SeaState vs Actual Currents
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SeaState
This marine weather app provides detailed forecasts for oceans worldwide, including swell height, wind, tides, and currents. It features a unique side-by-side comparison of conditions at two locations and an AI-powered briefing for go/no-go decisions.
- Worldwide marine weather forecasts
- Side-by-side condition comparison
- 24-hour wave height graphs
- Redesigned wind page with compass rose
- AI Captain's Brief for go/no-go advice
- Passage planning with ETA
- Safety Hub with emergency contacts and float plans
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No guessing games, no scrolling through ten weather apps. Swipe the 7-day outlook for peak wind and wave height at a glance, then drill into hourly wind a full week out with gusts, true direction and Beaufort scale. The official NWS marine zone forecast comes straight from the source, written in plain English, free for every user. No subscription wall between you and the forecast that actually matters. See the whole picture on the chart. Toggle official NOAA ENC charts over Apple Maps for depth soundings, buoys and hazards at three detail levels, cached for when you lose signal offshore. Animated wind and current particle layers show you what's actually moving out there. Drag the time scrubber through the next 48 hours and watch conditions shift before you leave the dock. Tide stations are now plotted right on the chart. Tap any station for a 24-hour tide curve with the next high and low, so you can time the cut or the flat right. Have an AIS receiver aboard? Connect your boat's NMEA Wi-Fi gateway to see live depth, wind, water temperature and nearby vessel traffic on the chart, working offshore with no cell signal. Dropping the hook? Anchor Watch guards your position with a drag alarm and two-fix false-alarm protection, backed by Live Activity, Dynamic Island and Apple Watch alerts. Sleep easier. For the fishing crowd, sea surface temperature and current layers help you find the edges and breaks where fish stack up. SeaState is built for offshore anglers, cruisers, sailors, surfers and captains who want a straight answer, not a maybe. Download it and know before you go. SEASTATE PRO Unlock the full experience with SeaState Pro, available as monthly ($4.99) or yearly ($39.99) auto-renewing subscriptions, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSY_MSMhZzNRZdRyUTLIYg2dysB6Yoo6szTZNGo12tEjolM4JxnRZflKeW21fHNcxzNn92tfcueboMY/pub
Actual Currents
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.
- Animated tidal current visualization
- Real-time wind overlay
- Interactive nautical map
- Time scrubber for predictions
- Route planning with current analysis
- Global ocean currents view
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Actual Currents brings tidal currents to life with real-time animated particle visualization on a nautical-grade interactive map. See the actual flow of water in your area — not just tide times, but the speed and direction of tidal currents rendered as thousands of flowing particles over a detailed heatmap. Plan your trip with confidence by scrubbing through time to see how currents change throughout the day. FEATURES • Animated tidal current visualization with speed-colored particles and GPU-accelerated heatmap • Time scrubber — view current predictions for any time, past or future • Globe view with global ocean currents when zoomed out • Real-time wind overlay with global weather data • ENC nautical chart data with navigation aids, depth soundings, and depth contours • Satellite, bathymetry, and nautical basemap options • Route planning with current-aware analysis • Trip logging with GPS drift tracking • Location search to jump to any harbor or waterway COVERAGE • US Atlantic coast — Maine to Florida • US Pacific coast — Washington to California • Gulf of Mexico • Global ocean surface currents BUILT FOR BOATERS Whether you're sailing, fishing, kayaking, or navigating commercially, understanding tidal currents is critical for safety and efficiency. Actual Currents gives you an intuitive, visual understanding of water movement that tide tables alone can't provide. SUBSCRIPTION TIERS • Basic (free) — Real-time currents within ±3 hours of now • Pro ($4.99/mo) — Full historical and forecast access • Unlimited ($39.99/yr) — Full historical and forecast access with 7-day free trial Terms of Use: https://www.actualcurrents.com/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://www.actualcurrents.com/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SeaState at 5.0 against Actual Currents's 4.7. Actual Currents's advantage is chart position (#156 vs unranked) and ratings volume (21 vs 3). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. SeaState sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Actual Currents sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
SeaState holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Actual Currents has 21 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of SeaState's written reviews are positive against 60% of Actual Currents's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
SeaState ships an update every 2 weeks, Actual Currents fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.
| Parameter | SeaState | Actual Currents |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | 4.7 (21 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 60.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 21 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #156 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 20 MB | 22 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tom Curry | Luka Catipovic |
Customer experience
SeaState
Actual Currents
In-app purchases
SeaState
- SeaState Pro Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- SeaState Pro Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
- SeaState Pro Lifetime$99.99
Actual Currents
- Pro monthly$2.991 Month
- Unlimited monthly$4.991 Month
- Unlimited Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
Questions
Is SeaState free?
Is Actual Currents free?
Which has better reviews, SeaState or Actual Currents?
Do SeaState or Actual Currents have ads?
Which is updated more often, SeaState or Actual Currents?
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