Cloudbase Weather vs Swellwire
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cloudbase Weather
This app provides highly accurate weather forecasts and real-time air quality information by selecting the best weather models for each detail and day. It offers detailed hourly forecasts, interactive radar, and customizable home screen widgets for quick access to weather data.
- Model-based forecast accuracy
- Detailed hourly forecasts
- Interactive weather radar
- Real-time air quality index (AQI)
- Customizable home screen widgets
- Aviation weather reports (METARs, TAFs)
- Severe weather notifications
Read full descriptionHide full description
Cloudbase builds your forecast from the weather models that scored best, chosen separately for each forecast detail and each day ahead. Within 250 km of Edmonton, Calgary, Grande Prairie and Ontario (California), each choice that could be scored was first or tied against GFS and the other models Cloudbase can serve there, on our own scoring of 19 months of past weather. Those scores come from the same history used to make the choices, and the app's accuracy pages show every one. No account required. No ads. Just weather. — FORECAST & RADAR — Detailed daily and hourly forecasts with temperature, precipitation, wind, pressure, visibility, and cloud cover — for Canada and the United States. Interactive radar with animated playback and immersive full-screen mode, automatically centered on your location. — AIR QUALITY — Real-time AQI with pollutant breakdowns — PM2.5, ozone, smoke, and more — so you know what you're actually breathing before you head outside. Coverage across Canada and the US. — HOME SCREEN WIDGETS — A large collection of beautifully designed widgets for your home screen and lock screen. Choose from minimalist, glassmorphic, terminal-style, radial, chart-based, and more. The free METAR widget shows live aviation weather right from your home screen — no app needed. Each widget can follow the app's current location or be pinned to any city you choose. — AVIATION WEATHER — For pilots and weather enthusiasts: live METARs and TAFs for nearby stations, VFR/MVFR/IFR/LIFR flight category indicators, winds aloft, and 24 hours of historical METAR observations — all in one dedicated tab. Covers airports and aerodromes across Canada and the US. — ALWAYS READY — Background refresh keeps widget data and offline forecasts current even when the app is closed. Severe weather notifications deliver local alerts the moment conditions change. — MORE — • Apple Spotlight integration — search any city from your home screen • Share extension — open Cloudbase directly from Safari • Multi-location search with instant switching • Fully configurable units: metric, imperial, or mixed • Optimized for iPhone and iPad • Dark mode throughout Cloudbase is built for anyone in Canada or the US who takes the weather seriously — whether you're planning a weekend hike, tracking a storm, or checking conditions before a flight.
Swellwire
Visualize global ocean conditions with a 3D globe. Get detailed forecasts for swell, wind, and weather at any coastline, from immediate conditions to two weeks ahead. Plan your next surf session or marine activity with comprehensive data.
- Interactive 3D globe with weather overlays
- Live wave height and energy data
- Detailed surf spot forecasts
- Buoy data integration
- Searchable surf spots and buoys
- Favorite spots sync across devices
- 16-day forecast extension (Premium)
Read full descriptionHide full description
Swellwire turns the world ocean into a planner. Spin the globe, drop into any coast, and read the swell, wind, and weather in seconds—right now, tomorrow, or two weeks out. WHAT YOU GET • Interactive 3D globe with live wave-height, wave-energy, wind, and temperature overlays. Pan, pinch, and tap to explore any shoreline on the planet. • Surf spot forecasts: wave height, period, direction, wind, and a clean at-a-glance read before you commit to the drive. • Buoy data from major coastal networks, surfaced inline on the same map you're already using. • Search any surf spot or NOAA buoy by name and jump straight to its forecast. • Favorite spots sync across devices, so your home break, your travel list, and your weekend backup are all one tap away. • Wave-energy color legend lets you compare a heavy four-foot day against a soft five-foot day at a glance. FREE OR PREMIUM Free includes the full globe, every overlay, and a 7-day forecast for every spot. Premium extends every forecast to a full 16 days — long enough to see swell windows before they're obvious to everyone else. WHO IT'S FOR Surfers planning the next session, the next trip, or the next swell. Sailors, kiters, foilers, divers, and anyone whose day depends on what the ocean is actually doing. WHY A GLOBE INSTEAD OF A FLAT MAP Swell doesn't care about map projections. A storm in the South Indian Ocean lights up reefs in California a week later — on a globe you can see why. Watch a long-period swell wrap around continents in the wave-energy view and a forecast starts to read like a story. ACCOUNT AND PRIVACY Sign in with Google to sync favorites and unlock the 16-day upgrade. Swellwire never posts on your behalf, never sells your data, and never emails you unless you ask. QUESTIONS AND FEEDBACK Email support@swellwire.com — we read every message. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cloudbase Weather at none against Swellwire's 2. Swellwire's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, 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. Swellwire sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Cloudbase Weather asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Cloudbase Weather | Swellwire |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | — | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | David Longman | Nevada Scientific Inc. |
Customer experience
Cloudbase Weather
Swellwire
In-app purchases
Cloudbase Weather
No in-app purchases
Swellwire
- Swellwire Monthly$4.991 Month
- Swellwire Yearly$39.991 Year
Questions
Is Cloudbase Weather free?
Is Swellwire free?
Do Cloudbase Weather or Swellwire have ads?
Other comparisons















