Nullschool vs Wavemaps
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Nullschool
Visualize global weather, ocean, and pollution data on an interactive map. Explore current conditions, forecasts up to 5 days, and historical data. Discover atmospheric phenomena like hurricanes, jet streams, and pollution spread.
- Interactive animated global map
- Wind, ocean, and pollution layers
- Current conditions and 5-day forecasts
- Historical data access
- Aurora and wildfire tracking
- Subscription for extra features
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The official app of the popular website earth.nullschool.net! Explore wind, weather, ocean, and pollution conditions, as forecast by supercomputers, on an interactive animated map. Numerous features are available: - Current conditions, forecasts up to 5 days (depending on the data source), and historical data going back many years - Physical layers: wind, temperature, relative humidity, wet bulb temperature, precipitation, MSLP, CAPE, and more - Chemistry and aerosol layers: PM 2.5, CO2, sulfate, and other pollutants - Ocean layers: waves, currents, swells, sea surface temps, coral bleaching - Aurora - Wildfires Explore Earth's atmosphere and oceans wherever your curiosity takes you: - Watch how hurricanes and typhoons form and pull heat from the ocean - See the jet stream and polar vortex - Follow the Kuroshio, Alguhas, and Gulf Stream - Learn how pollution spreads across the globe This app offers paid subscriptions so you can help Nullschool keep the lights on and develop new features. Plus, you get some neat extras: - Curate a gallery of favorites - Save and share screenshots - Generate QR codes for easy linking Who knows what you're going to find?
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: Nullschool at monthly against Wavemaps's every 3 months. Nullschool also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 88%) and chart position (#49 vs #167). Wavemaps's advantage is ratings volume (186 vs 27). 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. Nullschool sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 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 Nullschool against 4.9 for Wavemaps. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Wavemaps has 186 ratings behind it against 27, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Nullschool's written reviews are positive against 88% of Wavemaps's.
Nullschool ships an update monthly, Wavemaps every 3 months. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.
| Parameter | Nullschool | Wavemaps |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (27 ratings) — better | 4.9 (186 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 87.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 27 | 186 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #49 — better | #167 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 31 MB | 119 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nullschool Technologies Inc. | Miguel Canals |
Customer experience
Nullschool
Wavemaps
In-app purchases
Nullschool
- Monthly Plan$2.991 Month
- Annual Plan$29.991 Year
- Friends of Nullschool$49.991 Year
Wavemaps
- Wavemaps Pro7 Days trial$7.991 Month
- Wavemaps Pro7 Days trial$59.991 Year








