Swell Intel vs Wavemaps
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Swell Intel
Get detailed surf forecasts, real-time conditions, and smart alerts to find the best waves. Plan your surf trips with up to 16-day forecasts and easily scan spot conditions at a glance. Receive notifications when conditions meet your standards, ensuring you never miss a good session.
- Detailed surf forecasts up to 16 days
- Real-time wave height, swell, and wind data
- Smart alerts for optimal surf conditions
- At-a-glance spot condition ratings
- Detailed forecast charts (swell, wind, tide)
- Find and save nearby surf spots
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Swell Intel gives you everything you need to score the best waves — detailed surf forecasts, real-time conditions, and smart alerts that tell you when to go. Check the Conditions - Wave height, swell direction, wind speed, and surf quality ratings for every surf spot across the US and Puerto Rico. Forecasts extend up to 16 days so you can plan trips with confidence. At-a-Glance Conditions- Spot cards show morning, midday, and evening ratings at a glance — quickly scan which spots are firing and when the window is best without tapping into every forecast. Surf Alerts - Set a minimum condition rating on your favorite spots and get notified by push notification or email when conditions meet your standards. Never miss a good session again. Detailed Forecast Charts - Dive into swell period and direction, wind barbs, wave energy, tide charts, and sunrise/sunset — all the data you need in one place. Find Nearby Spots - Discover surf spots near your with real-time conditions and ratings. Save your favorites for quick access. Free to Use, More with Premium - Free: 5-day forecast, 5 nearby spots, 5 favorites, 1 alert - Premium Plus: 16-day forecast, 15 spots, 15 favorites, 10 alerts Terms of service - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Swell Intel at every 6 days against Wavemaps's every 3 months. Swell Intel also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 88%). Wavemaps's advantage is ratings volume (186 vs 11) and chart position (#185 vs unranked). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Swell Intel sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Wavemaps sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Swell Intel against 4.9 for Wavemaps. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Wavemaps has 186 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Swell Intel's written reviews are positive against 88% of Wavemaps's.
Swell Intel ships an update every 6 days, Wavemaps every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Swell Intel | Wavemaps |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (11 ratings) — better | 4.9 (186 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 87.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 11 | 186 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #185 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 50 MB | 119 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Swell Intel LLC | Miguel Canals |
Customer experience
Swell Intel
Wavemaps
In-app purchases
Swell Intel
- Swell Intel Premium Monthly14 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Swell Intel Premium Plus14 Days trial$2.991 Month
Wavemaps
- Wavemaps Pro7 Days trial$7.991 Month
- Wavemaps Pro7 Days trial$59.991 Year








