Comparison

SurfMap vs Current

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

Head to head
About

SurfMap

This app uses AI to provide personalized surf forecasts based on your skill level and preferred spots. It offers an interactive map for viewing conditions and custom alerts to never miss a great session.

Highlights
  • AI-powered personalized forecasts
  • Interactive map with live conditions
  • 7-day surf planning
  • Customizable alerts
  • Tide and crowd level tracking
  • Skill-level adaptation
Features
Read full description

Smarter surf forecasts. Better sessions. SurfMap is the AI-powered surf forecast app built entirely around you. It learns your skill level, favorite spots and the sessions you rate, and answers the only question that matters: where and when should you paddle out? It covers more than 5,000 spots worldwide, comes with a full Apple Watch app, and version 2.0 brings a completely redesigned experience. A FRESH NEW LOOK • Redesigned spot page: the sky above your forecast mirrors the real weather of every hour • The verdict up top: your AI rating and the best window to paddle out, before you scroll • Slide through the day and watch waves, wind, tide and sky update instantly • Redesigned Home Screen widgets in every size, with your best window at a glance SURF GUIDES, LOCAL KNOWLEDGE BUILT IN • Hand-crafted guides for Bali, Ericeira, Hossegor, Taghazout and the French Basque Country • The right spot for your level, the tide windows that make it work, and the hazards to respect • Ratings that know when a spot only breaks on the right tide • Discover guide spots straight from the map NOW ON APPLE WATCH • Track your surf sessions right from your wrist, no phone needed in the water • Automatic wave counting from wrist motion: every ride logged, hands-free • Missed waves and wipeouts detected too, with the G-force of every fall • Live heart rate, calories, paddle distance and the GPS track of your session • Conditions, tide curve and sunrise/sunset for your spots, at a glance • Watch-face complications + full session recap synced to your iPhone AI FORECASTS, PERSONALIZED • Beginner? Mellow waves and gentle winds. Charger? We'll find the pumping reef break • Ratings tuned to your level and sharpened by the sessions you rate • Honest AI: it shows you the session it matched, and says so when it needs more data • Plain-language conditions: "Groomed by offshore wind", "Too small for your level" • Custom alerts the moment conditions hit your sweet spot ASK SIRI • "Hey Siri, does it surf today in Huntington Beach with SurfMap?" Your rating, the best window, and a card that opens the spot • "Where can I surf this weekend with SurfMap?" The best spots near you, for your level • Ask SurfMap anything with Apple Intelligence, like "Is tomorrow better than today at Huntington Beach?", and find your spots and guides in Spotlight (iOS 26) EVERYTHING ON ONE MAP • 5,000+ surf spots worldwide with live wave height, swell, wind, tides and crowds • Hour by hour: swell period & direction, wind direction, tide curves with high/low times • Weekly overview: the days ahead ranked for your level, with the best day and hour flagged • Rotate to landscape for the full-week grid TRACK & PROGRESS • Log sessions with waves, duration and a conditions snapshot • Compare two sessions head to head, and relive your season with Surf Rewind • Session history with stats, progression and year filters • Apple Health integration: surf workouts count toward your rings • Ad-free, for pure focus on the waves Download SurfMap and surf smarter, not harder. Never miss a great session again. Please note: All features in SurfMap require a subscription. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Current

Get detailed, physics-based surf forecasts for California breaks. See wave height, how waves break, swell details, wind, tide, and water temperature. A free daily forecast is available, with premium features for multi-day predictions and advanced statistics.

Highlights
  • Physics-based surf forecasts
  • Wave break type prediction
  • Swell partitions and timeline
  • Lull duration and wave energy
  • Water temperature
  • Multi-day forecast (premium)
Currently charting
Read full description

Current gives you physics-based surf forecasts for every break In California and the East and Gulf Coasts. Current is part of a movement to create more accurate and detailed surf forecasts. What you get: • 8-day surf forecast for every spot - swell, wind, tide, surf heights, and ratings • An animated map - wind, currents, and swell in motion, surf height painted along the coastline • Spot stats you won't find anywhere else - set height, breaker type, peakiness • Secret spots - draw your own spot anywhere on the coast and get a full forecast for it Today's forecast is free for every spot. Upgrade to Current Premium for multi-day forecasts, detailed surf-zone statistics, and map overlays. Forecasts are estimates — always check real conditions and surf within your limits. - Support URL: https://currentsurf.com · Marketing URL (optional): https://currentsurf.com · Privacy Policy URL: https://currentsurf.com/privacy CURRENT PREMIUM (optional subscription) Premium Monthly - $4.99/month, auto-renews. Unlocks the full 8-day forecast everywhere: future-day map overlays, future-day spot stats, and up to 100 secret spots. Today's forecast is always free. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews monthly unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your App Store settings. Privacy Policy: https://currentsurf.com/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://currentsurf.com/terms

Screenshots

SurfMap4 screens
Current4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Current at freemium against SurfMap's subscription. Current also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.5) and chart position (#193 vs unranked). SurfMap's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs fortnightly). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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. SurfMap sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Current sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Current holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 40 and 14 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of SurfMap's written reviews are positive against 80% of Current's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SurfMap ships an update every 6 days, Current fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
SurfMap versus Current: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSurfMapCurrent
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (40 ratings)4.7 (14 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings40 — better14
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFreemium — better
Best chart rank—#193 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB40 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperGuillaume BernosColin Weaver

Customer experience

SurfMap

All ratings40 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral2.5%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

Current

All ratings14 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

SurfMap

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Plan$1.997 Days
  • Monthly Plan$6.991 Month
  • Annual Plan14 Days trial$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$99.00
1 purchases

Current

Subscriptions1
  • Current Premium$4.991 Month

Questions

Is SurfMap free?
SurfMap is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Current free?
Current is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SurfMap or Current?
Current is rated higher. SurfMap averages 4.5 out of 5 from 40 ratings, while Current averages 4.7 from 14 ratings.
Do SurfMap or Current have ads?
Neither SurfMap nor Current shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SurfMap or Current?
SurfMap ships an update every 6 days, and Current fortnightly. Most recently, SurfMap was updated on October 5, 2026 and Current on October 8, 2026.

Other comparisons