Comparison

Tides Explorer vs Shore Tide Chart Watch

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Shore Tide Chart Watch

Get instant, accurate tide, wave, and marine weather updates directly on your Apple Watch. This app automatically uses your location to provide real-time ocean conditions, perfect for surfers, boaters, and beachgoers.

Highlights
  • Automatic location detection
  • Real-time wave heights
  • Ocean temperature updates
  • Wind conditions
  • Tide status and times
  • Simple Apple Watch interface
Read full description

Introducing the Shore Tide Chart Watch app—the essential Apple Watch companion designed specifically for ocean lovers and coastal adventurers. Automatically using your location, Shore Tide provides instant, accurate updates on tides, wave heights, ocean temperatures, wind conditions, and more, directly on your wrist. Key Features: Automatic Location Detection: Instantly get localized tide, wave, and weather data wherever you are. No setup required! Real-Time Conditions: Stay informed with real-time wave heights, ocean temperatures, wind speed, wind direction, and air temperatures. Tide Status at a Glance: Quickly see if the tide is incoming or outgoing, along with precise times for the next high or low tides. Simple, Clean Interface: Designed specifically for the Apple Watch, giving you everything you need at a glance. Perfect For: Surfers: Instantly check wave conditions and ocean temperatures before hitting the waves. Boaters: Always know local tides and wind conditions for safe and enjoyable boating. Paddleboarders: Plan your paddling sessions with ease by tracking tide shifts and wind conditions. Beachgoers: Get the latest updates on weather, tides, and waves to enhance your beach experience. Stay connected to the ocean effortlessly, right from your wrist. Download Shore Tide Watch today!

Screenshots

Tides Explorer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shore Tide Chart Watch at none against Tides Explorer's 1. Shore Tide Chart Watch also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). Tides Explorer's advantage is ratings volume (26 vs 1). On price, rating, ads 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. Tides Explorer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Shore Tide Chart Watch asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Tides Explorer against 5.0 for Shore Tide Chart Watch. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tides Explorer has 26 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Tides Explorer versus Shore Tide Chart Watch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTides ExplorerShore Tide Chart Watch
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (26 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings26 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLonnie MillettMatthew Petrosky

Customer experience

Tides Explorer

All ratings25 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Shore Tide Chart Watch

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Tides Explorer

One-time1
  • Lifetime purchase$3.00
None

Shore Tide Chart Watch

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tides Explorer free?
Tides Explorer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shore Tide Chart Watch free?
Shore Tide Chart Watch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Tides Explorer or Shore Tide Chart Watch?
Tides Explorer and Shore Tide Chart Watch are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 26 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Tides Explorer or Shore Tide Chart Watch have ads?
Neither Tides Explorer nor Shore Tide Chart Watch shows ads.

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