YB Connect vs Absolute Tides
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
YB Connect
Remotely configure and manage your YB Tracking devices. Adjust settings like tracking frequency and GPS accuracy directly from your iPhone or iPad. Compatible with specific YB Tracking device models.
- Remote device configuration
- Adjust tracking frequency
- Modify GPS accuracy settings
- Bluetooth LE compatibility
- iPhone and iPad support
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YB Connect allows you to remotely connect and configure your YB Tracking devices from your iPhone or iPad. It allows you to adjust tracking frequency, GPS accuracy settings, and much more. Compatible with Bluetooth LE versions of the YB Tracking YB3 and YB3i products, purchased after 1st October 2014.
Absolute Tides
Access official UKHO tidal data offline for up to a year in advance. View monthly tide tables, daily charts, and tidal streams. Includes weather forecasts and anchoring assistance.
- Offline UKHO tidal data
- Annual data plugins
- Monthly tide tables
- Daily tide charts
- Tidal stream view
- Met Office weather forecast
- Anchoring assistance
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Displays officially licenced UKHO tidal data on an annual basis without ever needing to go online. The tidal data is contained in our annual data plugins and must be purchased using in-app purchases. Once you have purchased the data, this app will allow you to view UKHO standard port tides up to a year in advance. The app will also calculate secondary port tides using its own built in offsets. (The 'UK data 2016' IAP contains data for 38 primary ports and over 500 secondary ports, see our website for more details on coverage) The main view is an 'At a glance' table view of each month's tides and tidal ranges. Selecting an entry will display an easy to use daily chart view showing the tide height for any time of day and a tidal stream view showing tidal direction and speed at hourly intervals. The Weather section downloads and displays the current Met Office Inshore Forecast. Absolute Tides also makes anchoring easy by calculating the maximum and minimum tides beween the current time and any selected future date/time. Note: This application will NOT work without at least one of our tidal data in-app purchases being installed. Please check that the tide data you want is available before downloading this app. The small print: For leisure use only. Heights of tides can vary from those predicted depending on the prevailing weather conditions. All data is given in good faith and is believed to be correct but we accept no responsibility for any consequential loss or damage arising from use of this application. Secondary port data calculated using offsets will be less accurate than the UKHO standard port data. This app is neither affiliated to nor endorsed by the Met Office.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: YB Connect at none against Absolute Tides's 11. YB Connect also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). Absolute Tides's advantage is review sentiment (67% vs 40%). 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
Both are free to download. Absolute Tides sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. YB Connect asks for nothing beyond the download.
YB Connect ships an update every 2 months, Absolute Tides every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | YB Connect | Absolute Tides |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.0 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | 67.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ground Control Technologies UK Ltd | Darren Edwards |
Customer experience
YB Connect
Absolute Tides
Bugs and requests
YB Connect
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Absolute Tides
Reported bugs
10 issues- App stopped working after 2025/2026 update
- App crashes when selecting River Tyne ports
- App crashes immediately on opening with 2024 data
- Tyne ports cause app to disappear and require reinstallation
- App crashes on iPad when clicking 'Streams'
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- App crashes on opening after iPhone update
- App crashes on iPhone 6
- App crashes on opening
- App stops working at the end of the year
- App crashes when loading data
Requested features
10 requests- Version covering full French Brittany & Atlantic coasts using SHOM charts
- Indication of Standard vs. Secondary port in tide time display
- Include Fleetwood or more detailed Morecambe Bay data
- Map showing port locations
- Apple Watch complication
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- Full 12 months of data for subscription
- Constant view of at least the next 6 months
- Larger print/double-sized display for day selection
- Ability to restore purchases after losing a phone
- Option to purchase data for specific regions or a full year upfront
In-app purchases
YB Connect
No in-app purchases
Absolute Tides
- UK Tides 2016Free
- UK Tides 2017Free
- UK Tides 2018Free
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- UK Tides 2019Free
- UK & Eire Tides 2020Free
- UK & Eire Tides 2021Free
- UK & Eire Tides 2022$2.99
- UK & Eire Tides 2023$2.99
- UK & Eire Tides 2024$2.99
- UK & Eire Tides 2026$2.99
- UK & Eire Tides 2025$2.99
Questions
Is YB Connect free?
Is Absolute Tides free?
Do YB Connect or Absolute Tides have ads?
Which is updated more often, YB Connect or Absolute Tides?
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