# Surf vs SurfWaves

The clearest difference is ads: SurfWaves at none against Surf's shown. SurfWaves also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks). Surf's advantage is review sentiment (87% vs 75%) and chart position (#101 vs unranked). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Surf sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and SurfWaves sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Surf ships an update every 6 weeks, SurfWaves weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Surf | SurfWaves |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (940 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/surf-forecastcom/id6450721636/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **940** | — |
| Positive reviews | **87.1% of reviews** | 75.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#101** | — |
| Size | 138 MB | 80 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | [Meteo365 Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/661723505) | [Dereck Vicentin Leme](https://appshunter.io/developer/1735624560) |

## What reviewers say

### Surf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/surf-forecastcom/id6450721636)

**Currently charting:** #101 Top Grossing · Weather, #166 Top Free · Weather (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Service: Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium Service (Yearly) | $34.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes or freezes on some devices
- Geolocation issues with break markers

**Requested features**

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


### SurfWaves

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/surfwaves/id6748910140)

This app uses AI to predict optimal surfing conditions, recommending the best beaches and times to surf. It offers real-time visual analysis of beach cameras for wave quality, crowd, wind, and tide, with customizable regional settings and multilingual support.

**Highlights:** AI-powered surf condition forecasting, Smart beach and time recommendations, Live image analysis of beach cameras, Wave quality, crowd, wind, and tide interpretation, Customizable regional settings and units, Multilingual support, Home screen widgets and Apple CarPlay integration

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| mensal R$9.90 | $9.99 | per month |
| Trimestral R$29.90 | $24.99 | per 3 months |
| Anual R$129.90 | $99.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Surf free?

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

### Is SurfWaves free?

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

### Do Surf or SurfWaves have ads?

Surf shows ads; SurfWaves does not.

### Which is updated more often, Surf or SurfWaves?

Surf ships an update every 6 weeks, and SurfWaves weekly. Most recently, Surf was updated on October 13, 2026 and SurfWaves on September 27, 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.*