Comparison

Spitcast Surf Report vs SurfMap

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

SurfMap

This app uses AI to provide personalized surf forecasts based on your skill level and preferred spots. It offers an interactive map for viewing conditions and custom alerts to never miss a great session.

Highlights
  • AI-powered personalized forecasts
  • Interactive map with live conditions
  • 7-day surf planning
  • Customizable alerts
  • Tide and crowd level tracking
  • Skill-level adaptation
Features
Read full description

SurfMap rates the surf for your level at more than 5,000 spots around the world. For each spot, it shows you the best hours to go and tells you why. RATED FOR YOUR LEVEL • Tell SurfMap if you're a beginner, an intermediate or an advanced surfer, and every hour of the week gets a rating for you. • Each rating gives its reason in plain words, like "Ideal size for your level" or "Too much wind". • When the tide makes a spot dangerous, a warning sign shows next to its rating. • Rate your sessions and the AI adds a personal score that predicts how much you'll enjoy each hour. It runs on your iPhone and learns only from your own sessions. MAKE EACH SPOT YOURS • Tell SurfMap which tides work at your spot, which ones are dangerous and how big the waves really get there, and the ratings take it into account. • Save your favorite spots. Around 6:30 pm, SurfMap tells you if one of them looks good tomorrow, and it stays quiet when nothing is worth the trip. • Home Screen widgets show the spot you pick, or the closest spot wherever you are. FIND WHERE TO SURF • See which spots around you, or which of your favorites, look good today, tomorrow, this weekend or later in the week. • Hourly graphs show the waves, wind, tide and weather. Drag across the day to check any hour. • The nearby forecast shows seven days for every spot around you. Open the week in landscape, or compare two spots side by side. • Search spots, towns and guides by the name locals use or the one travelers know. WHERE THE FORECAST COMES FROM • Waves, wind and weather come from global wave and weather models, refreshed twice a day for the next seven days. The ratings are SurfMap's own reading of them. • Tides are predicted for each spot from its own tidal constants, the same method behind printed tide tables. 16 SURF GUIDES • The guides cover Ericeira, Peniche, the Algarve, Hossegor, both sides of the Basque Country, Galicia, Asturias, Cornwall, the west coast of Ireland, Fuerteventura, Taghazout, Bali, the Mentawai Islands, Siargao and Sri Lanka. • Each guide says which spot suits your level, the tide that makes it work and the hazards to watch out for. ASK SIRI • "Hey Siri, does it surf today in Huntington Beach with SurfMap?" Siri answers with your rating and the best window, and a tap opens the spot. • With Apple Intelligence, ask SurfMap anything, like "Is tomorrow better than today at Huntington Beach?" Siri questions need iOS 26. APPLE WATCH • Track your session from your wrist, with no phone in the water. The watch counts your waves, and notices missed waves and wipeouts too. • Follow your heart rate, calories and paddle distance live, and keep the GPS track. If your watch runs out of battery, the session isn't lost. • The watch shows conditions and tide for your spots, and its complications can follow the closest spot. YOUR SURF LOG • Every session goes into your log with its conditions and the board you rode, and each month gets its own recap page. • Share a spot's forecast, a session or a whole month as an image. • Your profile keeps your records and a stamp for each new spot and each new country. • Surf workouts go to Apple Health and count toward your rings. SurfMap has no ads. Please note: All features in SurfMap require a subscription. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Spitcast Surf Report3 screens
SurfMap4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: SurfMap at every 6 days against Spitcast Surf Report's every 2 months. SurfMap also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 61%). Spitcast Surf Report's advantage is ratings volume (408 vs 40) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ads 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 SurfMap sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Spitcast Surf Report holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spitcast Surf Report has 408 ratings behind it against 40, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 61% of Spitcast Surf Report's written reviews are positive against 75% of SurfMap's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spitcast Surf Report ships an update every 2 months, SurfMap every 6 days. Both last shipped on October 22, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Spitcast Surf Report versus SurfMap: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpitcast Surf ReportSurfMap
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (408 ratings) — better4.5 (40 ratings)
Positive reviews60.7% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings408 — better40
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS13.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB57 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperJack MullisGuillaume Bernos

Customer experience

Spitcast Surf Report

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

SurfMap

All ratings40 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral2.5%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

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

SurfMap

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Spitcast Surf Report

Subscriptions1
  • Unlimited Access$0.491 Month
4 purchases

SurfMap

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Plan$1.997 Days
  • Monthly Plan$6.991 Month
  • Annual Plan14 Days trial$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$99.00

Questions

Is Spitcast Surf Report free?
Spitcast Surf Report is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SurfMap free?
SurfMap is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Spitcast Surf Report or SurfMap?
Spitcast Surf Report is rated higher. Spitcast Surf Report averages 4.7 out of 5 from 408 ratings, while SurfMap averages 4.5 from 40 ratings.
Do Spitcast Surf Report or SurfMap have ads?
Neither Spitcast Surf Report nor SurfMap shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Spitcast Surf Report or SurfMap?
Spitcast Surf Report ships an update every 2 months, and SurfMap every 6 days. Most recently, Spitcast Surf Report was updated on October 22, 2026 and SurfMap on October 22, 2026.

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