# Tides Explorer vs NOAA Tides

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NOAA Tides at none against Tides Explorer's 1. NOAA Tides also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 2 months) and chart position (#201 vs unranked). Tides Explorer's advantage is ratings volume (25 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Tides Explorer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. NOAA Tides asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Tides Explorer against 5.0 for NOAA Tides. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tides Explorer has 25 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Tides Explorer ships an update every 2 months, NOAA Tides daily. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tides Explorer | NOAA Tides |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tides-explorer/id6446066346/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noaa-tides/id6756382132/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **25** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | — | **#201** |
| Size | 23 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lonnie Millett](https://appshunter.io/developer/1620072866) | [Vince Becquiot](https://appshunter.io/developer/1856156855) |

## What reviewers say

### Tides Explorer

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

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 |


### NOAA Tides

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noaa-tides/id6756382132)

**Currently charting:** #201 Top Free · Weather (US App Store)

Get accurate tide predictions and real-time marine conditions for the US coast. This app provides beautiful charts, live weather, and wave data to help you plan your time on the water.

**Highlights:** Precise NOAA tide predictions, Live marine conditions, Tide times for US coast, Beautiful charts, Live weather data, Wave data

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tides Explorer free?

Tides Explorer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is NOAA Tides free?

NOAA Tides is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Tides Explorer or NOAA Tides?

Tides Explorer and NOAA Tides are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 25 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do Tides Explorer or NOAA Tides have ads?

Neither Tides Explorer nor NOAA Tides shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Tides Explorer or NOAA Tides?

Tides Explorer ships an update every 2 months, and NOAA Tides daily. Most recently, Tides Explorer was updated on October 22, 2026 and NOAA Tides on October 12, 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.*