Comparison

Ocean Watch vs Tides Explorer

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

Head to head
About

Ocean Watch

Access tide predictions for over 3,300 stations across the US and Caribbean. Visualize tide data with stunning graphics and an interactive almanac. Plan your activities with offline access to predictions and custom notes.

Highlights
  • 3,300+ tide stations
  • Stunning graphics and visualizations
  • Offline tide predictions
  • Interactive almanac
  • Integrated station map
  • Custom notes and images
Features
Read full description

Find your tide. Ocean Watch tracks tides at 3,300+ stations on every US coast, on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. It works offline. • Offline forecasts. Decades of data and the prediction engine are built in, so the tide is there when the signal isn't. • Tidemarks. Set a height so you know when the water will float your dock or expose your beach. • Beauty with insight. Interactive graphs and visualizations that let you feel the flow over time. • Plan ahead. The Almanac lets you travel into the future and pick your window for fishing, sailing, surfing or paddling. • The big picture. The Weeks at a Glance view lets you see the monthly trends as the moon waxes and wanes. • The little picture. Apple Watch, no iPhone needed. Every station on your wrist, with always-on complications. • Widgets. The tide on your Home Screen and everywhere else. • Area Map. See what's here and where you're going. • Share and export. Send the current tide as a picture, or export a week as CSV or PDF. • Your place is special. We've supplied gorgeous local photographs for many areas, and you can add your own. Stations outside the US and Caribbean have limited support.

About

Tides Explorer

This app provides accurate tide, current, and weather predictions using official NOAA data for thousands of stations. Plan your water activities with clear charts, sun/moon information, and customizable widgets.

Highlights
  • Accurate tide and current predictions
  • Fast station search
  • Favorites for quick access
  • Interactive charts
  • Weather data at stations
  • Sun, moon, and twilight info
  • Home and Lock Screen widgets
Features
Read full description

Tides Explorer — Accurate Tides, Currents, and Marine Weather Tides Explorer is a precision tide and current app for sailors, boaters, paddlers, and swimmers, built on official NOAA data covering over 6,000 stations across the United States and international waters. It helps you understand not just what the water will do, but when and why, using clear charts and reliable predictions you can plan around. Core Features Get accurate tide and current predictions straight from NOAA, with fast search by name or location and interactive charts for exploring and comparing stations. At supported stations, see real observed water levels laid over the prediction (Pro) — so you know what the water's actually doing, not just what it's supposed to do. Save your favorite spots for quick access (Pro), track real-time weather at supported stations — wind, air and water temperature, and barometric pressure (Pro) — and check sun, moon, and twilight times to help plan your time on the water. Plan Around What Matters to You Drag a custom reference line onto any favorite station's chart — on a current station, mark a safe velocity to catch slack water before transiting a pass — and see exactly when you're above or below it. Set alerts for high and low tides, current extremes, your reference line, or slack water itself (Pro), plus new Moon Over Water alerts for when moonrise or moonset lines up with the water near sunset or sunrise. Designed for Apple Platforms Tides Explorer includes Home and Lock Screen widgets and a full Apple Watch app with multiple complications, all optimized for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Built for the Water Ideal for sailing, boating, kayaking, swimming, fishing, and coastal exploration, Tides Explorer delivers dependable marine data without clutter, so you can plan confidently and focus on the water.

Screenshots

Ocean Watch4 screens
Tides Explorer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ocean Watch at none against Tides Explorer's 1. Ocean Watch also leads on ratings volume (2.7K vs 26). Tides Explorer's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 74%) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 9 months). 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. Tides Explorer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Ocean Watch asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tides Explorer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ocean Watch has 2.7K ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Ocean Watch's written reviews are positive against 100% of Tides Explorer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ocean Watch ships an update every 9 months, Tides Explorer every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Ocean Watch versus Tides Explorer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOcean WatchTides Explorer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (2.7K ratings)5.0 (26 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.7K — better26
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS26.017.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size137 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBlue Bright Labs LLCLonnie Millett

Customer experience

Ocean Watch

All ratings2,733 ratings
Positive95.3%
Neutral2.2%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews106 reviews
Positive73.6%
Neutral12.3%
Negative14.2%

Tides Explorer

All ratings25 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Ocean Watch

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes when trying to open tide station details
  • Tide data sometimes stuck on wrong location
  • Apple Watch app not syncing or updating correctly
  • Issues with the app's widget not displaying accurate information

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add water temperature and wind speed data
  • Improve Apple Watch complication to show more detailed tide information
  • Expand coverage to more locations, especially in Canada and other countries
  • Add ability to set tide alerts or notifications
  • Improve stability and reliability to reduce crashes

Tides Explorer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Ocean Watch

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Tides Explorer

One-time1
  • Lifetime purchase$3.00

Questions

Is Ocean Watch free?
Ocean Watch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tides Explorer free?
Tides Explorer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Ocean Watch or Tides Explorer?
Tides Explorer is rated higher. Ocean Watch averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.7K ratings, while Tides Explorer averages 5.0 from 26 ratings.
Do Ocean Watch or Tides Explorer have ads?
Neither Ocean Watch nor Tides Explorer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ocean Watch or Tides Explorer?
Ocean Watch ships an update every 9 months, and Tides Explorer every 2 months. Most recently, Ocean Watch was updated on November 6, 2026 and Tides Explorer on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons