Comparison

OpenSnow vs Tide Guide

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

Head to head
About

OpenSnow

Get the most accurate snow forecasts, detailed snow reports, and severe weather maps. Access 15-day forecasts, local expert insights, and offline 3D maps for snow depth, avalanche risk, and more. Track storms with advanced radar and AI-powered weather systems.

Highlights
  • 15-Day Snow Forecast
  • Local Expert Snow Reports
  • 3D & Offline Weather Maps
  • AI-Powered Weather System
  • Severe Weather Tracking
  • Mountain Webcams
  • Snow Depth & Avalanche Risk Maps
Features
Read full description

OpenSnow is your trusted source for the most accurate snow forecast, snow report, and ski conditions. "Weather forecasting for the mountains takes extra focus, analysis, and precision, which is exactly what OpenSnow provides. The app is incredible, even for super weather nerds like myself." – Cody Townsend, Pro Skier 15-Day Snow Forecasts Finding the location that has the best snow conditions can feel overwhelming. With OpenSnow, deciding where to go is easy. View the latest 15-day snow forecast, snow report, conditions history, and mountain webcams for your favorite locations in just a few seconds. Local Daily Snow Experts Instead of spending hours sifting through weather data, get the inside scoop in just a few minutes. Our local experts write a new Daily Snow forecast each day in the winter for regions around the US, Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Have one of our expert local forecasters guide you to the best snow conditions. 3D Weather + Snow Maps We make it easy to track incoming storms with super-res radar and global precipitation, radar, and snow forecast maps. You can also view 3D maps for snow depth, avalanche risk, slope angle, active fires, air quality, wildfire smoke, public and private land ownership, and more. Download high-resolution satellite maps to view offline. PEAKS + StormNet PEAKS is our state-of-the-art weather forecast model optimized for complex, mountain terrain. StormNet is our severe weather forecast model that produces real-time, high-resolution forecasts for lightning, hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes. Combined, PEAKS + StormNet provide a first-of-its-kind, fully operational multi-component weather forecast system. Daily Features • 15-Day Hourly Forecasts • Current + Forecast Radar • Precipitation Forecast Maps • Air Quality Forecasts • Wildfire Smoke Forecast Maps • 50,000+ Weather Stations • 3D + Offline Maps • Land Boundary + Private Ownership Maps • Recent Satellite Maps Snow + Ski Features • 15-Day Snow Forecast • Powder Quality Forecast • Snow Depth Map • Season Snowfall Map • Snow Forecast Alerts • Snow Forecast Maps • Offline Ski Resort Trail Maps • Snow Forecast + Report Widgets • Historical Snow Reports Severe Weather Features (US only) • Super-Res Radar • Lightning Risk • Tornado Risk • Hail Risk • Damaging Winds Risk • Severe Weather Alerts Free Features • My Location 15-Day Forecast • Snow Forecast 15-Day Summary • Historical Weather + Snow Reports • Snow Report Alerts • Avalanche Forecasts • Mountain Webcams • Active Fires Map • Air Quality Map • Slope Angle + Slope Aspect — Free Trial — New accounts automatically receive the full OpenSnow Premium experience, with no credit card or payment information required. If you choose not to purchase OpenSnow after the free trial is over, you will be automatically downgraded to a free account and not charged. — In-App Purchase — OpenSnow Base is an auto-renewable subscription, which will renew yearly at $49.99 USD. Payment will be charged to the user's Apple account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. The account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period and identify the cost of the renewal. If the auto-renewal fails due to a payment issue, you will still be able to access the paid content for 16 days while Apple attempts to collect payment. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Full terms and conditions can be found here: https://support.opensnow.com/legal/terms | https://support.opensnow.com/legal/privacy Sales through Apple will be governed by Apple’s refund policy. We value all of our customers and encourage you to provide feedback on your experience. Please get in touch with us by sending an email to hello@opensnow.com

About

Tide Guide

Access detailed tide and marine weather forecasts worldwide. Visualize conditions with beautiful charts and customize your experience with widgets and Live Activities. Plan your next outdoor adventure with confidence.

Highlights
  • Worldwide tide and marine weather data
  • Full-screen dynamic charts
  • Monthly and yearly tide tables
  • Home and Lock Screen widgets
  • Live Activities for current conditions
  • Siri and Shortcuts integration
  • Lunar phase calendar
Features
Read full description

The award winning tide app for Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad and Mac. Never miss a tide, sunset, or beautiful day on the water. Tide Guide features tide and marine weather conditions from trusted data providers worldwide. It's beautiful, powerful, and provides easy access to thousands of different tide stations around the world. # Apple Design Award & App Store App of the Year Finalist # Built for Apple Watch Gorgeous full screen charts provide detailed tide and weather conditions. Each chart is dynamic and can switch between other conditions and views with just a tap. # Monthly & Yearly Tide Tables View detailed forecasts for 10 days, and tide tables for the next 12 months. Various display options allow for powerful layout customizations. # Home and Lock Screen Widgets Add beautiful and powerful widgets to your Home Screen or Lock Screen. Tide Guide features an extensive set of widgets, with powerful customization options allow for endless combinations of marine and tide conditions. # Live Activities Use Live Activities to follow the current tide or sunset. There are different options for various “island activities.” Track the current tide, wind direction, solar progress, or lunar phase. # Summary Shortcuts Use Siri or the Shortcuts app to view different summaries of the tide, surf conditions, upcoming forecasts, and more. Ask Siri “Tide Guide Surf Report” to never miss the next swell. # Lunar Calendar Easily track the current lunar phase with a beautiful lunar phase calendar. Explore the altitude and elevation of the moon throughout the day, and view detailed solunar times like nautical dawn, dusk, and more. # Pro Features Many features in the app are free to use, and certain availability varies by region. Widgets, complications, detailed charts, and future table data require an active Pro subscription. Privacy & Terms: https://tideguide.com/privacy https://tideguide.com/terms

