# Tides Explorer vs Surf Prophet

The clearest difference is price: Surf Prophet at Free against Tides Explorer's $5.00. Surf Prophet also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (daily vs every 2 months). Tides Explorer's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#76 vs unranked). On review sentiment, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Surf Prophet is free to download; Tides Explorer costs $5.00 up front. Tides Explorer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Surf Prophet asks for nothing beyond the download.

Tides Explorer ships an update every 2 months, Surf Prophet daily. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tides Explorer | Surf Prophet |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $5.00 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[5.0 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tides-explorer/id6446066346/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **25** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Best chart rank | **#76** | — |
| Size | 23 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.6** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lonnie Millett](https://appshunter.io/developer/1620072866) | [Christopher Boyns](https://appshunter.io/developer/1813932728) |

## What reviewers say

### Tides Explorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tides-explorer/id6446066346)

**Currently charting:** #76 Top Paid · Weather (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifetime purchase | $3.00 | one-time |


### Surf Prophet

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/surf-prophet/id6749921029)

Get personalized surf spot recommendations powered by AI. This app analyzes ocean conditions and your past performance to help you find the best waves. Track your sessions, discover optimal conditions, and contribute to a community-driven surf forecasting database.

**Highlights:** AI-powered surf spot recommendations, Personalized predictions with confidence percentages, Detailed reasoning for spot suggestions, Session logging and condition tracking, Seasonal performance analytics, Comprehensive spot database, Community-driven data sharing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tides Explorer free?

Tides Explorer costs $5.00, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Surf Prophet free?

Surf Prophet is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Tides Explorer or Surf Prophet have ads?

Surf Prophet shows ads; Tides Explorer does not.

### Which is updated more often, Tides Explorer or Surf Prophet?

Tides Explorer ships an update every 2 months, and Surf Prophet daily. Most recently, Tides Explorer was updated on September 17, 2026 and Surf Prophet on June 1, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*