Comparison

Surf Log vs SurfBound

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Surf Log

Track your surfing sessions, identify optimal conditions for your favorite spots, and set personal goals to improve your skills. Evaluate surfboard performance to make informed choices for every wave and achieve your best year of surfing.

Highlights
  • Track surfing sessions
  • Identify optimal conditions
  • Set and achieve personal goals
  • Track surfboard performance
  • Document progress for skill improvement
Features
Read full description

Surf Log is a personal surf journal for surfers who want a clear record of every session: where they surfed, when they paddled out, which board they rode, how it felt, and what the conditions were like. Log the details that matter after each surf: - Spot or break - Date, time, and duration - Session rating - Surfboard used - Wave, wind, tide, and ocean conditions - Notes, goals, and habits Build a useful history of your surfing. See where you have been surfing, which boards you have been riding, what conditions worked, and what you were focused on in the water. Surf Log is made for surfers, not generic workout tracking. It keeps your sessions, quiver, goals, and progress in one place without turning your surf journal into admin. Use Surf Log to: - Remember your best surfs - Track your quiver and board history - Review the conditions behind good sessions - Set surfing goals and habits - Understand your progress over time Whether you are trying a new board, working on turns, chasing better conditions, or just keeping a record of time in the water, Surf Log helps you build a logbook you will actually want to look back on.

About

SurfBound

This app automatically tracks your surfing sessions, recording waves, speed, GPS, and heart rate with minimal interaction. Replay your sessions on your phone, track your progress through levels, and check surf conditions worldwide.

Highlights
  • Automatic wave detection
  • GPS tracking
  • Heart rate monitoring
  • Session replay with wave breakdown
  • Surf journey and level progression
  • Worldwide surf conditions and tides
  • No account required, data privacy
Features
Read full description

SurfBound is a surf tracker for your watch - Apple Watch and Garmin both record: one tap and you're in - waves, speed, GPS tracks, and heart rate record themselves. Zero interaction in the water; turn the crown to finish. AUTOMATIC TRACKING - Detects every wave: start, end, top speed, distance, and track - Apple Watch Ultra Action Button: set it to SurfBound to start a session with one press - then each press after a wave marks it (even after paddling back) - Any Apple Watch: turn the crown backward one full turn on the session page to mark your wave - Power-loss protection: if the watch dies, your session is recovered - Exit reminder: forget to end a session and the watch will ask REPLAY & CORRECTIONS - Map replay on iPhone with wave-by-wave breakdown and tap-to-seek - Reject false waves, add missed ones - your corrections make detection smarter JOURNEY & LEVELS - Surf journey staged by water hours - we walk the first 20 hours with you - Spot footprint: every break levels up on its own, from Visitor to Homebreak - The watch session screen tints with your level: blue on a first visit, gold at your home break - Weekly streak with flat-week exemption - the ocean resting doesn't break your chain CONDITIONS & TIDES - Built-in spots worldwide with swell, period, wind, and tide curves - Watch widgets for at-a-glance conditions LINEUP - Share a session with your surf friends: route, waves and the day's conditions - Get shakas and comments from people who surf - Only followers you approve see your shares, unless you make your account public YOUR DATA IS YOURS - Tracking needs no sign-up - iCloud is your identity; only Lineup uses Sign in with Apple - Sessions live on your devices and your iCloud; we never sell data GARMIN WATCHES - Install SurfBound from the Connect IQ store (free) and press START - Wave count, speed and the track of every ride are computed on the watch, then travel to your iPhone on their own - Replay, labelling, journey and levels work exactly as they do with Apple Watch Requires Apple Watch Series 4 or later (Ultra recommended), watchOS 10+, iOS 18+. Garmin users need SurfBound on iPhone, the Garmin Connect app, and the SurfBound watch app from the Connect IQ store. Keep Surfing. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Surf Log4 screens
SurfBound4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: SurfBound at every 4 days against Surf Log's every 3 weeks. Surf Log's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and ratings volume (5 vs 1). On price, rating, review sentiment 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Surf Log sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $59.99 per year and SurfBound sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Surf Log against 5.0 for SurfBound. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Surf Log has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Surf Log ships an update every 3 weeks, SurfBound every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Surf Log versus SurfBound: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSurf LogSurfBound
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings5 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.2 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDarian MacharowskiOysterX, Inc.

Customer experience

Surf Log

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

SurfBound

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Surf Log

Subscriptions1
  • Lifetime Pro Surf Tracking$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Pro Surf Tracking$29.99
3 purchases

SurfBound

Subscriptions3
  • SurfBound Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • SurfBound Pro Quarterly$7.993 Months
  • SurfBound Pro Yearly14 Days trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Surf Log free?
Surf Log is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SurfBound free?
SurfBound is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Surf Log or SurfBound?
Surf Log and SurfBound are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Surf Log or SurfBound have ads?
Neither Surf Log nor SurfBound shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Surf Log or SurfBound?
Surf Log ships an update every 3 weeks, and SurfBound every 4 days. Most recently, Surf Log was updated on October 15, 2026 and SurfBound on October 25, 2026.

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