Screenshots

OpenSnow4 screens
Tide Guide4 screens

Verdict

The call

OpenSnow and Tide Guide both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 80% of OpenSnow's written reviews are positive against 54% of Tide Guide's. Tide Guide's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 11 days) and device support (5 vs 2). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. OpenSnow sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $49.99 per year and Tide Guide sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 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 OpenSnow against 4.7 for Tide Guide. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9.1K and 10K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of OpenSnow's written reviews are positive against 54% of Tide Guide's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OpenSnow ships an update every 11 days, Tide Guide every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 28, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
OpenSnow versus Tide Guide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenSnowTide Guide
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (9.1K ratings)4.7 (10K ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.4% of reviews — better54.2% of reviews
Number of ratings9.1K10K — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank#21 — better#43
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size125 MB275 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCloudnine Weather, Inc.Condor Digital

Customer experience

OpenSnow

All ratings9,067 ratings
Positive92.1%
Neutral1.2%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews854 reviews
Positive80.4%
Neutral3.6%
Negative15.9%

Tide Guide

All ratings10,226 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral2.8%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews378 reviews
Positive54.2%
Neutral11.9%
Negative33.9%

User reviews

OpenSnow

From 9.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate snow forecasts
  • 📊 Detailed weather data and maps
  • 🗺️ Comprehensive coverage of ski resorts
  • 💻 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
  • 🤖 Reliable and consistent forecasts

Room to improve

  • 💰 Subscription model can be expensive
  • 🌐 Limited coverage outside of North America
  • 🕰️ Occasional delays in updating snow conditions
  • 🤖 Inconsistent accuracy in long-term forecasts
  • 🔒 Paywall restricts access to some features

Tide Guide

From 10K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate data
  • 👍 Informative and varied data presentations
  • 👍 Intuitive UI
  • 👍 Integration with Apple Watch
  • 👍 Beautiful UI and design

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent freezing or crashing
  • 🐛 Widgets and complications not always reliable or synced
  • 🐛 Slow loading times and refresh rates
  • 🐛 Incompatibility issues with certain locations (e.g. Canada, Australia)
  • 💰 Expensive subscription or lifetime pricing

Bugs and requests

OpenSnow

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional crashes or freezes on certain devices
  • Inconsistencies in the display of weather data and forecasts

Requested features

5 requests
  • Expand coverage to more international ski resorts
  • Improve offline functionality and data availability
  • Introduce more customization options for user preferences
  • Enhance integration with other outdoor activity planning apps
  • Provide more detailed snow and weather data for backcountry use

Tide Guide

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Keyboard not appearing in location search
  • Tide data inaccuracies compared to other sources
  • Widgets and complications disappearing or not updating
  • App crashing when switching between locations or opening certain features

Requested features

6 requests
  • Ability to view more than a few days at a time
  • Display of current and historical tide heights
  • Integration of swell height and direction data
  • Offsets for tide times and heights
  • Map view for selecting locations
Show 1 more
  • Family sharing support

In-app purchases

3 purchases

OpenSnow

Subscriptions3
  • OpenSnow Legacy$49.991 Year
  • OpenSnow Base$49.991 Year
  • OpenSnow Base Legacy$49.991 Year
11 purchases

Tide Guide

Subscriptions10
  • Tide Guide Pro (1 Month)3 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Tide Guide Pro (1 Month)$3.991 Month
  • Tide Guide Pro (1 Month)7 Days trial$3.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Tide Guide Pro$4.991 Month
  • Tide Guide Pro (1 Month)$4.991 Month
  • Tide Guide Pro (12 Months)3 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Tide Guide Pro (12 Months)7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Tide Guide Pro (12 Months)$29.991 Year
  • Tide Guide Pro (12 Months)7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Tide Guide Pro7 Days trial$40.001 Year
One-time1
  • Tide Guide Pro (Lifetime)$150.00

Questions

Is OpenSnow free?
OpenSnow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tide Guide free?
Tide Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, OpenSnow or Tide Guide?
Tide Guide is rated higher. OpenSnow averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9.1K ratings, while Tide Guide averages 4.7 from 10K ratings.
Do OpenSnow or Tide Guide have ads?
Neither OpenSnow nor Tide Guide shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OpenSnow or Tide Guide?
OpenSnow ships an update every 11 days, and Tide Guide every 3 days. Most recently, OpenSnow was updated on October 28, 2026 and Tide Guide on October 28, 2026.
Which is more popular, OpenSnow or Tide Guide?
OpenSnow currently peaks at #21 in the App Store charts, and Tide Guide at #43. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons