PeakFlows vs Paddle Guide
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PeakFlows
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PeakFlows is a river level and forecast app for whitewater kayakers. Over 450 curated rivers across 36 countries, free to use, no paywalled levels. WHAT IT ANSWERS Is it on. That is the question every paddler asks when they look at a river gauge. PeakFlows translates the raw number into a straight answer: low, medium, sweet spot, high, flood. For every river, every hour. No more screenshots of graphs in the WhatsApp group. No more asking the one person in the club who always seems to know. You open the app, you look at the card, you know. LIVE FROM OFFICIAL GAUGES Level data updated every 15 minutes from official national monitoring authorities: OPW in Ireland, the Environment Agency in England, SEPA in Scotland, USGS in the US, BOM in Australia, NVE in Norway, Vigicrues in France, and a dozen more, plus the volunteer RiverSpy network and the PegelAlarm service for rivers they cover. The same data hydrologists use, turned into a paddling verdict. EVERY RIVER EARNS ITS PLACE Over 450 runs, hand-picked. If it's in PeakFlows, it's whitewater worth paddling. No navigation gauges, no flat water, no rivers that never make a wave. 36 countries: Ireland, United Kingdom, France, Norway, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, and more. COMMUNITY SWEET SPOT Gauge numbers don't tell you if a river is good. Paddlers do. Every river has a sweet spot band voted on by the people who run it. When enough votes come in, the sweet spot shifts to match reality. FORECAST BUILT ON HYDROLOGY PeakFlows forecasts river levels using rainfall, soil saturation, catchment terrain, and how each river actually responds to weather. A forecast specific to your river, not a generic regional rain estimate. Full four-day forecast with Pro. GROUP TRIP Create a trip, invite your crew. The Heads Up button pushes live conditions to everyone on the trip. Free for all paddlers. Not an emergency service: in any life-threatening situation call 112 or 999. WHAT YOU GET FREE Every river. Every level. Every sweet spot. Group Trip coordination. Hazard alerts. Curated photos. Always. WHAT PRO ADDS Full four-day forecast with predicted levels at 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h, 48h, 72h and 96h. Unlimited push alerts. Home Screen widget. Seasonal context. Historical percentiles. EUR 12.99 per year. 30-day free trial, no payment details required. DATA SOURCES River levels from official national monitoring authorities: OPW (Ireland): gov.ie/en/organisation/opw Environment Agency (England): environment.data.gov.uk/flood-monitoring SEPA (Scotland): sepa.org.uk USGS (United States): waterdata.usgs.gov Bureau of Meteorology (Australia): bom.gov.au/water NVE (Norway): nve.no Vigicrues (France): vigicrues.gouv.fr RiverSpy (Ireland, volunteer community gauge network): riverspy.net PegelAlarm (Austria / Croatia / Wales, free community gauge service): pegelalarm.at DISCLAIMER PeakFlows is an independent app by Peak Media Limited. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any government entity. We report live river levels published by official agencies and add our own independent forecasts. For recreational planning only, always check conditions in person. Save your home river and check it before you load your boat.
Paddle Guide
Discover launch points, trails, and points of interest for kayaking, canoeing, and paddleboarding. Record your trips with GPS tracking and share your adventures. Get detailed information on conditions and amenities before you go.
- Discover 40,000+ launch points
- Check paddling conditions
- Scout routes and waterbodies
- Record trips with GPS
- Share live location
- Save favorite spots
- Offline map downloads (Premium)
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Wondering where to launch, whether a spot gets busy on weekends, or what conditions are like today? Or want to replay that trip you took last week? Paddle Guide is built for the real questions paddlers ask before, during, and after a day outside. Explore launch points, paddle trails, river access, lake launches, quiet coves, campsites, hazards, and points of interest across the US and Canada. Check the details before you load the boat, then use GPS tools to record the trip once you are on the water. ◆ Discover places to paddle Search 40,000+ launch points, ramps, beaches, river accesses, and put-ins by location, waterbody, trail, or map area. Find nearby kayak launches, canoe routes, SUP spots, take-outs, campsites, islands, waterfalls, and more. ◆ Know before you go See useful launch details like parking, fees, ramp type, seasonal notes, ADA access, and photos when available. Check paddling conditions like wind, river conditions, and tides. ◆ Scout your route Look ahead before you leave home. Compare launches and take-outs, browse nearby water trails, review waterbody details, and find a trip that fits your time, skill level, and conditions. ◆ Record the day Track distance, time, speed, and route with GPS. Keep recording during an active trip while your phone is locked, then save the paddle to your logbook with photos and notes. ◆ Share your time on the water Share live location with someone you trust during a paddle, save favorite spots for later, build lists for future trips, and open shared lists from other paddlers. ► Do more on the water with Paddle Guide Premium ► Premium gives paddlers offline map downloads, interactive 3d maps, and speed heat maps for the trips you've taken. Spend less time guessing where to launch and more time enjoying where you are. There is always another place to put in. Let Paddle Guide help you find it. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PeakFlows at none against Paddle Guide's 1. Paddle Guide's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Paddle Guide sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $29.99 per year. PeakFlows asks for nothing beyond the download.
PeakFlows ships an update monthly, Paddle Guide weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PeakFlows | Paddle Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 6 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 108 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mark Sheils | Paddle Guide LLC |
In-app purchases
PeakFlows
No in-app purchases
Paddle Guide
- Paddle Guide Premium7 Days trial$29.991 Year









