PeakFlows vs River Runner
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PeakFlows
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PeakFlows tells you if your river is running. Over 800 graded whitewater rivers in 38 countries, each with the live level from its official gauge, a running range set by the paddlers who know it and a forecast up to four days ahead. Free to use, with no ads, in 23 languages. IS IT ON Every river turns the gauge number into a plain answer of Low, Running, High, Very High or Flood. The running range is set by local paddlers, guidebooks and paddling organizations and you can add your own vote. Open the app and find out within 3 seconds if your river is running. WHERE IT'S HEADING PeakFlows learns how each river rises and falls from years of its own gauge readings and the rain forecast for its catchment. The free app shows whether a river is rising or falling. Pro shows the level for each of the next four days. Every forecast is logged and checked against the gauge afterwards. IN YOUR CAR Now available in CarPlay! PeakFlows has its own CarPlay app. Your favorite rivers show on your car's screen with the live level, which way it's heading, recent rain and the forecast. Tap Put in or Take out for directions straight to the right spot. WIDGETS Your favorite rivers on your home screen, with the live level and, with Pro, the forecast. LEVEL OR FLOW, YOUR UNITS Read a river as a level or as a flow where the agency publishes one. Use feet and cfs or instantly switch to centimeters and cubic meters a second. WHAT'S RUNNING NEAR YOU The outlook for each country shows how many rivers are running now and where the rain is heading over the next week. Save your favorites and they sit at the top. FIND THE PUT IN AND THE TAKE OUT Put ins, take outs and named rapids, play features and weirs on the map, with directions from your phone straight to the right spot. HAZARDS FROM THE RIVER Paddlers report fallen trees, strainers and changed lines with photos. Reports show on the river and on the map and you get a heads up when a river you've saved gets a new hazard. GROUP TRIP Pick a river, a day and a meeting point and send your group one link. Everyone sees the level and the directions, no accounts needed. Group Trip is not an emergency service. In any life threatening situation call 112 or 999. WHAT PRO ADDS The level for each of the next four days, alerts when a river reaches the level you set, the forecast on your widget, how today compares with the same time of year and how often the forecast has been right on each river. Your first 30 days are free with no card to enter and if you do nothing it goes back to the free app. DATA SOURCES Live levels are published by official national and regional monitoring services, including OPW and the EPA in Ireland, the Environment Agency in England, SEPA in Scotland, Natural Resources Wales, USGS in the United States, the Water Survey of Canada, NVE in Norway, Vigicrues in France, FOEN in Switzerland and the Bureau of Meteorology in Australia, plus the volunteer RiverSpy network in Ireland. DISCLAIMER PeakFlows is an independent app by Peak Media Limited. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. We show live levels published by official agencies and add our own forecasts. For recreational planning only. Always check conditions in person and make your own call on the day. For paddlers, by paddlers.
River Runner
This app provides real-time river flow data and forecasts for whitewater enthusiasts. It displays a live map of river conditions, including CFS, runnable ranges, and weather, helping users find and plan their next paddling adventure.
- Live streamflow heatmap
- Real-time CFS and conditions score
- Hourly weather forecast for put-in
- Save favorite runs
- Flow alerts
- GPS session tracking
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River Runner answers the only question that matters: is it worth paddling today? Every river in the country is drawn in living color — the line's color and thickness change with how much water is actually flowing right now. Whitewater runs glow orange on top. Tap one and you get a plain-English answer: a 0–100 score, Prime / Good / Fair / Poor, and exactly why — today's flow against the run's runnable range, rising or dropping, cold water, wind, and any flood warning. No account, no sign-up. KNOW THE FLOW - A live flow map of the entire national river network, modeled hourly — colored from trickle to huge - 15,000+ USGS gauges with live readings, 7-day trends, and gage height - Tap any river reach for its flow, speed, and what that means in plain words - A "runs near you" list that scores the whitewater within driving range — before you commit to the shuttle KNOW THE RUN - A conditions score for every run, with the reasons spelled out - Runnable range, class, gradient, length, rapid-by-rapid descriptions - Put-ins & take-outs on the map, each with a Drive Here button for shuttle day - Hourly weather for the run itself, not the nearest town STAY AHEAD OF IT - Flow alerts: save a run and get pinged the moment it comes into range - Live NWS flood warnings on the map — always on, always free - A Home Screen widget with the score and flow of the run nearest you - Saved runs keep their last known conditions even with no signal at the put-in MAKE IT YOURS - Record your trips: GPS trail, speed, distance, and that day's conditions - Anonymous riverside reports from paddlers actually standing at the water — location-verified, on the map for 24 hours - A Paddle Guide that explains cfs, classes, and the map in plain English - Easy-read mode: rounded, larger, non-italic type for dyslexic and low-vision paddlers River Runner Pro unlocks unlimited saved runs, alerts, and recorded trips, plus the extra map layers — put-ins & take-outs, wind, rain, air temperature, and drought. The flow map, run scores, search, reports, and flood warnings are free forever. — SAFETY: River Runner provides modeled and observed information for planning only. Rivers change fast and no forecast guarantees safe conditions. Scout what you can't see, wear a PFD, dress for the water temperature, and never paddle alone. River Runner Pro is an auto-renewing subscription. - Monthly: $3.99 / month - Annual: $24.99 / year Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Terms of Use: https://snoflo.org/products/riverrunner#terms Privacy Policy: https://snoflo.org/products/riverrunner#privacy 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 River Runner's 2. PeakFlows also leads on device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads 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. River Runner sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. PeakFlows asks for nothing beyond the download.
PeakFlows ships an update every 2 months, River Runner monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PeakFlows | River Runner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 32 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mark Sheils | Snoflo.org LLC |
In-app purchases
PeakFlows
No in-app purchases
River Runner
- Monthly$3.991 Month
- Annual$24.991 Year
Questions
Is PeakFlows free?
Is River Runner free?
Do PeakFlows or River Runner have ads?
Which is updated more often, PeakFlows or River Runner?
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