesome! Surf Captain gives you 16-day surf forecasts in an app that's fast and simple to read. WHAT YOU GET • 16-day surf forecast, so you can plan your surf week • Surf height, swell, wind and tide together in one timeline • Swell breakdown showing the individual swells behind the surf, with height, period and direction • Favorites for the spots you check every day • Surf alerts that notify you when a spot is forecast to hit the conditions you set • Hundreds of locations across the United States, Canada, Central America and the Caribbean, with more regions on the way FORECASTS BUILT FOR THE BREAK Surf Captain doesn't just show open-ocean numbers. Our own wave model is tuned for each location, so the surf forecast reflects what reaches the beach: swell direction, wind, tide and nearby buoy data. FREE AND PRO The free app gives you the 5 day forecast for any spot. Surf Captain Pro unlocks the full 16 days, surf alerts and more for only $1.67 per month. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the period, and you can manage them in your account settings. Also works with your AI assistant: connect Surf Captain to Claude to ask about surf conditions in plain language. Questions or feedback? Use Contact inside the app. We read everything. Terms: https://surfcaptain.com/terms Privacy: https://surfcaptain.com/privacy Terms Of Use: https://surfcaptain.com/terms Privacy policy: https://surfcaptain.com/privacy

Screenshots

Spitcast Surf Report3 screens
Surf Captain4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Surf Captain at free with in-app purchases against Spitcast Surf Report's subscription. Surf Captain also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (76% vs 61%). Spitcast Surf Report's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases 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. Spitcast Surf Report sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.49 per month and Surf Captain sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Surf Captain holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 408 and 968 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of Spitcast Surf Report's written reviews are positive against 76% of Surf Captain's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spitcast Surf Report ships an update every 2 months, Surf Captain weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Spitcast Surf Report versus Surf Captain: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpitcast Surf ReportSurf Captain
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (408 ratings)4.8 (968 ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.7% of reviews75.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings408968 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank—#133 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB61 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJack MullisWeather Captain

Customer experience

Spitcast Surf Report

All ratings408 ratings
Positive91.2%
Neutral5.4%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive60.7%
Neutral10.7%
Negative28.6%

Surf Captain

All ratings129 ratings
Positive89.9%
Neutral2.3%
Negative7.8%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive75.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative24.2%

Bugs and requests

Spitcast Surf Report

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App started nagging to sign up for premium
  • App stopped working after a week
  • Charts have fixed Y-axis, data exceeds axis and is unlabeled
  • Dark mode is impossible to read
  • Color contrast is not accessible
Show 5 more
  • No ocean water temps for SOCAL
  • App less complete in offering many surf locations compared to website
  • Graphics not optimized for mobile viewing
  • New UI is terrible
  • App must be on the coast to work

Requested features

8 requests
  • Option to change colors
  • Add swell direction
  • Add hourly specs like website
  • Search for specific areas
  • Explanation of symbols (circles, % of month letters)
Show 3 more
  • Bring back old GUI
  • Indicate prediction for course of one day
  • Explanation for orange vs. gray bars

Surf Captain

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Spitcast Surf Report

Subscriptions1
  • Unlimited Access$0.491 Month
3 purchases

Surf Captain

Subscriptions3
  • Surf Captain Pro14 Days trial$9.991 Year
  • Surf Captain Pro Annual14 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Surf Captain Pro Plus Annual14 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Spitcast Surf Report free?
Spitcast Surf Report is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Surf Captain free?
Surf Captain is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Spitcast Surf Report or Surf Captain?
Surf Captain is rated higher. Spitcast Surf Report averages 4.7 out of 5 from 408 ratings, while Surf Captain averages 4.8 from 968 ratings.
Do Spitcast Surf Report or Surf Captain have ads?
Surf Captain shows ads; Spitcast Surf Report does not.
Which is updated more often, Spitcast Surf Report or Surf Captain?
Spitcast Surf Report ships an update every 2 months, and Surf Captain weekly. Most recently, Spitcast Surf Report was updated on October 22, 2026 and Surf Captain on October 27, 2026.

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