The Waves. vs Urge Surfin
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Waves.
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Every craving follows the same arc: it rises, peaks, and dissolves on its own. Always. In about ninety seconds. Ancient monks called this vedana — the wave nature of desire. Modern neuroscience confirmed it. You don't need willpower. You just need to stay with it a little longer than feels comfortable. The Waves is a single-purpose meditation tool. When a craving hits — for food, your phone, a cigarette, anything — open the app and touch to begin. Ninety seconds of guided awareness. That's it. WHAT HAPPENS IN 90 SECONDS • A gentle countdown with body-scan prompts guides your attention • Ocean sounds shift as the wave builds and passes • A singing bowl marks the beginning and end • Subtle haptic feedback anchors you in the moment THE PRACTICE Most of us experience desire as a command. The Waves treats it as data. Commands demand action, but data invites investigation. You cannot remove the craving. You can change your relationship to it. That is the only variable. And it is enough. The wave always passes. You only have to watch.
Urge Surfin
This app helps you quit habits by tracking clean days and offering a "urge surfing" game to manage cravings. It also includes a guided breathing exercise to help you calm down quickly.
- Habit tracking
- Clean day counter
- Urge surfing game
- Guided box breathing
- Daily check-ins
- Pattern analysis
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Urge Surfin tracks one thing: how many days you've stayed clean. Choose the habit you need to quit. Start your count. When a craving hits, you have somewhere to go. Urge Surf — draf the surfer to stay balanced on a wave. Urge surfing is a real DBT technique: cravings peak and pass, usually within minutes. The game holds your attention while that happens. Box Breathing — a guided breathing exercise for when you need to come down fast. Four counts in, hold, out, hold. Clinically simple. Actually works. Track your clean days with honest timestamps. Log daily check-ins so you can see patterns, not just streaks. No grace days. No second chances built into the math. Just your real count.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Urge Surfin at none against The Waves.'s 3. The Waves.'s advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.4). On price, update cadence, 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. The Waves. sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Urge Surfin asks for nothing beyond the download.
The Waves. ships an update every 2 months, Urge Surfin every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Waves. | Urge Surfin |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 60 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Oscar Fogelstrom | CTXA LLC |
In-app purchases
The Waves.
- Small Wave$0.99
- Steady Tide$3.99
- Deep Ocean$9.99
Urge Surfin
No in-app purchases








