# Ocean Pulse vs Actual Currents

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Ocean Pulse at 100% against Actual Currents's 60%. Ocean Pulse also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Actual Currents's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (20 vs 1). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Actual Currents sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Ocean Pulse asks for nothing beyond the download.

Ocean Pulse holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Actual Currents has 20 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Ocean Pulse's written reviews are positive against 60% of Actual Currents's.

Ocean Pulse ships an update every 4 months, Actual Currents fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ocean Pulse | Actual Currents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ocean-pulse/id6759033100/reviews)** | [4.7 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/actual-currents/id6761431005/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **20** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 60.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#198** |
| Size | 22 MB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sean O'Brien](https://appshunter.io/developer/1876459716) | [Luka Catipovic](https://appshunter.io/developer/1889586305) |

## What reviewers say

### Ocean Pulse

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ocean-pulse/id6759033100)

Visualize real-time NOAA buoy data as a dynamic, glowing map. Understand ocean conditions like swell direction, wave period, and height through intuitive visual cues rather than numbers. Access detailed conditions for over 170 buoys across various ocean regions.

**Highlights:** Real-time NOAA buoy data visualization, Color-coded swell direction, Pulse speed indicates wave period, Brightness shows wave height, Detailed buoy condition reports, Save favorite buoys, Search buoys by name, ID, or region

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Actual Currents

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/actual-currents/id6761431005)

**Currently charting:** #198 Top Grossing · Weather (US App Store)

Visualize real-time tidal currents with animated particles and a detailed heatmap on an interactive nautical map. Plan your trips with confidence by scrubbing through time to see how currents change throughout the day, with options for global ocean currents and wind overlays.

**Highlights:** Animated tidal current visualization, Real-time wind overlay, Interactive nautical map, Time scrubber for predictions, Route planning with current analysis, Global ocean currents view

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Unlimited monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Yearly | $39.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ocean Pulse free?

Ocean Pulse is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Actual Currents free?

Actual Currents is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Ocean Pulse or Actual Currents?

Ocean Pulse is rated higher. Ocean Pulse averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Actual Currents averages 4.7 from 20 ratings.

### Do Ocean Pulse or Actual Currents have ads?

Neither Ocean Pulse nor Actual Currents shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ocean Pulse or Actual Currents?

Ocean Pulse ships an update every 4 months, and Actual Currents fortnightly. Most recently, Ocean Pulse was updated on October 6, 2026 and Actual Currents on October 13, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*