Tides Explorer vs Tide forecast
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tides Explorer
This app provides accurate tide, current, and weather predictions using official NOAA data for thousands of stations. Plan your water activities with clear charts, sun/moon information, and customizable widgets.
- Accurate tide and current predictions
- Fast station search
- Favorites for quick access
- Interactive charts
- Weather data at stations
- Sun, moon, and twilight info
- Home and Lock Screen widgets
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Tides Explorer — Accurate Tides, Currents, and Marine Weather Tides Explorer is a precision tide and current app for sailors, boaters, paddlers, and swimmers, built on official NOAA data covering over 6,000 stations across the United States and international waters. It helps you understand not just what the water will do, but when and why, using clear charts and reliable predictions you can plan around. Core Features Get accurate tide and current predictions straight from NOAA, with fast search by name or location and interactive charts for exploring and comparing stations. At supported stations, see real observed water levels laid over the prediction (Pro) — so you know what the water's actually doing, not just what it's supposed to do. Save your favorite spots for quick access (Pro), track real-time weather at supported stations — wind, air and water temperature, and barometric pressure (Pro) — and check sun, moon, and twilight times to help plan your time on the water. Plan Around What Matters to You Drag a custom reference line onto any favorite station's chart — on a current station, mark a safe velocity to catch slack water before transiting a pass — and see exactly when you're above or below it. Set alerts for high and low tides, current extremes, your reference line, or slack water itself (Pro), plus new Moon Over Water alerts for when moonrise or moonset lines up with the water near sunset or sunrise. Designed for Apple Platforms Tides Explorer includes Home and Lock Screen widgets and a full Apple Watch app with multiple complications, all optimized for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Built for the Water Ideal for sailing, boating, kayaking, swimming, fishing, and coastal exploration, Tides Explorer delivers dependable marine data without clutter, so you can plan confidently and focus on the water.
Tide forecast
This marine guide provides a 5-day forecast for tides, waves, and wind, along with water and air temperatures. It offers localized data for your nearest city, including moon and sun times, to help plan aquatic activities.
- 5-day marine forecast
- Tidal movements
- Wave heights
- Wind direction and speed
- Water and air temperature
- Moon and sun times
- Localized data
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Tides is your complete marine forecast app for surfing, fishing, boating, and beach activities. Get accurate 5-day predictions for tide times, wave conditions, wind speed, and solunar periods - all in one simple app. **TIDE PREDICTIONS YOU CAN TRUST** View precise high tide and low tide times with height data for thousands of coastal locations worldwide. Plan your activities around the ocean's natural rhythm. **COMPLETE WAVE & SURF FORECAST** Check wave height, swell direction, and wave period before your surf session. Find the perfect conditions for your skill level and favorite breaks. **DETAILED WIND CONDITIONS** Monitor wind speed, gusts, and direction with hourly forecasts. Essential data for sailing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, and any wind-dependent activity. **SOLUNAR FISHING CHARTS** Identify the best fishing times using solunar theory. See major and minor feeding periods to maximize your catch rate on every trip. **TEMPERATURE DATA** Check both water temperature and air temperature forecasts. Know whether you need a wetsuit or if conditions are perfect for a swim. **SUN & MOON TIMES** Plan golden hour photography or early morning fishing with accurate sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset times for your location. **AUTOMATIC LOCATION** Open the app and instantly see forecasts for your nearest coastal area. No manual searching - get relevant local data immediately. **MODERN, CLEAN INTERFACE** Access all information quickly with an intuitive design. Perfect for a quick glance before heading out or detailed trip planning. **IDEAL FOR:** - Surfers tracking waves and tides - Anglers using solunar charts for fishing times - Sailors and boaters checking wind and tide conditions - Beach visitors monitoring water temperature - Coastal photographers planning tide levels - Kayakers and paddleboarders checking conditions Download Tides today for free and make smarter decisions about your ocean activities.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Tides Explorer at none against Tide forecast's shown. Tides Explorer also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Tide forecast's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On price, review sentiment, 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
Both are free to download. Tides Explorer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Tide forecast sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Tides Explorer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 26 and 13 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Tides Explorer ships an update every 2 months, Tide forecast monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Tides Explorer | Tide forecast |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (26 ratings) — better | 4.7 (13 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 26 — better | 13 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 23 MB | 35 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lonnie Millett | Oleksandr Kondenko |
Customer experience
Tides Explorer
Tide forecast
In-app purchases
Tides Explorer
- Lifetime purchase$3.00
Tide forecast
- Ad-Free experience$9.99
Questions
Is Tides Explorer free?
Is Tide forecast free?
Which has better reviews, Tides Explorer or Tide forecast?
Do Tides Explorer or Tide forecast have ads?
Which is updated more often, Tides Explorer or Tide forecast?
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