The Buoy vs dips
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Real-time swell data
- Swell size, period, and direction
- Surf forecast integration
- Save favorite conditions
- Lock screen widget
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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/
dips
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
| Parameter | The Buoy | dips |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 97.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 68 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Thomas Cailhol | Sophie Lafferty |
In-app purchases
The Buoy
- Monthly wax supply$2.991 Month
- Monthly wax supply$3.991 Month
- Monthly wax supply$8.991 Month
- Wax supply$2.99
- Wax supply$3.99
- Wax supply$8.99
dips
No in-app purchases









