Comparison

ONDA Surf vs Wavemaps

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

Head to head
About

ONDA Surf

Get real-time surf conditions and live video feeds of local breaks. This app provides hyper-local forecasts, an AI assistant for expert advice, and tools to log your sessions and connect with other surfers.

Highlights
  • Live video spot checks
  • Hour-by-hour surf forecasts
  • AI surf assistant
  • Session logging
  • Crew chat
  • Favorite breaks alerts
Features
Read full description

ONDA is your gateway to the most accurate surf forecasts and live reports at your NorCal surf spots, as well as the connection to your local surf community. Plan your sessions, check in on real-time conditions, view video streams at local spots, track your sessions, and share with your crew. ONDA is more than just a surf forecasting app - it makes surf reports, forecasts, and planning your sessions an experience! - Get Accurate Surf Reports & Forecasts - Connect to the most accurate, visual surf reports and forecasts at your local spots, good for all levels of surfers. - Join the Lineup - Track and share sessions, follow your friends as well as local breaks, and stay informed with news from the surf community. - Film the Waves and Get Paid - Earn income by streaming your local breaks. - Stay Informed - Enjoy surf news and community feeds relevant to your local area. - Know When It’s Firing - Get alerts when your local spots are lighting up or when the conditions are coming together. - Learn & Have Fun - Learn more about your local breaks and what makes for ideal surf conditions. Share with your friends and have fun planning sessions with your crew.

About

Wavemaps

This app provides detailed wave, surf, and wind forecasts for water enthusiasts and marine professionals. It offers global and nearshore wave modeling, real-time ocean data, and interactive 3D maps to visualize conditions. Users can save favorite locations and access premium features for advanced analysis.

Highlights
  • Global and nearshore wave forecasts
  • Custom ultra high-resolution wave models
  • Thousands of worldwide locations
  • Real-time ocean conditions from buoys
  • Interactive 3D-capable maps
  • Wave-seabed interaction visualization
  • Professional tools and extended forecasts
Features
Currently charting
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Wavemaps — A Professional Wave Forecasting Platform Wavemaps is a professional wave, wind, and marine forecasting platform built for people who spend serious time on or near the water. Surfers, fishers, sailors, captains, lifeguards, marine engineers, and coastal professionals run on the same system: the world's leading wave and marine weather models, refined into hyperlocal forecasts up to 16 days out. MULTI-MODEL COMPARISON Detailed wave forecasts compared side by side across leading global models, including ECMWF and GFS. Read the agreement between models at a glance and make calls with confidence. WAVEMAPS TIME MACHINE Visualize wave and wind forecast maps from 1979 to the present. Replay historical swells, storms, and seasons — and save them as memories to revisit. WAVEMAPS ENERGY COMPASS Our signature swell-direction visualization. See where wave energy is coming from, how it's distributed across components, and how it aligns with the coast you care about. ADVANCED SWELL COMPONENT ANALYSIS Decompose every wave forecast into its swell and wind-wave components — height, period, and direction for each. Know exactly which swell is doing the work. WAVEMAPS HD Ultra-high-resolution nearshore wave forecasts powered by our custom Wavemaps HD engine. For the first time in a forecasting platform, see how waves interact with the seabed — bathymetry, refraction, and shoaling rendered the way you'd see them on a research instrument. Available only in certain regions. WIND FORECASTS High-resolution wind forecasts including gusts, sustained speeds, and direction. Identify offshore, side-shore, and onshore conditions for any spot. THOUSANDS OF LOCATIONS Browse surf spots, fishing zones, and wave buoys worldwide. Save your favorites for personalized forecasts. Add your own spots and pull wave forecasts anywhere in the world. INTERACTIVE 3D MAPS Explore ultra-high-resolution maps of ocean and weather conditions across nearshore and offshore areas. Smooth, GPU-driven 3D visualization helps you understand current conditions and how they're changing over time. PROFESSIONAL FEATURES Premium subscriptions unlock advanced capabilities, extended forecast ranges, and deeper data analysis for users who need traceable, decision-grade ocean intelligence. Terms of Service: https://www.wavemaps.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.wavemaps.com/privacy

Screenshots

ONDA Surf4 screens
Wavemaps4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ONDA Surf at none against Wavemaps's 2. ONDA Surf also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 88%). Wavemaps's advantage is ratings volume (186 vs 13) and chart position (#159 vs unranked). On price, rating, ads and iOS requirement 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. Wavemaps sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. ONDA Surf asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for ONDA Surf against 4.9 for Wavemaps. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Wavemaps has 186 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of ONDA Surf's written reviews are positive against 88% of Wavemaps's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ONDA Surf ships an update fortnightly, Wavemaps every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on July 6, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
ONDA Surf versus Wavemaps: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterONDA SurfWavemaps
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (13 ratings) — better4.9 (186 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better87.5% of reviews
Number of ratings13186 — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#159 — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size111 MB119 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperOnda Sports IncMiguel Canals

Customer experience

ONDA Surf

All ratings12 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Wavemaps

All ratings186 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral0.5%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%

In-app purchases

None

ONDA Surf

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Wavemaps

Subscriptions2
  • Wavemaps Pro7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Wavemaps Pro7 Days trial$59.991 Year

Questions

Is ONDA Surf free?
ONDA Surf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Wavemaps free?
Wavemaps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ONDA Surf or Wavemaps?
ONDA Surf is rated higher. ONDA Surf averages 5.0 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Wavemaps averages 4.9 from 186 ratings.
Do ONDA Surf or Wavemaps have ads?
Neither ONDA Surf nor Wavemaps shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ONDA Surf or Wavemaps?
ONDA Surf ships an update fortnightly, and Wavemaps every 3 months. Most recently, ONDA Surf was updated on July 6, 2026 and Wavemaps on September 23, 2026.

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