# The Buoy vs Beachable

The clearest difference is update cadence: Beachable at every 6 days against The Buoy's every 3 weeks. The Buoy's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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 and Beachable sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $24.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

The Buoy ships an update every 3 weeks, Beachable every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Buoy | Beachable |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 68 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Thomas Cailhol](https://appshunter.io/developer/1724362544) | [Scott Bishop](https://appshunter.io/developer/1816370222) |

## 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 |


### Beachable

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beachable/id6762538207)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Beachable Pro Annual | $24.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Buoy free?

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

### Is Beachable free?

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

### Do The Buoy or Beachable have ads?

Neither The Buoy nor Beachable shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, The Buoy or Beachable?

The Buoy ships an update every 3 weeks, and Beachable every 6 days. Most recently, The Buoy was updated on October 27, 2026 and Beachable on October 25, 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.*