# The Buoy vs Le Vent

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Le Vent at none against The Buoy's 6. Le Vent also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). The Buoy's advantage is review sentiment (97% vs 89%) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. The Buoy sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Le Vent asks for nothing beyond the download.

The Buoy ships an update every 3 weeks, Le Vent every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Buoy | Le Vent |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-buoy/id6476977153/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2** | — |
| Positive reviews | **97.1% of reviews** | 88.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 68 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Thomas Cailhol](https://appshunter.io/developer/1724362544) | [Paul Cochard](https://appshunter.io/developer/1870621483) |

## What reviewers say

### The Buoy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-buoy/id6476977153)

Get real-time ocean swell updates including size, period, and direction. This app combines buoy data with surf forecasts to help you plan your sessions and save your favorite conditions.

**Highlights:** Real-time swell data, Swell size, period, and direction, Surf forecast integration, Save favorite conditions, Lock screen widget

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly wax supply | $2.99 | per month |
| Monthly wax supply | $3.99 | per month |
| Monthly wax supply | $8.99 | per month |
| Wax supply | $2.99 | one-time |
| Wax supply | $3.99 | one-time |
| Wax supply | $8.99 | one-time |


### Le Vent

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/le-vent/id6758054533)

Access real-time wind, wave, and tide data from over 1,000 coastal stations. Visualize conditions on an interactive map, set custom alerts for your favorite spots, and get detailed forecasts. Ideal for outdoor enthusiasts planning their next session.

**Highlights:** Real-time wind data from 1,000+ stations, Interactive map with wind and color coding, Wave and tide data with real-time updates, Customizable favorite spots and alerts, Detailed wind history and forecasts, Fishing score based on weather and lunar data, Live webcam feeds for popular spots

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Buoy free?

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

### Is Le Vent free?

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

### Do The Buoy or Le Vent have ads?

Neither The Buoy nor Le Vent shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, The Buoy or Le Vent?

The Buoy ships an update every 3 weeks, and Le Vent every 4 days. Most recently, The Buoy was updated on October 30, 2026 and Le Vent on October 31, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*