Comparison

Surf vs PredictCurrent

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

Head to head
About

Surf

Get simple, accurate surf forecasts for over 7,000 breaks worldwide. Plan your sessions with detailed wave information, tide times, and mapping to find the best conditions and nearby spots. Access extended forecasts and custom alerts with premium features.

Highlights
  • Detailed surf forecasts
  • Wavefinder map
  • Live webcam links
  • Tide times
  • 12-day forecasts
  • Custom surf alerts
Features
Read full description

Surf-Forecast.com gives you simple, accurate and easy-to-read surf forecasts so you have the best chance of hitting those breaks when the waves are pumping. Built by surfers, for surfers, and trusted by millions of surfers for over 20 years, our updated app lets you see all your favorite surf spots at a glance. Providing detailed surf forecasts for over 7,000 breaks worldwide, our new features let you see further ahead than ever before - giving you plenty of advance warning for when those swells start coming in. Find the best surfing conditions near you and use the rating tool to find exactly when to go. – FREE App Features ⁃ Detailed surf forecasts ⁃ Wavefinder map ⁃ Live webcam links ⁃ Multi-swell component presentation ⁃ Tide times ⁃ Detailed mapping to locate nearby breaks – Surf Premium Benefits ⁃ Access to the full 16 days of our new Wavefinder feature ⁃ Hourly forecasts ⁃ 16 day forecasts ⁃ Custom surf alerts ⁃ Ad-free browsing on our website So what are you waiting for? Grab your board and get exploring. We’ll see you out there! For the full Terms and Conditions of this service please visit: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

PredictCurrent

Navigate coastal waters with detailed tidal and ocean current maps. Access 10-day forecasts for currents, wind, waves, and sea temperatures. Essential for safe marine planning and exploration.

Highlights
  • Ultra-high-resolution 100m tidal current maps
  • 400m and 4km global coastline coverage
  • 10-day animated forecasts for currents, wind, and waves
  • Hourly tide chart data
  • Wind-against-current interaction analysis
  • Sea temperature tracking
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Navigate coastal adventures with precision using real-time tidal current data from PredictWind. PredictCurrent delivers ultra-high-resolution 100m tidal current maps, plus 400m and 4km maps covering 90% of global coastlines. It also includes full ocean current coverage, empowering fishermen, sailors, and coastal explorers with essential tools for current tracking, tide planning, and marine navigation. Developed by PredictWind’s expert oceanographers, trusted globally for industry-leading forecasting, PredictCurrent supports confident and safe coastal navigation for boating, fishing, sailing, and kayaking. Why PredictCurrent - Unrivalled Precision: Ultra-high-resolution 100m tidal current maps provide unmatched detail for coastal tide planning, ideal for fishing, sailing, or paddle sports. Also includes 400m and 4km resolution maps. - Trusted Expertise: Built by PredictWind, pioneers in marine and ocean current forecasting, delivering professional-grade data. - Comprehensive Tracking: Monitor tidal currents, ocean currents, winds, waves, and sea temperatures with animated maps and hourly tide chart data for 10 days. - Coastal Navigation: Join fishermen, sailors, kayakers, and coastal explorers worldwide who rely on PredictWind’s marine weather and current data for informed navigation. Key Features - Ultra-High-Resolution 100m Tidal Current Maps: Visualise intricate nearshore water current movements with clarity, ideal for coastal navigation, route planning, and safety. - High-Resolution 400m & 4km Maps: Access tide and ocean current coverage for 90% of global coastlines, seamlessly integrated with live ocean current data. - Advanced Dashboard: Analyse wind-against-current interactions, wave heights, tide cycles, and directions using accurate ECMWF wind forecasts. - Animated 10-Day Forecasts: View dynamic tidal currents, ocean currents, wind, waves, and sea temperature forecasts on interactive marine maps. - Detailed Data Tables: Access hourly data on current speed and direction, plus alerts for wind-against-current situations. Tailored for fisherman, sailors, kayakers, and coastal adventurers, PredictCurrent offers essential tools for safe marine planning—backed by PredictWind’s proven ocean data and current tracking accuracy. Start with a 14-day free trial. Access ultra-high-resolution tidal current data, tide charts, ocean current forecasts, wind, waves, and sea temperature tools for your next coastal journey. Terms & Conditions: https://www.predictcurrent.com/terms-and-conditions Privacy Policy: https://www.predictcurrent.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Surf4 screens
PredictCurrent4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: PredictCurrent at none against Surf's shown. Surf's advantage is review sentiment (87% vs 57%) and rating (4.9 vs 4.5). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Surf sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and PredictCurrent sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $15.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Surf holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 940 and 255 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of Surf's written reviews are positive against 57% of PredictCurrent's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Surf ships an update every 6 weeks, PredictCurrent monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Surf versus PredictCurrent: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSurfPredictCurrent
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (940 ratings) — better4.5 (255 ratings)
Positive reviews86.9% of reviews — better56.6% of reviews
Number of ratings940 — better255
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksMonthly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#128#90 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size138 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMeteo365 Ltd.PredictWind Limited

