Comparison

Surf Journal App vs SurfBound

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

Head to head
About

Surf Journal App

Features
Read full description

Track Your Surf Sessions Effortlessly Log a session in under a minute, save it for life. Include pictures, notes, and a rating. Swell and wind data are brought in automatically, so you can see what conditions line up with your best sessions. Key Features: • Fast and Easy Logging: Record your surf session in less than a minute. • Automatic Weather Data: Get wind, swell, and other conditions automatically saved for every session. • Calendar View: See what type of sessions you've had day by day with the calendar view. • Map View: See where you've been surfing and where your top sessions are. • Surf Stats: See how much you're surfing and how good your sessions are by week, month, and year. From beginners to seasoned surfers, anyone can use this app to stay connected to the ocean, track progress, and make the most of every wave.

About

SurfBound

This app automatically tracks your surfing sessions, recording waves, speed, GPS, and heart rate with minimal interaction. Replay your sessions on your phone, track your progress through levels, and check surf conditions worldwide.

Highlights
  • Automatic wave detection
  • GPS tracking
  • Heart rate monitoring
  • Session replay with wave breakdown
  • Surf journey and level progression
  • Worldwide surf conditions and tides
  • No account required, data privacy
Features
Read full description

SurfBound is a surf tracker for your watch - Apple Watch and Garmin both record: one tap and you're in - waves, speed, GPS tracks, and heart rate record themselves. Zero interaction in the water; turn the crown to finish. AUTOMATIC TRACKING - Detects every wave: start, end, top speed, distance, and track - Apple Watch Ultra Action Button: set it to SurfBound to start a session with one press - then each press after a wave marks it (even after paddling back) - Any Apple Watch: turn the crown backward one full turn on the session page to mark your wave - Power-loss protection: if the watch dies, your session is recovered - Exit reminder: forget to end a session and the watch will ask REPLAY & CORRECTIONS - Map replay on iPhone with wave-by-wave breakdown and tap-to-seek - Reject false waves, add missed ones - your corrections make detection smarter JOURNEY & LEVELS - Surf journey staged by water hours - we walk the first 20 hours with you - Spot footprint: every break levels up on its own, from Visitor to Homebreak - The watch session screen tints with your level: blue on a first visit, gold at your home break - Weekly streak with flat-week exemption - the ocean resting doesn't break your chain CONDITIONS & TIDES - Built-in spots worldwide with swell, period, wind, and tide curves - Watch widgets for at-a-glance conditions LINEUP - Share a session with your surf friends: route, waves and the day's conditions - Get shakas and comments from people who surf - Only followers you approve see your shares, unless you make your account public YOUR DATA IS YOURS - Tracking needs no sign-up - iCloud is your identity; only Lineup uses Sign in with Apple - Sessions live on your devices and your iCloud; we never sell data GARMIN WATCHES - Install SurfBound from the Connect IQ store (free) and press START - Wave count, speed and the track of every ride are computed on the watch, then travel to your iPhone on their own - Replay, labelling, journey and levels work exactly as they do with Apple Watch Requires Apple Watch Series 4 or later (Ultra recommended), watchOS 10+, iOS 18+. Garmin users need SurfBound on iPhone, the Garmin Connect app, and the SurfBound watch app from the Connect IQ store. Keep Surfing. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Surf Journal App4 screens
SurfBound4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Surf Journal App at none against SurfBound's 3. Surf Journal App also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). SurfBound's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads and device support 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. SurfBound sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Surf Journal App asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Surf Journal App ships an update every 2 months, SurfBound every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Surf Journal App versus SurfBound: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSurf Journal AppSurfBound
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.1 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size68 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid EvansOysterX, Inc.

In-app purchases

None

Surf Journal App

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

SurfBound

Subscriptions3
  • SurfBound Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • SurfBound Pro Quarterly$7.993 Months
  • SurfBound Pro Yearly14 Days trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Surf Journal App free?
Surf Journal App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SurfBound free?
SurfBound is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Surf Journal App or SurfBound have ads?
Neither Surf Journal App nor SurfBound shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Surf Journal App or SurfBound?
Surf Journal App ships an update every 2 months, and SurfBound every 4 days. Most recently, Surf Journal App was updated on October 24, 2026 and SurfBound on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons