# The Buoy vs dips

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Buoy | dips |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 68 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Thomas Cailhol](https://appshunter.io/developer/1724362544) | [Sophie Lafferty](https://appshunter.io/developer/6772612997) |

## 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 |


### dips

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dips-sea-temperature/id6772612995)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


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