# PredictCurrent vs Big Buoy

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Big Buoy at 100% against PredictCurrent's 57%. Big Buoy also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly). PredictCurrent's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (266 vs 19). On price, in-app purchases, 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 and Big Buoy sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Big Buoy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PredictCurrent has 266 ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of PredictCurrent's written reviews are positive against 100% of Big Buoy's.

PredictCurrent ships an update monthly, Big Buoy every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PredictCurrent | Big Buoy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (266 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/predictcurrent/id6468610449/reviews) | **[5.0 (19 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/big-buoy/id6764127062/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **266** | 19 |
| Positive reviews | 56.6% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#75** | — |
| Size | 50 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PredictWind Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/477048590) | [Relatively Salty](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895652066) |

## What reviewers say

### PredictCurrent

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

**Currently charting:** #75 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


### Big Buoy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/big-buoy/id6764127062)

This marine forecasting app provides detailed data for fishing and boating, including wind, tides, water temperature, and live buoy information. It allows users to save and privately track their favorite spots with offline access to crucial data.

**Highlights:** Private saved fishing spots, Side-by-side wind forecast comparison, Interactive map with wind, chlorophyll, and water temp overlays, Live NOAA buoy data, 7-day tide charts with solunar overlays, Offline access to saved data

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Big Buoy Pro Monthly Founding | $3.99 | per month |
| Big Buoy Pro Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Big Buoy Pro Annual Founding | $29.99 | per year |
| Big Buoy Pro Annual | $39.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PredictCurrent free?

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

### Is Big Buoy free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PredictCurrent or Big Buoy?

Big Buoy is rated higher. PredictCurrent averages 4.5 out of 5 from 266 ratings, while Big Buoy averages 5.0 from 19 ratings.

### Do PredictCurrent or Big Buoy have ads?

Big Buoy shows ads; PredictCurrent does not.

### Which is updated more often, PredictCurrent or Big Buoy?

PredictCurrent ships an update monthly, and Big Buoy every 5 days. Most recently, PredictCurrent was updated on October 20, 2026 and Big Buoy on October 15, 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.*