# RiverApp vs Water Live

The clearest difference is review sentiment: RiverApp at 79% against Water Live's 11%. RiverApp also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months) and chart position (#98 vs unranked). Water Live's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. RiverApp sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Water Live asks for nothing beyond the download.

RiverApp ships an update every 3 weeks, Water Live every 6 months. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | RiverApp | Water Live |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (5.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/riverapp-river-levels/id667012473/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **5.5K** | — |
| Positive reviews | **79.3% of reviews** | 10.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#98** | — |
| Size | 56 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **8.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Florian Bessiere](https://appshunter.io/developer/667012476) | [WATER NSW](https://appshunter.io/developer/1399316860) |

## What reviewers say

### RiverApp

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/riverapp-river-levels/id667012473)

**Currently charting:** #98 Top Grossing · Weather, #130 Top Free · Weather (US App Store)

Access real-time water levels, flows, and temperatures for rivers worldwide. Ideal for sports enthusiasts and professionals, it offers detailed maps, navigability information, and customizable alerts for over 40,000 hydrometric stations.

**Highlights:** Real-time water levels and flows, Water temperatures, Hydrometric station maps, Customizable alerts, Whitewater course navigability, User-added hazards and courses

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium - 1 month subscription | $0.99 | per month |
| Premium - 1 year subscription | $6.99 | per year |
| RiverApp Premium | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🗺️ Comprehensive coverage of rivers
- 📊 Useful data and visualizations
- 🔔 Helpful alerts and notifications
- 💰 Affordable premium upgrade

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional inaccurate or outdated information
- 🔍 Missing some important river gauges
- 💬 Lack of communication from developers
- 🗺️ Incorrect geographic information for some areas

**Reported bugs**

- Map feature not working due to internet connection issues
- Horizontal lines and color indicators disappearing from graphs
- Inconsistent or unreliable data updates

**Requested features**

- Add more river coverage, especially in underserved regions
- Improve forecast and prediction capabilities
- Implement a journaling or note-taking feature
- Allow for customizable alerts and notifications
- Add support for additional measurement units (e.g., millimeters)


### Water Live

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/water-live/id945855334)

Access real-time water data from over 1,300 monitoring sites across NSW. View stream, storage, and groundwater levels, flow rates, temperatures, rainfall, and water quality information. Easily find and save your favorite sites for quick access.

**Highlights:** Real-time water level data, Streamflow and storage volume tracking, Water quality information, Rainfall data, Site search by name, ID, or river, Map-based site discovery, Save favorite sites, Customizable watch levels

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is RiverApp free?

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

### Is Water Live free?

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

### Do RiverApp or Water Live have ads?

Neither RiverApp nor Water Live shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, RiverApp or Water Live?

RiverApp ships an update every 3 weeks, and Water Live every 6 months. Most recently, RiverApp was updated on October 26, 2026 and Water Live on October 26, 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.*