Swella vs Surfmate
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Swella
Connect with women who surf, whether you're at a local break or traveling. Plan surf sessions and trips, discover nearby surfers, and build confidence in the water. Find your surf sisters and never paddle out alone again.
- Create surfer profile
- Share surf sessions and trips
- Discover nearby women surfers
- Connect by location, dates, and level
- Chat and plan surf meetups
- Build confidence in the lineup
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Swella is the first app for women who surf, helping you connect with women nearby or while traveling, plan sessions or trips, and feel more confident in the lineup. Whether you’re heading to a new surf spot, planning a surf trip, or simply hoping not to paddle out alone, Swella helps you find other women surfing in the same place, at the same time, and at a similar level. Create and share surf sessions or trips, discover women surfers nearby, and start conversations to plan your next surf. With Swella, you can: • Create your surfer profile • Share your next surf session or trip • Discover women surfers nearby • Connect based on location, dates, and level • Chat and make plans to surf together • Explore curated surf trips, retreats, and experiences Swella helps you find surf sisters, feel more comfortable in the lineup, and surf with more confidence wherever you are. Built for every woman who’s ever looked around the lineup for another woman. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Surfmate
Connect with fellow surfers, log your sessions with detailed notes and photos, and discover local and global surf events. Find surf buddies nearby and organize your favorite surf spots.
- Log surf sessions with photos and notes
- Find nearby surfers and connect
- Discover surf events worldwide
- Share live spot checks
- Organize and save surf spots
- Build a surfer profile
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Welcome to the Surfmate Community - where surfers connect. Capture your sessions, discover surf events, and find your next surf buddy. Capture your surf journey Log every session with photos, notes, ratings, boards, and conditions. Tag your surf mates so they can copy the session into their own journal. Build your personal surf diary and relive every wave—from your very first ride to your best day ever. Find surfers nearby Meet surfers who share your favorite spots, have surfed the same breaks, or are attending the same events. Turn on **Open to Connect** to find surf buddies nearby, control who can discover you, and receive personalized surfer recommendations. Stay connected Follow friends, chat 1:1 or in groups, customize your feed, receive notifications when friends log new sessions, and stay connected with your surf community. Discover surf events Explore contests, festivals, film tours, community meetups, surf trips, and local events around the world. See events directly on the surf map, join community chats, publish that you'll attend, and connect before you even arrive. Share live spot checks Post real-time beach updates with videos and current conditions. Spot Checks are linked to surf spots and disappear automatically after 24 hours. Organize your surf spots Forget your Google Maps list. Save your favorite surf spots with tides, wave type, webcam links, photos, and personal notes. Keep spots private, share them only with friends, or discover more than 4,000 surf spots worldwide. Your surf life, organized Track the countries you've surfed, collect your favorite spots, build your surfer profile, and keep all your surf memories in one place. Built around your privacy Use Surfmate however you like. Keep everything private as your personal surf journal, or become part of a global surf community. You decide what you share and who can discover you. Your surf memories, favorite spots, surf mates, and surf events — all in one place. Your Surf. Your Story.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Surfmate at none against Swella's 2. Surfmate also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, review sentiment 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
Both are free to download. Swella sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Surfmate asks for nothing beyond the download.
Swella ships an update monthly, Surfmate every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Swella | Surfmate |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 151 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Rita Marques | Jolie Bast |
Customer experience
Swella
Surfmate
In-app purchases
Swella
- Swella Plus Monthly$4.991 Month
- Swella Plus Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
Surfmate
No in-app purchases









