Session vs Surf Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Session
Log your surf sessions to understand what conditions, spots, and gear lead to your best experiences. It automatically tracks weather and tide data, helping you discover personalized ideal conditions and optimize your quiver. Build streaks and gain insights into your surfing habits.
- Personalized target condition forecasting
- Automatic condition data logging
- Surfboard and gear tracking
- Session logging with ratings
- Streak tracking and performance insights
- Crew tagging and session sharing
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Session is the surf log that learns what makes your best sessions good – the spots, boards, and conditions you rate highest – then watches the forecast for when they line up again. The more you log, the more it's tuned to you. You remember the feeling, not the details. Session captures each session in about 30 seconds — conditions auto-filled, board, crew, your rating — then learns the spots, boards, and conditions behind your best-rated sessions. A generic report calls it "epic" for everyone; Session learns what epic means for you, at your level. The more you log, the more it's dialed to you. YOUR PERSONALIZED FORECAST Session learns which conditions produced your best-rated sessions — per spot, per board — and watches the forecast for when they line up again. Get a heads-up when your spots are about to match your kind of day. The more you log, the sharper it gets. CONDITIONS ON AUTOPILOT Wave height, swell, wind, tide — pulled in automatically from trusted weather and tide providers for your spot and session time. One tap and your conditions are logged. No typing, no guessing from memory. YOUR QUIVER, SORTED Boards, fins, wetsuits — all in one place. Tag what you rode each session. After a few weeks, you'll know which board actually works best in which conditions instead of just guessing. STREAKS & INSIGHTS Build a weekly streak. Get insights about your top spots, best conditions, and favorite boards — the kind of thing you'd want to know but would never bother calculating. TAG YOUR CREW Tag the buddies you paddled out with. See who you surf with most. Your friends get a notification and can log the same session in one tap. TRACK YOUR SPOTS Save your home breaks and travel spots. Works at any break in the world — not just the ones with cameras. No ads. No social feed. No noise. Just your sessions. 7-day free trial, then $3.99/month or $14.99/year. Cancel anytime. Terms of Use (EULA): https://sessionsurf.app/terms
Surf Reader
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Surf Reader is a pocket-sized coaching companion built around Martin Dunn's 40-year surf-coaching method. Read the break, set your intention before you paddle out, then rate the surf you actually had — and watch your wave-selection skill grow session by session. MAP THE BREAK Sand banks shift, rips appear, peaks drift. Turn what you see in the lineup into a saved beach map you can pull up before every paddle-out. Eight break types, drawn your way. PLAN WITH INTENTION "Just have fun" is a great mantra and a poor session plan. A guided 7-question flow gives you one specific thing to work on each surf. REVIEW HONESTLY Rate your session the moment you're back on the sand. Surf Reader closes the loop between what you planned and what you actually did. WATCH YOUR SKILL RISE Every session feeds a simple picture of your progress, so better wave selection becomes a habit — not a guess. BUILT FOR SURFERS • 5 languages — English, Español, Português, 日本語, Français • 8 break types to map • Local-first: your sessions, plans and maps stay on your device — no account required Built on Martin Dunn's coaching from eSurfR.com, MartinDunn.com.au, and Martin Dunn Surf Camps.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Surf Reader at none against Session's 2. Surf Reader also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.2). Session's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, 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. Session sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Surf Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.
Session ships an update every 5 days, Surf Reader every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Session | Surf Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (7 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.2 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 85 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hoelleyday Consulting LLC | Ashley Martin Dunn |
In-app purchases
Session
- Session Pro Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Session Pro Annual$14.991 Year
Surf Reader
No in-app purchases









