Comparison

Lake Buddy vs Seattle Lakes

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

Head to head
About

Lake Buddy

Track your favorite lakes with real-time levels, weather forecasts, and historical data. Easily manage lists of lakes by state or view them on a map. Prepare for your water activities with up-to-date conditions.

Highlights
  • Track favorite lakes
  • View lake levels and conditions
  • 7-day weather forecast
  • Historical data (week, month, year)
  • Lakes listed by state
  • Map view of lakes
  • Customizable favorite list order
Features
Read full description

Lake Buddy lets you track the conditions of your favorite lakes that USGS and CDEC agencies monitor. Review lake levels, weather, and historical data for US states. Keep track of all your favorite lakes: The Favorite list gives you easy access to your favorites with a quick look at the lake levels. You can create your own list of favorite lakes to keep track of. Just tap the star icon to add the lake to the Favorite list. The Favorite list can also be ordered to your preference. Press to hold a row in the list and move it to where in the list you want it. Retrieve a list of lakes per state: Lakes are listed by states so you can easily look them up. Just a reminder that the lake is listed by the state that the dam is located in. Select a state to view the lakes listed for that state. You can either tap the star icon to add the lake to your Favorites or tap on the lake name to view. You may also filter the list of lakes once loaded with a name you are searching for. Find lakes on the map: You can also find lakes via the map. Enable Location Services for our app and the map will show you the lakes in your area, or scroll around the map to other areas. Tap on a map pin to get the name and then tap on the name to view the lake. You can always tap on the location button in the lower right of the map to re-center your location on the map. View the data for a lake: The lake view is where you can view all the data for the lake. We provide you with the maximums for the lake and the current data if available. We provide the 7-day weather forecast for that location to be prepared for your trip on the water. You can also get the week, month, or year historical data to see how it currently compares to previous values. Tap on the map icon to see the location on the map or tap the star to add the lake to your favorites!

About

Seattle Lakes

Access real-time and historical lake temperature data for Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish. Plan your outdoor activities with confidence using accurate, up-to-date information and enjoy visually appealing Pacific Northwest-themed backgrounds.

Highlights
  • Real-time lake temperature readings
  • All-time record high and low temperatures
  • Current month's record highs and lows
  • Customizable temperature units (Fahrenheit/Celsius)
  • Dynamic background images
  • Supports Lake Washington, Lake Sammamish, and Lake Union
Features
Read full description

King County Lake Temperatures is your go-to app for real-time lake temperature data in King County, Washington. With a user-friendly interface and a wealth of information at your fingertips, you can plan your activities on Lake Washington or Lake Sammamish with confidence. Key Features: Real-Time Lake Temperatures: Get the most up-to-date temperature readings from Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish . Our data is sourced directly from reliable sensors run by King County, ensuring you have the most accurate information possible. View the all-time record high and low, and the current months' all-time record high and low, for Lake Washington, Lake Sammamish, and Lake Union. Background images of the Pacific Northwest change depending on the time of day and season. Customizable Settings: Choose your favorite lake, and whether you want temperatures displayed in Fahrenheit or Celsius. Whether you're a swimmer, boater, fisher, or just a nature lover, King County Lake Temperatures is the perfect companion for your lake adventures. Download today and start exploring!

Screenshots

Lake Buddy4 screens
Seattle Lakes3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Lake Buddy at Free against Seattle Lakes's $1.99. Lake Buddy also leads on update cadence (every 5 months vs every 19 months) and ratings volume (10 vs 3). Seattle Lakes's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 57%) and ads (none vs shown). On rating, in-app purchases 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

Lake Buddy is free to download; Seattle Lakes costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.7 for Lake Buddy against 3.7 for Seattle Lakes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 3 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of Lake Buddy's written reviews are positive against 100% of Seattle Lakes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lake Buddy ships an update every 5 months, Seattle Lakes every 19 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Lake Buddy versus Seattle Lakes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLake BuddySeattle Lakes
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating3.7 (10 ratings) — better3.7 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews57.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings10 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 5 months — betterEvery 19 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.113.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFork Lemons LLCTen Moments

Customer experience

Lake Buddy

All ratings10 ratings
Positive70.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative30.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative42.9%

Seattle Lakes

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Lake Buddy

No in-app purchases

None

Seattle Lakes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Lake Buddy free?
Lake Buddy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Seattle Lakes free?
Seattle Lakes costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Lake Buddy or Seattle Lakes?
Lake Buddy is rated higher. Lake Buddy averages 3.7 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Seattle Lakes averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Lake Buddy or Seattle Lakes have ads?
Lake Buddy shows ads; Seattle Lakes does not.
Which is updated more often, Lake Buddy or Seattle Lakes?
Lake Buddy ships an update every 5 months, and Seattle Lakes every 19 months. Most recently, Lake Buddy was updated on November 3, 2026 and Seattle Lakes on November 4, 2026.

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