Tide vs Swell Intel
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tide
Get accurate 30-day tide predictions, moon phases, and sunrise/sunset times for any location worldwide. Includes local weather conditions, wave heights, and swell periods to help plan your outdoor activities.
- 30-day tide graphs and tables
- Moon phases
- Sunrise and sunset times
- Local weather conditions
- Wave heights and swell periods
- Global location forecasting
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The official app by Tide-Forecast.com: Your Go-To Tide Prediction Tool, Anywhere in the World. Tide-Forecast.com offers simple, accurate 30-day tide graphs and tables for any location across the globe. Whether you’re planning a beach day, fishing trip, or a day out on the boat, we’ve got you covered. Our free tide graphs and tables provide: - High and low tide forecasts - Detailed tide ranges - Moon phases - Sunrise and sunset times - Local weather conditions (wind, humidity, temperature, and rainfall) - Wave heights - Swell periods What makes us unique? Simple—TidePro users can generate 30-day tide forecasts for any coordinate worldwide. Experience the convenience of real-time, location-specific tide data at your fingertips with the official app by Tide-Forecast.com! For the full Terms and Conditions of this service, please visit: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Swell Intel
Get detailed surf forecasts, real-time conditions, and smart alerts to find the best waves. Plan your surf trips with up to 16-day forecasts and easily scan spot conditions at a glance. Receive notifications when conditions meet your standards, ensuring you never miss a good session.
- Detailed surf forecasts up to 16 days
- Real-time wave height, swell, and wind data
- Smart alerts for optimal surf conditions
- At-a-glance spot condition ratings
- Detailed forecast charts (swell, wind, tide)
- Find and save nearby surf spots
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Swell Intel gives you everything you need to score the best waves — detailed surf forecasts, real-time conditions, and smart alerts that tell you when to go. Check the Conditions - Wave height, swell direction, wind speed, and surf quality ratings for every surf spot across the US and Puerto Rico. Forecasts extend up to 16 days so you can plan trips with confidence. At-a-Glance Conditions- Spot cards show morning, midday, and evening ratings at a glance — quickly scan which spots are firing and when the window is best without tapping into every forecast. Surf Alerts - Set a minimum condition rating on your favorite spots and get notified by push notification or email when conditions meet your standards. Never miss a good session again. Detailed Forecast Charts - Dive into swell period and direction, wind barbs, wave energy, tide charts, and sunrise/sunset — all the data you need in one place. Find Nearby Spots - Discover surf spots near your with real-time conditions and ratings. Save your favorites for quick access. Free to Use, More with Premium - Free: 5-day forecast, 5 nearby spots, 5 favorites, 1 alert - Premium Plus: 16-day forecast, 15 spots, 15 favorites, 10 alerts Terms of service - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Swell Intel at every 6 days against Tide's every 3 months. Swell Intel also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 90%). Tide's advantage is ratings volume (206 vs 11). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Tide sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Swell Intel sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Tide against 5.0 for Swell Intel. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tide has 206 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of Tide's written reviews are positive against 100% of Swell Intel's.
Tide ships an update every 3 months, Swell Intel every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and July 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Tide | Swell Intel |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (206 ratings) | 5.0 (11 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 90.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 206 — better | 11 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 57 MB | 50 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Meteo365 Ltd. | Swell Intel LLC |
Customer experience
Tide
Swell Intel
In-app purchases
Tide
- Premium Service (Monthly)$2.991 Month
- Premium Service (Yearly)$19.991 Year
Swell Intel
- Swell Intel Premium Monthly14 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Swell Intel Premium Plus14 Days trial$2.991 Month
Questions
Is Tide free?
Is Swell Intel free?
Which has better reviews, Tide or Swell Intel?
Do Tide or Swell Intel have ads?
Which is updated more often, Tide or Swell Intel?
Other comparisons
