Comparison

The Wave Clock vs Tide Alert (NOAA)

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

Head to head
About

The Wave Clock

This app provides real-time oceanographic data for coastal locations. View wave heights, periods, and tide information at a glance through an intuitive analog interface. Customize updates for your favorite spots.

Highlights
  • Customizable coastal location updates
  • Intuitive analog interface
  • Wave heights and period display
  • Tide heights and trend
  • Real-time oceanographic data
Features
Read full description

Allowing us to view the ocean to us in a brand new way is the Wave Clock! The wave Clock is a simple intuitive clock to see everything we need for our favorite spots on the coast at a glance. The Wave Clock offers: •Customization to give constant updates for your coastal location of interest out of many hundreds of locations •Intuitive analog interface •Wave heights and period •Tide heights and trend The Wave Clock queries real-time oceanographic databases customized to the location of your interest and displays the information in an intuitive analog interface. The Wave Clock app can show you at glance or sit on your desk to give you an accurate view of just what’s happening out there. Just set it up for your location so that you don’t have to search to see what’s happening when it matters … NOW!

About

Tide Alert (NOAA)

Get accurate tide predictions, current speeds, and lunar phases with this app. It offers custom alerts, offline access, and detailed weather conditions for coastal areas. Plan your outdoor activities with confidence using comprehensive tidal data.

Highlights
  • Tide predictions for thousands of US stations
  • Tidal current speed and slack tide data
  • Customizable tide alerts
  • Full offline access to tide data
  • Wind, swell, and water temperature forecasts
  • Apple Watch app and widgets
  • Moon phase calendar
Features
Read full description

Tide Alert is the #1 app for tide predictions, tidal currents, and lunar phases, all in one beautiful interface. Powered by NOAA tide forecasts, it delivers accurate high tide and low tide times, current speeds, slack tide windows, swell data, water temperature, and wind conditions for thousands of stations along the US coastline. Set custom alerts for high tide, low tide, or any tide level you choose and never miss a window again. With full offline support, your tide data is always available, even without cell service. What's New: Tidal Currents & Slack Tides • View real-time tidal current speed overlayed on the tide chart. • See slack tide periods with estimated begin and end times. • Current data sourced from NOAA current prediction stations. Compare Tide Charts • Compare multiple stations side by side. • Add stations to compare directly from the map. Monthly High & Low • Redesigned monthly view with visual tide range bars. • See the month's lowest, highest, and average tidal range at a glance. Apple Watch • New ocean conditions view with wind, swell height, water temperature, and current speed. • Tap the wave icon on the main screen to check conditions instantly. Wind, Swell & Water Temperature • Hourly wind speed, gust, and direction forecasts. • Swell chart with height, period, and direction. • Water temperature from NOAA and Open-Meteo. Who is Tide Alert for? Anyone who needs to know the tides. Fishermen timing their catch. Surfers checking swell and tides together. Kayakers and paddleboarders planning safe launches. Boaters and sailors navigating harbors. Crabbers and clammers working low tides. Beach photographers chasing golden hour at low tide. Dog walkers, birdwatchers, and tide pool explorers. Divers planning slack water entries. Key Features: • Tide predictions for thousands of NOAA stations across the US. • Tidal current speed and slack tide annotations on the chart. • Custom tide alerts — get notified for high tide, low tide, or any level. • Full offline access to tide data and charts for favorite stations. • Interactive map with station discovery and quick actions. • Compare tide charts across multiple stations. • Monthly high & low tide overview with daily range bars. • Wind, swell, and water temperature conditions. • Sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset on the chart. • Moon phase calendar. • Apple Watch app with tide chart, conditions, and complications. • Home Screen, Lock Screen, and StandBy widgets. • iOS Shortcuts and Siri voice commands. • Customizable chart symbols and reference levels. • Supports all US time zones and daylight saving time. Tide Alert is free to try with all features available during the trial period. After the trial, a subscription is required to continue. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ DISCLAIMER — See https://tidealert.app/disclaimer.html Use Tide Alert at your own risk. Tide data does not account for the effects of wind, storms, rain, freshwater runoff, or floods. The tide graph uses predicted high and low tide events with approximated segments between them. Do NOT use Tide Alert for NAVIGATION or any purpose that may result in personal injury or property damage. Tide Alert is not liable for any loss, injuries, or damage caused by its use. Tide Alert is not associated with NOAA.

Screenshots

The Wave Clock4 screens
Tide Alert (NOAA)4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Tide Alert (NOAA) at 4.8 against The Wave Clock's 4.0. Tide Alert (NOAA) also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (45K vs 5). The Wave Clock's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Tide Alert (NOAA) sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 3 months. The Wave Clock asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tide Alert (NOAA) holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tide Alert (NOAA) has 45K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of The Wave Clock's written reviews are positive against 73% of Tide Alert (NOAA)'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Wave Clock ships an update every 6 months, Tide Alert (NOAA) every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
The Wave Clock versus Tide Alert (NOAA): the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Wave ClockTide Alert (NOAA)
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (5 ratings)4.8 (45K ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.1% of reviews72.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings545K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#38 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size153 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWave Cast, LLCRivolu LLC

Customer experience

The Wave Clock

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral14.3%
Negative28.6%

Tide Alert (NOAA)

All ratings44,774 ratings
Positive96.2%
Neutral2.2%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews151 reviews
Positive72.8%
Neutral7.3%
Negative19.9%

Bugs and requests

The Wave Clock

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Tide Alert (NOAA)

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App crashes on launch after iOS updates
  • Tide data not syncing correctly with visual indicators

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add support for negative tide levels
  • Improve sync between app and Apple Watch
  • Implement family sharing for subscription

In-app purchases

None

The Wave Clock

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Tide Alert (NOAA)

Subscriptions2
  • 3 Months Full Access$6.993 Months
  • Tide Alert 1 Year Subscription$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Tide Alert Gold$99.99

Questions

Is The Wave Clock free?
The Wave Clock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tide Alert (NOAA) free?
Tide Alert (NOAA) is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, The Wave Clock or Tide Alert (NOAA)?
Tide Alert (NOAA) is rated higher. The Wave Clock averages 4.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Tide Alert (NOAA) averages 4.8 from 45K ratings.
Do The Wave Clock or Tide Alert (NOAA) have ads?
Neither The Wave Clock nor Tide Alert (NOAA) shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Wave Clock or Tide Alert (NOAA)?
The Wave Clock ships an update every 6 months, and Tide Alert (NOAA) every 3 weeks. Most recently, The Wave Clock was updated on November 1, 2026 and Tide Alert (NOAA) on November 12, 2026.

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