# PredictCurrent vs BackyardBuoys

The clearest difference is rating: BackyardBuoys at 5.0 against PredictCurrent's 4.5. BackyardBuoys also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5) and update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). PredictCurrent's advantage is ratings volume (255 vs 5) and chart position (#70 vs unranked). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PredictCurrent sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $15.00 per month. BackyardBuoys asks for nothing beyond the download.

BackyardBuoys holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PredictCurrent has 255 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two.

PredictCurrent ships an update monthly, BackyardBuoys fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PredictCurrent | BackyardBuoys |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (255 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/predictcurrent/id6468610449/reviews) | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/backyardbuoys/id6502961110/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **255** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 56.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#70** | — |
| Size | 50 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PredictWind Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/477048590) | [BackyardBuoys](https://appshunter.io/developer/1747582159) |

## What reviewers say

### PredictCurrent

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/predictcurrent/id6468610449)

**Currently charting:** #70 Top Grossing · Weather (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PredictCurrent Pro 1-Month | $15.00 | per month |
| PredictCurrent Pro 3-Monthly | $29.00 | per 3 months |
| PredictCurrent Pro 3-Monthly | $29.00 | per 3 months |
| PredictCurrent Pro 3-Monthly | $29.00 | per 3 months |
| PredictCurrent Pro Annual | $99.00 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 📊 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### 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 PredictCurrent free?

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

### Is BackyardBuoys free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PredictCurrent or BackyardBuoys?

BackyardBuoys is rated higher. PredictCurrent averages 4.5 out of 5 from 255 ratings, while BackyardBuoys averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.

### Do PredictCurrent or BackyardBuoys have ads?

Neither PredictCurrent nor BackyardBuoys shows ads.

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

PredictCurrent ships an update monthly, and BackyardBuoys fortnightly. Most recently, PredictCurrent was updated on October 16, 2026 and BackyardBuoys on October 17, 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.*