Comparison

Actual Currents vs Current

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Animated tidal current visualization
  • Real-time wind overlay
  • Interactive nautical map
  • Time scrubber for predictions
  • Route planning with current analysis
  • Global ocean currents view
Features
Read full description

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

About

Current

Get detailed, physics-based surf forecasts for California breaks. See wave height, how waves break, swell details, wind, tide, and water temperature. A free daily forecast is available, with premium features for multi-day predictions and advanced statistics.

Highlights
  • Physics-based surf forecasts
  • Wave break type prediction
  • Swell partitions and timeline
  • Lull duration and wave energy
  • Water temperature
  • Multi-day forecast (premium)
Read full description

Current gives you physics-based surf forecasts for every break In California and the East and Gulf Coasts. Current is part of a movement to create more accurate and detailed surf forecasts. What you get: • 8-day surf forecast for every spot - swell, wind, tide, surf heights, and ratings • An animated map - wind, currents, and swell in motion, surf height painted along the coastline • Spot stats you won't find anywhere else - set height, breaker type, peakiness • Secret spots - draw your own spot anywhere on the coast and get a full forecast for it Today's forecast is free for every spot. Upgrade to Current Premium for multi-day forecasts, detailed surf-zone statistics, and map overlays. Forecasts are estimates — always check real conditions and surf within your limits. - Support URL: https://currentsurf.com · Marketing URL (optional): https://currentsurf.com · Privacy Policy URL: https://currentsurf.com/privacy CURRENT PREMIUM (optional subscription) Premium Monthly - $4.99/month, auto-renews. Unlocks the full 8-day forecast everywhere: future-day map overlays, future-day spot stats, and up to 100 secret spots. Today's forecast is always free. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews monthly unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your App Store settings. Privacy Policy: https://currentsurf.com/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://currentsurf.com/terms

Screenshots

Actual Currents4 screens
Current4 screens

Verdict

The call

Actual Currents and Current both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 80% of Current's written reviews are positive against 60% of Actual Currents's. Current also leads on chart position (#23 vs unranked). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Actual Currents sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Current sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Actual Currents against 4.7 for Current. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 14 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 60% of Actual Currents's written reviews are positive against 80% of Current's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
Actual Currents versus Current: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterActual CurrentsCurrent
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (20 ratings)4.7 (14 ratings)
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings20 — better14
Update frequencyFortnightlyFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank—#23 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLuka CatipovicColin Weaver

Customer experience

Actual Currents

All ratings20 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%

Current

All ratings14 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Actual Currents

Subscriptions3
  • Pro monthly$2.991 Month
  • Unlimited monthly$4.991 Month
  • Unlimited Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
1 purchases

Current

Subscriptions1
  • Current Premium$4.991 Month

Questions

Is Actual Currents free?
Actual Currents is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Current free?
Current is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Actual Currents or Current?
Actual Currents and Current are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 20 and 14 ratings respectively.
Do Actual Currents or Current have ads?
Neither Actual Currents nor Current shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Actual Currents or Current?
Actual Currents ships an update fortnightly, and Current fortnightly. Most recently, Actual Currents was updated on September 28, 2026 and Current on September 21, 2026.

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