Comparison

Swell Intel vs Wavemaps

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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/

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
Read full description

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

Swell Intel4 screens
Wavemaps4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Swell Intel versus Wavemaps: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSwell IntelWavemaps
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (11 ratings) — better4.9 (186 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better87.5% of reviews
Number of ratings11186 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#185 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB119 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSwell Intel LLCMiguel Canals

Customer experience

Swell Intel

All ratings11 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 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

2 purchases

Swell Intel

Subscriptions2
  • Swell Intel Premium Monthly14 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Swell Intel Premium Plus14 Days trial$2.991 Month
2 purchases

Wavemaps

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

Questions

Is Swell Intel free?
Swell Intel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Wavemaps free?
Wavemaps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Swell Intel or Wavemaps?
Swell Intel is rated higher. Swell Intel averages 5.0 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Wavemaps averages 4.9 from 186 ratings.
Do Swell Intel or Wavemaps have ads?
Neither Swell Intel nor Wavemaps shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Swell Intel or Wavemaps?
Swell Intel ships an update every 6 days, and Wavemaps every 3 months. Most recently, Swell Intel was updated on October 6, 2026 and Wavemaps on October 11, 2026.

Other comparisons