# SurfWaves vs Wavemaps

The clearest difference is update cadence: SurfWaves at weekly against Wavemaps's every 3 months. Wavemaps's advantage is review sentiment (88% vs 75%) and chart position (#172 vs unranked). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SurfWaves sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 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.

SurfWaves ships an update weekly, Wavemaps every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on August 27, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SurfWaves | Wavemaps |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.9 (186 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wavemaps-wave-forecasts/id6749452038/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **186** |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | **87.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#172** |
| Size | 80 MB | 119 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dereck Vicentin Leme](https://appshunter.io/developer/1735624560) | [Miguel Canals](https://appshunter.io/developer/1830493078) |

## What reviewers say

### SurfWaves

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/surfwaves/id6748910140)

This app uses AI to predict optimal surfing conditions, recommending the best beaches and times to surf. It offers real-time visual analysis of beach cameras for wave quality, crowd, wind, and tide, with customizable regional settings and multilingual support.

**Highlights:** AI-powered surf condition forecasting, Smart beach and time recommendations, Live image analysis of beach cameras, Wave quality, crowd, wind, and tide interpretation, Customizable regional settings and units, Multilingual support, Home screen widgets and Apple CarPlay integration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| mensal R$9.90 | $9.99 | per month |
| Trimestral R$29.90 | $24.99 | per 3 months |
| Anual R$129.90 | $99.99 | per year |


### Wavemaps

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wavemaps-wave-forecasts/id6749452038)

**Currently charting:** #172 Top Grossing · Weather (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wavemaps Pro | $7.99 | per month |
| Wavemaps Pro | $59.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SurfWaves free?

SurfWaves is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Wavemaps free?

Wavemaps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do SurfWaves or Wavemaps have ads?

Neither SurfWaves nor Wavemaps shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SurfWaves or Wavemaps?

SurfWaves ships an update weekly, and Wavemaps every 3 months. Most recently, SurfWaves was updated on August 27, 2026 and Wavemaps on September 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*