SurfSignal vs Alplakes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SurfSignal
This app provides personalized daily alerts for optimal surfing, kiting, and windsurfing conditions based on your chosen spots and preferred wind, swell, and tide settings. It offers a clear timeline of all your spots and allows you to sync planned sessions directly to your calendar.
- Personalized spot selection
- Customizable condition rules
- Daily clear signal alerts
- Multi-spot timeline view
- Session planning and calendar sync
- High-resolution forecast data
- Live station wind checks
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SurfSignal sends one clear daily signal when your own spots and conditions line up. Choose any surf spot, set your ideal wind, swell and tide conditions, and let SurfSignal watch the forecast for you. Looking further ahead? The agenda puts all your spots on one timeline, day by day. Tap the windows you want to ride. Your session lands in your own calendar, with the spot, the times and the route. - No ads. - No login. - No noise. - Ready in two minutes. SurfSignal is built for surfers, kiters, windsurfers, foilers, sailors and anyone who depends on the right wind, tide or swell. Why SurfSignal? - Choose your own surf spots - Set your own wind, tide and swell rules - Get one clear daily signal - See all your spots on one timeline - Plan your sessions and sync them to your own calendar - See high-resolution forecasts - Check live station wind - View surf cams - Use clean hourly tables and graphs - Customize each spot your way SurfSignal is not another app to scroll through. It is a tool. Set your signal. Go when it's on. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Alplakes
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Alplakes, provided by the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) in collaboration with leading research partners, gives you instant access to the latest information on lakes across the European Alpine region. Stay informed with real-time conditions, forecasts, and long-term trends, all based on reliable, research-driven data. LAKE FORECASTS Access up to five days of temperature and velocity forecasts from hundreds of calibrated 1D & 3D hydrodynamic models. MEASUREMENTS Near real-time data from numerous sources across Europe, including water temperature, lake levels, webcams, and scientific datasets. WATER QUALITY MAPS Spatial water quality products derived from Sentinel-2, Sentinel-3, and Landsat remote sensing data. TRENDS Track changes over years to understand ecological and climate impacts. PARAMETERS Explore lake and catchment characteristics, including physical, chemical, and environmental parameters. Whether you’re a scientist, outdoor enthusiast, or lake lover, Alplakes makes complex data easy to explore. Get trusted insights from research partners—anywhere, anytime.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Alplakes at none against SurfSignal's 3. Alplakes also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. SurfSignal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Alplakes asks for nothing beyond the download.
SurfSignal ships an update every 5 days, Alplakes every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SurfSignal | Alplakes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 94 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | +4 | 17+ |
| Developer | Sebastiaan Dalmeijer | James Runnalls |
In-app purchases
SurfSignal
- Super Monthly$1.991 Month
- Super Yearly1 Month trial$17.991 Year
- SurfSignal pro Yearly7 Days trial$17.991 Year
Alplakes
No in-app purchases









