# Rainbird vs BackyardBuoys

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Rainbird at 13.0 against BackyardBuoys's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Rainbird ships an update every 2 weeks, BackyardBuoys fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Rainbird | BackyardBuoys |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/backyardbuoys/id6502961110/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **5** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 72 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [RainbirdGEO](https://appshunter.io/developer/1537957958) | [BackyardBuoys](https://appshunter.io/developer/1747582159) |

## What reviewers say

### Rainbird

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rainbird-pacific/id6458976659)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### BackyardBuoys

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/backyardbuoys/id6502961110)

This application provides coastal communities with easy mobile access to near real-time wave data and visualizations. It leverages scalable marine technology for community-managed ocean buoys, enhancing blue economy and hazard protection.

**Highlights:** Real-time wave data access, Data visualizations, Community-managed buoys, Blue economy enhancement, Hazard protection, Mobile data access

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Rainbird free?

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

### Is BackyardBuoys free?

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

### Do Rainbird or BackyardBuoys have ads?

Neither Rainbird nor BackyardBuoys shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Rainbird or BackyardBuoys?

Rainbird ships an update every 2 weeks, and BackyardBuoys fortnightly. Most recently, Rainbird was updated on October 30, 2026 and BackyardBuoys on October 24, 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.*