Comparison

DROP vs Waveform Surf

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

Head to head
About

DROP

Features
Read full description

How It Works: As a passenger, simply search for rides to your chosen surf spot, book a seat, and split the fuel costs. As a driver, offer your spare seats to fellow surfers and earn money while reducing your travel costs. Our smart matching system connects you with like-minded surfers heading to the same destinations. Key Features: Surf Spot Integration • Browse and select from popular surf spots with detailed location data • Find rides to and from specific surf locations • Discover new surf spots through the community Smart Ride Matching • Find rides based on your location, destination, and travel preferences • Connect with drivers and passengers heading to the same surf spots • Book seats and coordinate pickup/dropoff locations Secure Payment System • Split fuel costs safely with integrated payment processing • Transparent pricing with no hidden fees • Secure payment methods for hassle-free transactions Real-time Communication • In-app messaging between drivers and passengers • Real-time ride updates and notifications • Coordinate pickup times and locations seamlessly Safety & Trust • User verification and rating system • Secure ride sharing with verified community members • Emergency contact features for peace of mind Environmental Impact • Reduce your carbon footprint by sharing rides • Contribute to sustainable surf travel • Join a community committed to eco-friendly transportation Driver Benefits • Earn money by offering spare seats • Reduce your own travel costs • Meet fellow surfers and build community Passenger Benefits • Affordable transportation to surf spots • Reliable rides from verified drivers • Connect with the surfing community Whether you're heading to your local break or planning a surf trip, Drop-in makes it easy to find rides, share costs, and connect with the surfing community. Join our mission to make surf travel more sustainable, affordable, and social. Download Drop-in today and start sharing rides with fellow surfers!

About

Waveform Surf

Features
Read full description

Never miss a wave at Bristol's favourite surf spot. Get real-time session schedules, live water temperatures, and forecasts all in one app. EASY, FAST, SESSION SCHEDULES Whether it's Advanced, Expert or Beginner, browse the complete session timetable with an intuitive, swipeable calendar view. See what's available today, tomorrow, or months ahead. The smart layout adapts to your screen, showing multiple days at once on larger devices. Filter sessions by type to focus on exactly what you're looking for. LIVE WATER TEMPERATURE Know before you go. Waveform displays the current water temperature so you can prepare appropriately for your session. No surprises when you arrive at the lake. BE FIRST TO KNOW WITH SESSION NOTIFICATIONS Enable push notifications to receive alerts about session availability. Grab a cancellation on a full session, or find out when a session is nearly full. 7 DAY WATER TEMPERATURE FORECAST Waveform displays a 7 day water temperature forecast. FLOW STATE INTEGRATION Jump straight to your videos from the app as soon as your session ends. BOOKINGS INTEGRATION Jump straight to the right session booking from the app. KEY FEATURES Complete session schedule with multi-day view Real-time water temperature display Personalised wetsuit recommendations Smart temperature algorithm Session filtering by type Push notifications for availability Swipe navigation between days Compressed view for seeing more days at once Dark mode support No account required PRIVACY FOCUSED No account creation required. No personal data collected. No Ads. No payments. Just the surf information you need, when you need it. Waveform is an independent app created by surfers, for surfers. We're not officially affiliated with The Wave but built this app because we wanted a better way to check sessions and conditions.

Screenshots

DROP4 screens
Waveform Surf4 screens

Verdict

The call

DROP and Waveform Surf are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on August 7, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
DROP versus Waveform Surf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDROPWaveform Surf
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightlyFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size62 MB20 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperDROP-IN SURF LTDMarc Flannery

In-app purchases

None

DROP

No in-app purchases

None

Waveform Surf

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DROP free?
DROP is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Waveform Surf free?
Waveform Surf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do DROP or Waveform Surf have ads?
Neither DROP nor Waveform Surf shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DROP or Waveform Surf?
DROP ships an update fortnightly, and Waveform Surf fortnightly. Most recently, DROP was updated on August 7, 2026 and Waveform Surf on September 15, 2026.

Other comparisons