Comparison

Karl Weather vs BayCurrents

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

Head to head
About

Karl Weather

Visualize San Francisco's microclimates and plan your day across the Bay Area. View current and forecasted temperatures on a dynamic heatmap, with detailed information available for any neighborhood. Includes air quality data and local news.

Highlights
  • 24-hour neighborhood forecasts
  • Bay Area city forecasts
  • Air Quality Index (AQI)
  • Dynamic temperature heatmaps
  • Detailed neighborhood weather
  • Local San Francisco news
Features
Read full description

Visualize the weather in San Francisco’s many microclimates or zoom out to plan your day around the Bay Area. View the current temperatures on a beautiful heatmap and swipe across the screen to view forecasted temperatures for the next 24 hours. Want more info? Tap any neighborhood to view detailed weather information. Features: -24 hour forecast for SF neighborhoods + 25 Bay Area cities -Air Quality Index (AQI) data -Dynamic heatmaps -Day/night cycle -Detailed neighborhood forecast including: Current temperature & condition, 10-day forecast, sunrise/sunset times, humidity, visibility, wind, UV index and asthma conditions -Local News in San Francisco About Karl Weather's auto-renewing subscriptions: Terms of use: http://tapgods.com/karl/tos/ Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current subscription period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current subscription period. Automatic renewals will cost the same price you were originally charged for the subscription. You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings on the App Store after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription to that publication, where applicable.

About

BayCurrents

Visualize high-resolution surface currents in the San Francisco Bay. This app supports various maritime activities with data up to 48 hours in the future. It operates autonomously offline, using NOAA model data enhanced by radar and tidal observations.

Highlights
  • High-resolution surface current maps
  • 48-hour future forecasting
  • Offline autonomous operation
  • NOAA numerical model data
  • Supports recreational and professional maritime activities
Features
Read full description

BayCurrents is a mobile app for displaying maps of high resolution surface currents within the San Francisco Bay. The app is intended to support a wide range of maritime activities, from recreational fishing and sailing to the operation of professional transport vessels. The source for the surface current data is a numerical model operated by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The model benefits from oceanographic high-frequency radar (HFR) measurements from the Central & Northern California Ocean Observing System (CeNCOOS) HFR Network, along with other observations such as tides and wind. The resulting dataset contains current vector fields for hourly timestamps ranging from the recent past, to the present and up to 48 hours into the future. The complete vector dataset is downloaded by the app to allow autonomous offline operation. This app contains experimental data and is NOT for navigational purposes.

Screenshots

Karl Weather4 screens
BayCurrents4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BayCurrents at none against Karl Weather's 8. BayCurrents also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Karl Weather's advantage is ratings volume (353 vs 5) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 10 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. Karl Weather sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. BayCurrents asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BayCurrents holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Karl Weather has 353 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Karl Weather ships an update every 2 months, BayCurrents every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Karl Weather versus BayCurrents: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKarl WeatherBayCurrents
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (353 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews59.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings353 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 10 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.2 — better17
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTapgodsMonterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Customer experience

Karl Weather

All ratings351 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral4.3%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive59.5%
Neutral11.9%
Negative28.6%

BayCurrents

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Karl Weather

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App crashes when flipping to Bay Area temps
  • Conditions seem broken (cloudy not updating)
  • Temps have disappeared
  • App stuck in night mode
  • Weather readings are off by 5-10 degrees
Show 5 more
  • App says sunny when it's foggy
  • Weather report hasn't changed in weeks
  • App constantly lowballs temps in SoMa
  • App crashes occasionally, especially with slider
  • iPhone heats up rapidly when launching app

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add Glen Park neighborhood
  • Include Treasure Island/Yerba Buena Island
  • Better coverage for Marin County microclimates
  • Widget with top neighborhoods
  • Neighborhood flair in SF/Bay Area

BayCurrents

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Karl Weather

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Tip$0.991 Month
  • Annual Tip$4.991 Year
One-time6
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$1.99
  • Large Tip$2.99
Show 3 more
  • Karl Weather Pro$3.99
  • Huge Tip$5.99
  • Massive Tip$9.99
None

BayCurrents

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Karl Weather free?
Karl Weather is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BayCurrents free?
BayCurrents is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Karl Weather or BayCurrents?
BayCurrents is rated higher. Karl Weather averages 4.6 out of 5 from 353 ratings, while BayCurrents averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Karl Weather or BayCurrents have ads?
Neither Karl Weather nor BayCurrents shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Karl Weather or BayCurrents?
Karl Weather ships an update every 2 months, and BayCurrents every 10 months. Most recently, Karl Weather was updated on November 1, 2026 and BayCurrents on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons