Hanalei vs Pacific Watch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hanalei
Navigate Hanalei with real-time and historical data for weather, river levels, road conditions, and local information. Plan your travel, outdoor activities, and visits safely and efficiently.
- River gauge monitoring
- Flood visualization
- Weather forecasts and advisories
- Water quality advisories
- Road work updates
- Tidal predictions
- Beach and surf conditions
- Local eats and events
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This app was crafted with aloha to help navigate travel to and from Hanalei with ease using real-time and historical data, all in one place. - Hanalei and North Shore River Gauge Monitoring: Stay updated with real-time river level information for safe travel and hiking. - Flood visualization: Learn and understand how the flood on interactive surface - Weather Forecast: Obtain timely forecast from the National Weather Service to ensure safe and informed travel planning. - Weather Advisories: Receive immediate National Weather Service updates to plan your journey accordingly. - Water Quality Advisories: Get real-time updates on water quality to ensure safe swimming, surfing, paddling and other water activities. - Kauai Road Work Information: Get the latest updates on road conditions and construction work to avoid delays. - Hanalei Bay: Up-to-date tidal predictions for Hanalei Bay to plan your visits or activities with the tides in mind. - Hanalei Bay Beach and Surf Conditions: Real-time wave height, wind, and surf forecasts, along with water/air temperature, humidity, UV index, and sunrise/sunset times. - Essential Contacts: Easy access to important phone numbers for assistance and inquiries. - Real-Time and Historical Data: Comprehensive insights combining current data and historical trends for informed decision-making. - DNLR Updates: Receive real-time DNLR State Park updates on park closures, permits, and conservation efforts for safe Kauai planning. - Locals Tab: Explore Kaua‘i’s North Shore with the Locals tab, showcasing local eats, nonprofits, cultural events, and outdoor adventures. - App and Widget support.
Pacific Watch
This app provides comprehensive situational awareness for Hawaii, aggregating over 50 official data sources. It offers real-time weather, surf conditions, emergency alerts, and infrastructure updates for residents and visitors.
- Weather and forecast data
- Surf and ocean conditions
- Real-time emergency alerts
- Volcano and earthquake tracking
- Power outage and traffic maps
- Emergency preparedness guides
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Pacific Watch is Hawaii's all-in-one situational awareness app. Built specifically for Hawaii residents and visitors, it aggregates 50+ official data sources into one beautifully simple dashboard so you always know what's happening across the islands. FEATURES Weather & Forecast • Current conditions from local weather stations • Hourly and 7-day forecasts from the National Weather Service • Rainfall, wind, humidity, and UV index • Live weather cameras at beaches, mountains, and city views Surf & Ocean • Surf forecasts by island and shore • Tide predictions from NOAA • Buoy observations and wave heights • High surf advisories and warnings Emergency Alerts • Real-time push notifications for tsunami warnings, hurricane alerts, flood watches, and severe weather • NWS alerts automatically filtered for your island • Customize which alerts you want to receive • Optional home address for personalized flood zone alerts Volcanoes & Earthquakes • Live volcano cameras from USGS • Kilauea eruption tracking • Recent earthquakes with magnitude and location • Tsunami zone maps Infrastructure • Hawaiian Electric and KIUC power outage maps • Live traffic cameras on major highways • Water quality and beach advisories • Air quality (AQI) and vog monitoring Emergency Preparedness • 14-day emergency supply checklist • Evacuation shelter locations • Flood hazard zones • Hurricane preparedness guides • Multi-language handbooks (English, Ilocano, Korean, Vietnamese, Cantonese) CUSTOMIZATION • Choose your island for location-specific alerts • Customize your dashboard with drag-and-drop cards • Light and dark themes • Adjustable font size for accessibility BUILT FOR HAWAII Pacific Watch is a free, independent app built by a local Hawaii developer. No ads. No data selling. Just the information you need to stay safe and informed across O'ahu, Maui, Hawai'i Island, Kaua'i, Moloka'i, and Lana'i. Data sources include: National Weather Service, USGS, NOAA, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Hawaiian Electric, KIUC, Hawaii DOT, AirNow, and more. Support the app: If Pacific Watch helps keep you and your ohana safe, consider supporting development at pacificwatch.app. Mahalo!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Hanalei at 216 against Pacific Watch's 5. Hanalei also leads on chart position (#39 vs unranked). Pacific Watch's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Hanalei against 5.0 for Pacific Watch. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hanalei has 216 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Hanalei ships an update fortnightly, Pacific Watch every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hanalei | Pacific Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (216 ratings) | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 216 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #39 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Zoltan Horvath | David Do |
Customer experience
Hanalei
Pacific Watch
In-app purchases
Hanalei
No in-app purchases
Pacific Watch
No in-app purchases







