Comparison

Global tide vs Tide Charts

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

Head to head
About

Global tide

Access offline tide forecasts for harbors, islands, and tide stations worldwide. Get weather predictions and fishing insights to plan your best trips. Supports over 170 countries and 30 languages.

Highlights
  • Offline tide forecasts
  • Weather and fishing predictions
  • Customizable spot creation
  • Global coverage (170+ countries)
  • Multi-language support (30 languages)
  • Integrated Google and Amap maps
Features
Read full description

Global Tide is a professional tool for tides, weather, and marine data, designed for activities such as intertidal foraging, sea fishing, surfing, diving, sailing, and coastal travel. Covering over 170 countries and regions and supporting more than 30 languages, it keeps you informed about tides, weather, wind and waves, water temperature, and other marine conditions. Offline Tide Forecasting Save locations in advance to view tide curves, daily water levels, and high/low tide times without an internet connection—perfect for use on islands, at sea, or in areas with no signal. Global Location Search Covers major ports, islands, tide gauges, dive sites, and shipwrecks; supports search, bookmarking, sharing, navigation, and custom notes. Weather, Wind, and Waves Provides hourly weather and wind/wave forecasts for up to 16 days, including data on air temperature, wind speed and direction, wave height, water temperature, and atmospheric pressure. High-Precision Weather Models Supports switching between multiple meteorological models to meet forecasting needs across different regions and scenarios. Fishing Forecasts Analyzes fish activity by integrating data on tides, weather, atmospheric pressure, and wind conditions to help you choose the best times for sea fishing. Typhoons and Storm Surges Tracks typhoon movements in real-time and provides timely information on marine hazards such as storm surges. Marine Dynamics and Ecology Provides data on tidal currents and multi-layer ocean currents (speed, direction, temperature, and trends), as well as professional metrics like marine primary productivity, chlorophyll concentration, and phytoplankton distribution. Global Tide—stay informed about tides and marine weather, and navigate any sea with confidence.

About

Tide Charts

Access worldwide tidal estimates, lunar data, and weather forecasts. Plan outdoor adventures with ease using current radar and offline predictions. Supports Apple Watch and includes a Today Extension for quick access.

Highlights
  • Worldwide tidal estimates
  • Lunar data
  • Weather forecast
  • Current radar
  • Offline predictions
  • Favorite station management
  • Apple Watch support
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Finally a beautiful and simple way to view tides on your mobile device! In addition to worldwide tidal estimates at tide stations, you can see the lunar data, weather forecast, and current radar making your next outdoor adventure as easy to plan as possible. By default, the application will pick the closest tide station to you, but picking a different tide or weather station is as easy as viewing a map of your current location. You can also setup and quickly switch between many stored favorite stations if you need to. No internet access while outdoors? No problem. This app has been designed to give you tidal and lunar predictions without internet access! Tides at a glance • A clear chart of the whole day, with the current height marked and daylight hours shaded (lunar rise and set is the small gray bar on the bottom) • The times and heights of every high and low tide • Swipe left or right to move through the days, or pick a date on the calendar • Swipe down to see sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset and the phase of the moon • Subscribe for tide alerts that notify you before a chosen high or low tide • Home Screen widgets with today's tides and the next tide Worldwide Tidal Stations • Nearly 8,000 stations, from the coasts of the United States and Canada to Europe, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South America and the Pacific islands • Find the nearest station with one tap, search by name, or browse the map, with satellite imagery when you want it • Keep your favorites one tap away Adjustable Height to Match Your Local Tide Table • Heights use the datum your local charts and tables use: MLLW in the United States, chart datum in Canada, Japan and Korea, LAT in Europe and Australia, MLWS in Peru and Ecuador (or you can choose your own from Mean Sea Level, MLLW, MLW, MLWS or LAT) Weather and Radar • Weather forecast is included for the station's location, with wind, temp, precipitation, and the day's high and low • Animated rain radar with a scrubber, so you can see what is coming Apple Watch • A full-screen tide chart on Apple Watch: turn the Digital Crown to step through highs, lows, sunrise, sunset and moon times, or drag to scrub through the next 30 days • Complications for every watch face, from a tide gauge to a chart of the next 24 hours, in the color you choose • Your favorite and nearby stations, with the current height and the next tide Tides is free with ads, however we do offer a one-time purchase to remove them if you would rather a clean distraction free experience.

Screenshots

Global tide4 screens
Tide Charts4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Tide Charts at 4.8 against Global tide's 3.9. Tide Charts also leads on ratings volume (115K vs 32) and chart position (#31 vs unranked). Global tide's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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. Global tide sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Tide Charts sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tide Charts holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tide Charts has 115K ratings behind it against 32, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 74% of Global tide's written reviews are positive against 69% of Tide Charts's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Global tide ships an update monthly, Tide Charts every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Global tide versus Tide Charts: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGlobal tideTide Charts
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (32 ratings)4.8 (115K ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.9% of reviews — better68.8% of reviews
Number of ratings32115K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#31 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size207 MB104 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSolot Information Technology Jiangsu Co., Ltd.7th Gear

Customer experience

Global tide

All ratings32 ratings
Positive68.8%
Neutral12.5%
Negative18.8%
Written reviews46 reviews
Positive73.9%
Neutral6.5%
Negative19.6%

Tide Charts

All ratings113,466 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral2.3%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews520 reviews
Positive68.8%
Neutral7.1%
Negative24.0%

Bugs and requests

Global tide

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Tide Charts

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Tide data off by several hours
  • Tide graph not displaying correctly
  • App crashing on ad dismissal
  • Apple Watch complications freezing

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to set custom locations
  • Improved accuracy and data sources
  • Option to purchase ad-free version
  • Landscape mode support
  • More detailed tide height information

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Global tide

One-time4
  • 1个月VIP会员$0.99
  • 月会员$1.99
  • 季度会员$3.99
Show 1 more
  • Lifetime VIP fee$29.99
1 purchases

Tide Charts

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99

Questions

Is Global tide free?
Global tide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tide Charts free?
Tide Charts is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Global tide or Tide Charts?
Tide Charts is rated higher. Global tide averages 3.9 out of 5 from 32 ratings, while Tide Charts averages 4.8 from 115K ratings.
Do Global tide or Tide Charts have ads?
Tide Charts shows ads; Global tide does not.
Which is updated more often, Global tide or Tide Charts?
Global tide ships an update monthly, and Tide Charts every 3 weeks. Most recently, Global tide was updated on November 1, 2026 and Tide Charts on November 1, 2026.

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