Comparison

MetService Marine vs Surf

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

Head to head
About

MetService Marine

Access New Zealand marine weather forecasts, including tides, severe weather alerts, and detailed rainfall predictions. Customize your experience with a saved home location and personalized background images.

Highlights
  • Recreational and Coastal marine forecasts
  • Severe weather information
  • Tides
  • 7.5 minute Rain Radar
  • 3 day rainfall forecast imagery
  • Surface pressure maps
  • User selected default location
Features
Read full description

MetService New Zealand marine forecasts are now available in a handy smartphone app. The app is free of charge. Features include: - Recreational and Coastal marine forecasts - Severe weather information - Tides - 7.5 minute Rain Radar - 3 day rainfall forecast imagery with wind barbs - Surface pressure maps - User selected default location which is saved as the Home screen - Ability to change out background image with your favourite fishing spot The app does not include surf and beach forecasts or marine maps that are not included in the list above. The app is developed for smartphones and is not supported for tablets. Full terms and conditions regarding the purchase and use of MetService mobile applications are available here: www.metservice.com/about/application-terms. Requires iOS 7 or later.

About

Surf

Get simple, accurate surf forecasts for over 7,000 breaks worldwide. Plan your sessions with detailed wave information, tide times, and mapping to find the best conditions and nearby spots. Access extended forecasts and custom alerts with premium features.

Highlights
  • Detailed surf forecasts
  • Wavefinder map
  • Live webcam links
  • Tide times
  • 12-day forecasts
  • Custom surf alerts
Features
Read full description

Surf-Forecast.com gives you simple, accurate and easy-to-read surf forecasts so you have the best chance of hitting those breaks when the waves are pumping. Built by surfers, for surfers, and trusted by millions of surfers for over 20 years, our updated app lets you see all your favorite surf spots at a glance. Providing detailed surf forecasts for over 7,000 breaks worldwide, our new features let you see further ahead than ever before - giving you plenty of advance warning for when those swells start coming in. Find the best surfing conditions near you and use the rating tool to find exactly when to go. – FREE App Features ⁃ Detailed surf forecasts ⁃ Wavefinder map ⁃ Live webcam links ⁃ Multi-swell component presentation ⁃ Tide times ⁃ Detailed mapping to locate nearby breaks – Surf Premium Benefits ⁃ Access to the full 16 days of our new Wavefinder feature ⁃ Hourly forecasts ⁃ 16 day forecasts ⁃ Custom surf alerts ⁃ Ad-free browsing on our website So what are you waiting for? Grab your board and get exploring. We’ll see you out there! For the full Terms and Conditions of this service please visit: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

MetService Marine4 screens
Surf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MetService Marine at none against Surf's 2. MetService Marine also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.1). Surf's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 12 months) and rating (4.9 vs 4.6). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Surf sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. MetService Marine asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Surf holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Surf has 940 ratings behind it against 48, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of MetService Marine's written reviews are positive against 87% of Surf's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MetService Marine ships an update every 12 months, Surf every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
MetService Marine versus Surf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMetService MarineSurf
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (48 ratings)4.9 (940 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.6% of reviews87.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings48940 — better
Update frequencyEvery 12 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#99 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB138 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMetServiceMeteo365 Ltd.

Customer experience

MetService Marine

All ratings48 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral4.2%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews67 reviews
Positive71.6%
Neutral10.4%
Negative17.9%

Surf

All ratings940 ratings
Positive99.3%
Neutral0.1%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews124 reviews
Positive87.1%
Neutral3.2%
Negative9.7%

User reviews

MetService Marine

From 48 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Accurate weather reporting
  • 👍 Useful for planning activities
  • 👍 Good for marine/boating
  • 👍 Provides tide information
  • 👍 Good for coastal visits

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Slow to load
  • 🐛 App fails to load
  • 🐛 Locks up on devices
  • 🐛 Latest version not working
  • 🐛 Missing locations (Gisborne, Far North)

Surf

From 940 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌊 Accurate surf forecasts
  • 👍 Easy to use and navigate
  • 🗺️ Comprehensive coverage of locations
  • 🔍 Detailed information (swell, wind, tides, etc.)
  • 💰 Good value for subscription

Room to improve

  • 🔄 Inconsistent data updates
  • 🌊 Wave height/conditions not always accurate
  • 🏞️ Missing data for some locations (e.g. Great Lakes)
  • 🤔 Confusing or misleading surf ratings/forecasts

Bugs and requests

MetService Marine

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App fails to load on iPhone
  • App is slow to load
  • App locks up on iPad
  • Latest version not working
  • Cannot change location after initial setup
Show 5 more
  • Pressure chart jumps in stages
  • App reads clipboard data
  • Advertisements are a safety issue
  • Advertisements delay forecast loading
  • Tides are hours out

Requested features

13 requests
  • Tide chart on home page
  • Tide times for Three Kings Islands
  • Map able to be enlarged
  • Include Far North coverage
  • More content needed
Show 8 more
  • Map view
  • Ratings out of ten
  • Live cam links
  • Live reports
  • More localized content
  • Details on forecast update times
  • Specify tide setting for landing page
  • Add Wharariki location

Surf

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes or freezes on some devices
  • Geolocation issues with break markers

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to manually refresh data
  • More detailed tidal/current information
  • Expanded location coverage
  • Improved accuracy for wave height/conditions

In-app purchases

None

MetService Marine

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Surf

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Service: Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Premium Service (Yearly)$34.991 Year

Questions

Is MetService Marine free?
MetService Marine is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Surf free?
Surf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MetService Marine or Surf?
Surf is rated higher. MetService Marine averages 4.6 out of 5 from 48 ratings, while Surf averages 4.9 from 940 ratings.
Do MetService Marine or Surf have ads?
Both MetService Marine and Surf show ads.
Which is updated more often, MetService Marine or Surf?
MetService Marine ships an update every 12 months, and Surf every 6 weeks. Most recently, MetService Marine was updated on October 17, 2026 and Surf on October 18, 2026.

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