Comparison

Pacific Watch vs Beach Report

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

Head to head
About

Pacific Watch

This app provides comprehensive situational awareness for Hawaii, aggregating over 50 official data sources. It offers real-time weather, surf conditions, emergency alerts, and infrastructure updates for residents and visitors.

Highlights
  • Weather and forecast data
  • Surf and ocean conditions
  • Real-time emergency alerts
  • Volcano and earthquake tracking
  • Power outage and traffic maps
  • Emergency preparedness guides
Features
Read full description

Pacific Watch is Hawaii's all-in-one situational awareness app. Built specifically for Hawaii residents and visitors, it aggregates 50+ official data sources into one beautifully simple dashboard so you always know what's happening across the islands. FEATURES Weather & Forecast • Current conditions from local weather stations • Hourly and 7-day forecasts from the National Weather Service • Rainfall, wind, humidity, and UV index • Live weather cameras at beaches, mountains, and city views Surf & Ocean • Surf forecasts by island and shore • Tide predictions from NOAA • Buoy observations and wave heights • High surf advisories and warnings Emergency Alerts • Real-time push notifications for tsunami warnings, hurricane alerts, flood watches, and severe weather • NWS alerts automatically filtered for your island • Customize which alerts you want to receive • Optional home address for personalized flood zone alerts Volcanoes & Earthquakes • Live volcano cameras from USGS • Kilauea eruption tracking • Recent earthquakes with magnitude and location • Tsunami zone maps Infrastructure • Hawaiian Electric and KIUC power outage maps • Live traffic cameras on major highways • Water quality and beach advisories • Air quality (AQI) and vog monitoring Emergency Preparedness • 14-day emergency supply checklist • Evacuation shelter locations • Flood hazard zones • Hurricane preparedness guides • Multi-language handbooks (English, Ilocano, Korean, Vietnamese, Cantonese) CUSTOMIZATION • Choose your island for location-specific alerts • Customize your dashboard with drag-and-drop cards • Light and dark themes • Adjustable font size for accessibility BUILT FOR HAWAII Pacific Watch is a free, independent app built by a local Hawaii developer. No ads. No data selling. Just the information you need to stay safe and informed across O'ahu, Maui, Hawai'i Island, Kaua'i, Moloka'i, and Lana'i. Data sources include: National Weather Service, USGS, NOAA, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Hawaiian Electric, KIUC, Hawaii DOT, AirNow, and more. Support the app: If Pacific Watch helps keep you and your ohana safe, consider supporting development at pacificwatch.app. Mahalo!

About

Beach Report

Get real-time beach conditions, including surf, tides, UV index, and safety flags for over 200 US beaches. Plan your perfect beach day with up-to-the-minute data and helpful safety information.

Highlights
  • Real-time beach conditions
  • Surf and wave height
  • Tide predictions
  • UV index and safety tips
  • Beach safety flags
  • Live beach cameras
  • Offline access
Features
Read full description

Planning a beach day? Know exactly what you're walking into. Beach Report gives you real-time conditions for over 200 US beaches — all in one free app, no login required. CURRENT CONDITIONS Check air temperature, real feel temperature, wind speed and direction, humidity, surf and wave height, and water temperature. Everything updates every 5 minutes so you always have the latest picture before you leave the house. BEACH SAFETY FLAGS Beach Report's color-coded flag system gives you an at-a-glance safety rating for every beach — green, yellow, or red. Tap the flag for a full hazard breakdown including storm warnings, dangerous surf, strong currents, cold water, and high UV levels. Make smart calls for yourself and your family before you go. TIDES See the current tide height and whether it's rising or falling, plus the next 4 tide predictions with exact times and heights. Perfect for swimmers, shell collectors, fishermen, and anyone timing their visit around the water. SUN, UV & GOLDEN HOUR Know when the sun rises and sets, and get personalized UV protection tips based on the day's index — including SPF recommendations, clothing advice, and the safest times to be outdoors. A dedicated golden hour tile shows you the exact window for the best beach photography light. FIND YOUR BEACH Search from 200+ US beaches across all coastal states. Enable location and beaches sort automatically by distance. Prefer to keep location off? Popular beaches near you appear by default. FAVORITES Save up to 5 beaches to your home screen and swipe between them instantly. Heart any beach to add it to your list for quick access all season. LIVE BEACH CAMERAS At select beaches, tap through to live webcam feeds so you can actually see conditions before you commit to the drive. WHY BEACH REPORT? Completely free, no subscriptions or paywalls No account or login required Works offline with cached data Auto-refreshes every 5 minutes Trusted data from NOAA, Open-Meteo, and Sunrise-Sunset.org 200+ beaches across all US coastal states Whether you're a swimmer, a surfer, a family with kids, a coastal local, or a tourist visiting the US shore for the first time — Beach Report is your go-to guide before you head to the beach. Download free. Check conditions. Enjoy the beach.

Screenshots

Pacific Watch4 screens
Beach Report4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Pacific Watch at none against Beach Report's shown. Pacific Watch also leads on monetization model (free vs ad-supported). Beach Report's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, ratings volume 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Pacific Watch against 5.0 for Beach Report. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 4 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pacific Watch ships an update every 3 weeks, Beach Report weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Pacific Watch versus Beach Report: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPacific WatchBeach Report
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings)
Number of ratings5 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid DoDexco, LLC

In-app purchases

None

Pacific Watch

No in-app purchases

None

Beach Report

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pacific Watch free?
Pacific Watch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Beach Report free?
Beach Report is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pacific Watch or Beach Report?
Pacific Watch and Beach Report are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5 and 4 ratings respectively.
Do Pacific Watch or Beach Report have ads?
Beach Report shows ads; Pacific Watch does not.
Which is updated more often, Pacific Watch or Beach Report?
Pacific Watch ships an update every 3 weeks, and Beach Report weekly. Most recently, Pacific Watch was updated on October 31, 2026 and Beach Report on November 6, 2026.

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