# BackyardBuoys vs Winter Science

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BackyardBuoys at none against Winter Science's 2. BackyardBuoys also leads on chart position (#86 vs unranked) and ratings volume (5 vs 1). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Winter Science sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. BackyardBuoys asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for BackyardBuoys against 5.0 for Winter Science. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BackyardBuoys has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

BackyardBuoys ships an update fortnightly, Winter Science every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BackyardBuoys | Winter Science |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/backyardbuoys/id6502961110/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/winter-science/id6754946560/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5** | 1 |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#86** | — |
| Size | 3 MB | 50 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [BackyardBuoys](https://appshunter.io/developer/1747582159) | [Dataration LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1851071715) |

## What reviewers say

### BackyardBuoys

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/backyardbuoys/id6502961110)

**Currently charting:** #86 Top Free · Weather (US App Store)

This application provides coastal communities with easy mobile access to near real-time wave data and visualizations. It leverages scalable marine technology for community-managed ocean buoys, enhancing blue economy and hazard protection.

**Highlights:** Real-time wave data access, Data visualizations, Community-managed buoys, Blue economy enhancement, Hazard protection, Mobile data access

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Winter Science

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/winter-science/id6754946560)

This app provides detailed snowpack simulations and AI-driven weather forecasts to help users understand current and future mountain conditions. It reconstructs past weather events and models snow layers to inform decisions about outdoor activities.

**Highlights:** AI-driven snowpack simulations, Reconstructed mountain weather history, Ensemble weather forecasting, Detailed snow layer analysis, Interactive terrain map, Regional outlooks

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Pro Annual | $24.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BackyardBuoys free?

BackyardBuoys is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Winter Science free?

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

### Which has better reviews, BackyardBuoys or Winter Science?

BackyardBuoys and Winter Science are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do BackyardBuoys or Winter Science have ads?

Neither BackyardBuoys nor Winter Science shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BackyardBuoys or Winter Science?

BackyardBuoys ships an update fortnightly, and Winter Science every 2 weeks. Most recently, BackyardBuoys was updated on November 4, 2026 and Winter Science on October 30, 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.*