Comparison

SurfMap vs XAKA | Surf Forecast

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

SurfMap rates the surf for your level at more than 5,000 spots around the world. For each spot, it shows you the best hours to go and tells you why. RATED FOR YOUR LEVEL • Tell SurfMap if you're a beginner, an intermediate or an advanced surfer, and every hour of the week gets a rating for you. • Each rating gives its reason in plain words, like "Ideal size for your level" or "Too much wind". • When the tide makes a spot dangerous, a warning sign shows next to its rating. • Rate your sessions and the AI adds a personal score that predicts how much you'll enjoy each hour. It runs on your iPhone and learns only from your own sessions. MAKE EACH SPOT YOURS • Tell SurfMap which tides work at your spot, which ones are dangerous and how big the waves really get there, and the ratings take it into account. • Save your favorite spots. Around 6:30 pm, SurfMap tells you if one of them looks good tomorrow, and it stays quiet when nothing is worth the trip. • Home Screen widgets show the spot you pick, or the closest spot wherever you are. FIND WHERE TO SURF • See which spots around you, or which of your favorites, look good today, tomorrow, this weekend or later in the week. • Hourly graphs show the waves, wind, tide and weather. Drag across the day to check any hour. • The nearby forecast shows seven days for every spot around you. Open the week in landscape, or compare two spots side by side. • Search spots, towns and guides by the name locals use or the one travelers know. WHERE THE FORECAST COMES FROM • Waves, wind and weather come from global wave and weather models, refreshed twice a day for the next seven days. The ratings are SurfMap's own reading of them. • Tides are predicted for each spot from its own tidal constants, the same method behind printed tide tables. 16 SURF GUIDES • The guides cover Ericeira, Peniche, the Algarve, Hossegor, both sides of the Basque Country, Galicia, Asturias, Cornwall, the west coast of Ireland, Fuerteventura, Taghazout, Bali, the Mentawai Islands, Siargao and Sri Lanka. • Each guide says which spot suits your level, the tide that makes it work and the hazards to watch out for. ASK SIRI • "Hey Siri, does it surf today in Huntington Beach with SurfMap?" Siri answers with your rating and the best window, and a tap opens the spot. • With Apple Intelligence, ask SurfMap anything, like "Is tomorrow better than today at Huntington Beach?" Siri questions need iOS 26. APPLE WATCH • Track your session from your wrist, with no phone in the water. The watch counts your waves, and notices missed waves and wipeouts too. • Follow your heart rate, calories and paddle distance live, and keep the GPS track. If your watch runs out of battery, the session isn't lost. • The watch shows conditions and tide for your spots, and its complications can follow the closest spot. YOUR SURF LOG • Every session goes into your log with its conditions and the board you rode, and each month gets its own recap page. • Share a spot's forecast, a session or a whole month as an image. • Your profile keeps your records and a stamp for each new spot and each new country. • Surf workouts go to Apple Health and count toward your rings. SurfMap has no ads. 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

XAKA | Surf Forecast

Get personalized surf session recommendations based on your skill level and preferred conditions. Discover nearby surf spots, compare wave, wind, and tide data, and find the best time to hit the water. Plan less and surf more with this community-powered forecast tool.

Highlights
  • Personalized session recommendations
  • Find surf spots near any location
  • Filter by surf level
  • Compare wave, wind, and tide conditions
  • Check best time to surf
  • Explore recommendations on a map
  • Community-powered feedback
Features
Read full description

Find the right surf spot at the right time. XAKA turns complex surf forecasts into clear, personalized session recommendations. Choose your surf level, search location, radius, and preferred time. XAKA compares nearby spots and ranks the sessions that best match your criteria. PLAN LESS. SURF MORE. • Find surf spots near any chosen location • See which spots match your surf level • Compare wave, wind, and tide conditions • Check the best time to surf each spot • Review wave height, direction, period, and energy • Explore every recommendation on a satellite map BUILT AROUND YOUR LEVEL Whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced surfer, XAKA filters out the noise and helps you make a faster, more informed choice. COMMUNITY-POWERED Share feedback after your session. Every report helps XAKA better understand local spots and improve future recommendations for the surf community. CURRENT COVERAGE Explore surf spots across France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Mexico, US. More regions to come. Forecasts and recommendations are provided for informational purposes only. Always assess local conditions, weather, access restrictions, your ability, and official safety advice before entering the water.

Screenshots

SurfMap4 screens
XAKA | Surf Forecast3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: XAKA | Surf Forecast at none against SurfMap's 4. XAKA | Surf Forecast also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 75%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. SurfMap sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. XAKA | Surf Forecast asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SurfMap ships an update every 6 days, XAKA | Surf Forecast every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
SurfMap versus XAKA | Surf Forecast: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSurfMapXAKA | Surf Forecast
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (40 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings40 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 daysEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size57 MB4 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperGuillaume BernosXAKA LABS

Customer experience

SurfMap

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

XAKA | Surf Forecast

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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
None

XAKA | Surf Forecast

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SurfMap free?
SurfMap is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is XAKA | Surf Forecast free?
XAKA | Surf Forecast is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do SurfMap or XAKA | Surf Forecast have ads?
Neither SurfMap nor XAKA | Surf Forecast shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SurfMap or XAKA | Surf Forecast?
SurfMap ships an update every 6 days, and XAKA | Surf Forecast every 5 days. Most recently, SurfMap was updated on November 5, 2026 and XAKA | Surf Forecast on October 31, 2026.

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