Comparison

A vs Swell Scope

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

Head to head
About

A

This app offers an intuitive 7-day surf forecast with a vertical layout for easy viewing of conditions at your favorite surf spots. Quickly find nearby locations and analyze detailed hourly forecasts and tide graphs.

Highlights
  • 7-day vertical surf forecast
  • Map of surf locations
  • Favorites for quick access
  • Nearby surf spot finder
  • Detailed hourly forecast
  • Tide graphs
Features
Read full description

A-Frame’s goal is to provide the easiest-to-use surf forecast app. Our 7-day vertical forecast format makes it simple to scroll through and view your favorite surf locations, so you can spend more time planning your next paddle out and less time clicking through multiple pages. Key Features: * Map Page
Explore surf locations across US, Mexico, Australia and Hawaii, with more locations coming soon! Easily swipe through locations to get a snapshot of current surf conditions and ratings. *Favorites where your favorite surf spots to the Favorites Page and view current forecasts for each location at a glance. Spend less time navigating and more time checking the conditions at the waves you love most. * Local
Our Local Page lists nearby surf locations ranked by rating and distance. Whether you’re at home or on a surf vacation, quickly see the best surf spots within a 40 mile radius. * Enhanced Forecast Design
The 7-day vertical forecast provides a detailed 21-hour view for each day, combined with tide graphs for seamless analysis. Our intuitive layout eliminates the need to scroll back and forth, offering a streamlined experience for checking all the surf data you need in one place.

About

Swell Scope

This app allows users to create custom surf spots globally by dropping pins and provides detailed forecast data from premier weather models. It features a surf journal with auto-import and trend charts to help users make informed decisions about their sessions.

Highlights
  • Custom surf spot creation worldwide
  • 14-day detailed weather forecast
  • Surf journal with auto-import
  • Similar session comparison
  • Trend charts for forecast data
  • Real-time data updates
Features
Read full description

Raw forecasts at your own custom spots. Originally crowdfunded by surfers worldwide. Over 2 million forecasts served already! Swell Scope - the surf forecast app with no surf spots. Instead, you add your own custom surf breaks by dropping a pin anywhere in the world. Use first-of-their kind tools to setup the exposure of your spot in just a few seconds. Then jump into beautiful charts, animations, and visuals that show you the raw forecast data from the world’s premier weather models. After your session, auto-import the conditions into your journal and add your own detailed ratings for things like breaking-wave shape and surface cleanliness. Next time the conditions are similar, you’ll see your own ratings alongside the raw forecast data. Everything is designed so that you can make the call yourself, instead of relying on mysterious predictions and algorithms. My hope is to bring back the joy & excitement of learning your local, making the call, and chasing those special sessions. Over 5,000 people helped beta test Swell Scope throughout 2025! Here are some of the favourite features they helped us develop: 14-Day Forecast - Raw forecast data from the premier weather agencies. Primary, Secondary, and Wind Swells. Height, period, & direction. Wind strength & direction. Tides. Sunrise & Sunset times. Water Temp. Weather including rain & cloud cover. Custom Surf Spots - Worldwide - Drop a pin anywhere in the world to see the forecast there. Use first-of-their kind tools to setup the exposure & inform the app of onshore/offshore directions. Surf Journal with Auto-Import - Add your sessions to your journal and all the conditions are automatically imported. Fill out detailed ratings bout breaking wave shape, wind quality, and more Similar Sessions - Next time the conditions are similar, see your past ratings alongside the forecast. Use the comparison screen to see for yourself how similar the sessions are and make the call Trend Charts - See three full days of charted data for every detail in forecast on a single screen. Spotting trends is easy when you can see so much in one view Fresh Data - See which weather agencies & models are being used for every detail in the forecast. Data is updated in the app as soon as it's published by the sources. Most models update every 6-hours, with some being as frequent as hourly! Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.swell-scope.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

A4 screens
Swell Scope4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: A at none against Swell Scope's 3. A also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs monthly). Swell Scope's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.7) and ratings volume (55 vs 12). On price, review sentiment, 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. Swell Scope sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. A asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Swell Scope holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12 and 55 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of A's written reviews are positive against 93% of Swell Scope's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

A ships an update every 6 days, Swell Scope monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
A versus Swell Scope: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterASwell Scope
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (12 ratings)4.9 (55 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better92.9% of reviews
Number of ratings1255 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB113 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOrlando SantosFlockatoo Tech Pty Ltd

Customer experience

A

All ratings12 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Swell Scope

All ratings55 ratings
Positive98.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive92.9%
Neutral3.6%
Negative3.6%

In-app purchases

None

A

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Swell Scope

Subscriptions2
  • Unlimited Access14 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Unlimited Access1 Month trial$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Unlimited Access$49.99

Questions

Is A free?
A is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Swell Scope free?
Swell Scope is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, A or Swell Scope?
Swell Scope is rated higher. A averages 4.7 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Swell Scope averages 4.9 from 55 ratings.
Do A or Swell Scope have ads?
Neither A nor Swell Scope shows ads.
Which is updated more often, A or Swell Scope?
A ships an update every 6 days, and Swell Scope monthly. Most recently, A was updated on October 30, 2026 and Swell Scope on November 5, 2026.

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