Comparison

The Buoy vs dips

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

Head to head
About

The Buoy

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
Read full description

The Buoy is the simplest way to take the pulse of the ocean. Thanks to data provided by services like the NOAA in the US, Cerema (Candhis) in France, Channel Coastal Observatory in the UK/Ireland, Portus in Spain and Hidrografico in Portugal, the buoy allows you to know in real-time the swell conditions around you: size, period, and direction. But The Buoy goes even further. We cross-reference this data with surf forecasts so you can easily plan your sessions. You can also save your favorite conditions to know exactly when a spot is working according to YOUR criteria. Our widget, very easy to use, allows you to have the conditions at your favourite buoy in real-time on your iPhone's locked screen. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

dips

Features
Read full description

Ever stood at the water's edge and wondered what the temperature actually is? Yeah, me too. That's exactly why I made Dips! Dips is the simple, friendly app for anyone who loves getting in the water. Open up dips and it gets straight to work finding your nearest beach, pointing you in the right direction, and giving you a real-time read on water and air temperature before you take the plunge. What you get: - Your nearest beach - Real-time water and air temperature - Friendly condition ratings from Dangerously cold to Hot - A warm (or bracing!) welcome for every kind of swim day Go on. The water's waiting. Less wondering, more swimming.

Screenshots

The Buoy4 screens
dips4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: dips at none against The Buoy's 6. The Buoy's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Buoy ships an update every 3 weeks, dips every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
The Buoy versus dips: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Buoydips
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews97.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size68 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThomas CailholSophie Lafferty

In-app purchases

6 purchases

The Buoy

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly wax supply$2.991 Month
  • Monthly wax supply$3.991 Month
  • Monthly wax supply$8.991 Month
One-time3
  • Wax supply$2.99
  • Wax supply$3.99
  • Wax supply$8.99
None

dips

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Buoy free?
The Buoy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is dips free?
dips is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do The Buoy or dips have ads?
Neither The Buoy nor dips shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Buoy or dips?
The Buoy ships an update every 3 weeks, and dips every 5 weeks. Most recently, The Buoy was updated on October 30, 2026 and dips on October 25, 2026.

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