Customer experience

Surf

All ratings940 ratings
Positive99.3%
Neutral0.1%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews122 reviews
Positive86.9%
Neutral3.3%
Negative9.8%

PredictCurrent

All ratings255 ratings
Positive85.9%
Neutral2.7%
Negative11.4%
Written reviews76 reviews
Positive56.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative43.4%

User reviews

Surf

From 940 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌊 Accurate surf forecasts
  • 👍 Easy to use and navigate
  • 🗺️ Comprehensive coverage of locations
  • 🔍 Detailed information (swell, wind, tides, etc.)
  • 💰 Good value for subscription

Room to improve

  • 🔄 Inconsistent data updates
  • 🌊 Wave height/conditions not always accurate
  • 🏞️ Missing data for some locations (e.g. Great Lakes)
  • 🤔 Confusing or misleading surf ratings/forecasts

PredictCurrent

From 255 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📊 Detailed hour-by-hour current visualizations
  • 🎯 Accurate tidal and current predictions
  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
  • 🌊 Comprehensive water condition data (wind, tide, waves, temperature)
  • 💼 Valuable competitive advantage for water sports professionals

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription pricing ($24-30 quarterly)
  • 🚫 Mandatory account creation required
  • 📍 Limited geographic coverage and location availability
  • ⏰ Forecast data limited to short timeframes (until 11am-noon next day)
  • 🔐 Privacy concerns regarding personal data collection

Bugs and requests

Surf

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes or freezes on some devices
  • Geolocation issues with break markers

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to manually refresh data
  • More detailed tidal/current information
  • Expanded location coverage
  • Improved accuracy for wave height/conditions

PredictCurrent

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Unable to add location error messages despite valid coordinates
  • Location setup fails to respond or complete
  • Password not saved correctly in database, preventing login
  • Account creation fails with character handling errors
  • App crashes when setting locations
Show 3 more
  • Free trial access inconsistent across devices
  • iPad version blocks access to charts despite iPhone trial access
  • Data unavailable errors at valid deep water locations

Requested features

9 requests
  • Extended forecast data for full 24-hour next day coverage
  • Smaller time increment stepping (sub-hourly) for racing
  • Exact tide turn time information beyond hourly data
  • Legend/symbol guide for app indicators
  • Improved coastal and estuarine modeling
Show 4 more
  • Better 100m resolution coverage beyond UK Solent region
  • Cross-platform synchronization between iPhone and iPad
  • Offline access to saved locations
  • Multi-language support (German, French, etc.)

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Surf

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Service: Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Premium Service (Yearly)$34.991 Year
5 purchases

PredictCurrent

Subscriptions5
  • PredictCurrent Pro 1-Month14 Days trial$15.001 Month
  • PredictCurrent Pro 3-Monthly14 Days trial$29.003 Months
  • PredictCurrent Pro 3-Monthly3 Days trial$29.003 Months
Show 2 more
  • PredictCurrent Pro 3-Monthly7 Days trial$29.003 Months
  • PredictCurrent Pro Annual14 Days trial$99.001 Year

Questions

Is Surf free?
Surf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PredictCurrent free?
PredictCurrent is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Surf or PredictCurrent?
Surf is rated higher. Surf averages 4.9 out of 5 from 940 ratings, while PredictCurrent averages 4.5 from 255 ratings.
Do Surf or PredictCurrent have ads?
Surf shows ads; PredictCurrent does not.
Which is updated more often, Surf or PredictCurrent?
Surf ships an update every 6 weeks, and PredictCurrent monthly. Most recently, Surf was updated on September 22, 2026 and PredictCurrent on September 23, 2026.
Which is more popular, Surf or PredictCurrent?
Surf currently peaks at #128 in the App Store charts, and PredictCurrent at #90. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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