Surf vs The Buoy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Detailed surf forecasts
- Wavefinder map
- Live webcam links
- Tide times
- 12-day forecasts
- Custom surf alerts
Read full descriptionHide 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/
The Buoy
Get real-time ocean swell updates including size, period, and direction. This app combines buoy data with surf forecasts to help you plan your sessions and save your favorite conditions.
- Real-time swell data
- Swell size, period, and direction
- Surf forecast integration
- Save favorite conditions
- Lock screen widget
Read full descriptionHide full description
The Buoy is the simplest way to take the pulse of the ocean. Thanks to data provided by services like the NOAA in the US, Cerema (Candhis) in France, Channel Coastal Observatory in the UK/Ireland, Portus in Spain and Hidrografico in Portugal, the buoy allows you to know in real-time the swell conditions around you: size, period, and direction. But The Buoy goes even further. We cross-reference this data with surf forecasts so you can easily plan your sessions. You can also save your favorite conditions to know exactly when a spot is working according to YOUR criteria. Our widget, very easy to use, allows you to have the conditions at your favourite buoy in real-time on your iPhone's locked screen. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: The Buoy at none against Surf's shown. The Buoy also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (97% vs 86%). Surf's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (997 vs 2). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Surf sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and The Buoy sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Surf holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Surf has 997 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 86% of Surf's written reviews are positive against 97% of The Buoy's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Surf ships an update every 6 weeks, The Buoy every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.
| Parameter | Surf | The Buoy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (997 ratings) — better | 4.5 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 86.4% of reviews | 97.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 997 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #102 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 138 MB | 68 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Meteo365 Ltd. | Thomas Cailhol |
Customer experience
Surf
The Buoy
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
The Buoy
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Surf
- Premium Service: Monthly$4.991 Month
- Premium Service (Yearly)$34.991 Year
The Buoy
- Monthly wax supply$2.991 Month
- Monthly wax supply$3.991 Month
- Monthly wax supply$8.991 Month
- Wax supply$2.99
- Wax supply$3.99
- Wax supply$8.99









