Comparison

CMonster vs Surfast

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

Head to head
About

CMonster

Control your Power-Pole Shallow Water Anchor with this app via Bluetooth LE. It offers advanced boat control for sport fishing. Requires ownership of compatible Power-Pole devices.

Highlights
  • Bluetooth LE control
  • Power-Pole device operation
  • Advanced boat control
  • Sport fishing enhancement
Features
Read full description

Over the past decade the Power-Pole Shallow Water Anchor has changed the world of sport fishing by offering the most technologically advanced boat control system ever invented. The C-Monster application is designed exclusively for controlling the operations of Power-Pole devices using Bluetooth LE connection. You must own Power-Pole devices to use this application. Currently, the iOS app is only compatible with Power-Pole hydraulic models built late January 2015 or after. This can be confirmed if the serial number ends in “AC” for the 8’ Blade or “AA” for any other hydraulic model. An add-on iOS module will soon be available to allow existing C-Monster equipped Power-Pole models not matching the criteria listed to utilize this app.

About

Surfast

Features
Read full description

Know when to paddle out. Track every wave. Train between sessions. Surfast is a surf forecast, wave tracker, and training app for surfers who want to make every session count. Start free with no ads, automatic GPS tracking, a 3-day forecast, and daily surf workouts. PLAN YOUR NEXT SESSION Check wave height, swell direction and period, wind, tide, water temperature, and a clear conditions score for your favorite surf spot. Free includes a 3-day forecast. Premium unlocks the full 14-day hourly outlook. TRACK EVERY WAVE GPS and motion sensors record waves, paddle strokes, speed, duration, distance, calories, and your route. No manual logging is needed. Sessions work offline and sync when you reconnect. Track from your iPhone or Apple Watch. TRAIN FOR THE WAVES Build paddle endurance, balance, mobility, and pop-up speed with guided surf workouts, timers, and coaching cues. FOLLOW YOUR PROGRESS Review session summaries, wave-by-wave performance, technique milestones, streaks, achievements, and personal records. Use your stats to choose what to work on next. START FREE • Automatic session and wave tracking • Apple Watch session tracking • 3-day surf forecast • Daily surf workouts and coach mode • Basic stats for your five latest sessions • One favorite surf spot • 2-day Surf Camp preview PREMIUM • Full 14-day hourly forecast • Personalized multi-day Surf Camps • Condition warnings and safety tips • Board recommendations, swell compass, and tide graph • Unlimited session history and favorite spots • GPS session maps and full workout library • Apple Watch heart-rate and advanced analytics • Bluetooth paddle sensor support • Advanced paddle analytics and GPX export Surfast is a tracking and planning tool, not a safety device. Always check local conditions, surf with a buddy, and follow lifeguard warnings. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel subscriptions in your App Store account settings. Prices may vary by region. Terms of Use: https://surfast.app/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://surfast.app/privacy.html Support: https://surfast.app/support.html Made by surfers, for surfers.

Screenshots

CMonster4 screens
Surfast4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CMonster at none against Surfast's 4. CMonster also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.1). Surfast's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and device support (4 vs 2). On price and ads 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. Surfast sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. CMonster asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CMonster ships an update every 3 months, Surfast fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
CMonster versus Surfast: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCMonsterSurfast
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.1 (101 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews13.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings101 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB47 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperJL Marine SystemsEl Mehdi Ayad

Bugs and requests

CMonster

Reported bugs

53 issues
  • Cannot connect to server
  • App crashes constantly
  • App does not find the micro anchor
  • App does not work with micro power pole on IOS
  • App will not stay linked up with iPhone
Show 48 more
  • App randomly stopped working
  • App crashes when adjusting speed
  • App connects then crashes
  • App recognizes only one of the two poles
  • App cannot find pole via Bluetooth
  • App only found one of my two poles
  • Both poles can not be found
  • Cannot get the app to pair with the charge
  • App does not show charge direction arrows
  • App won't show charge direction arrows
  • Firmware update issues
  • Cannot connect to server
  • No such settings to allow battery info input
  • App crashes constantly
  • App crashes when adjusting speed
  • App connects to power poles then crashes
  • App does not find the micro anchor
  • App does not work with micro power pole on IOS
  • App will not stay linked up with iPhone
  • App randomly stopped working
  • App does not show charge direction arrows
  • App won't show charge direction arrows
  • App is super glitchy
  • App won't connect
  • App doesn't show why it won't pair
  • App is unreliable
  • App is useless
  • App is junk
  • App does not work with micro anchor
  • App does not read right for the charge
  • App stopped working
  • Bluetooth connectivity issues
  • Cannot get it to connect to poles
  • Not connecting to one pole
  • Cannot get out of demo mode (ISO)
  • Cannot get the app to pair with the charge
  • App/phone no longer recognizes poles
  • Will not pair at all
  • Recognizes only one pole
  • App on iOS does no good for Micro
  • Does not work with micro power pole
  • Does not find the micro anchor
  • Doesn’t work anymore
  • App crashes constantly
  • App crashes when adjusting speed
  • App connects then crashes
  • App doesn't see the powerpoles
  • App doesn't connect

Requested features

6 requests
  • Improve Bluetooth connectivity
  • App compatibility for Micro anchor
  • Fix ISO version issues
  • Add battery information settings
  • Improve app compatibility for iOS
Show 1 more
  • Update app to fix bugs

Surfast

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

CMonster

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Surfast

Subscriptions4
  • Surfast Premium3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Surfast Pro$9.991 Month
  • Surfast Premium3 Days trial$39.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Surfast Pro$79.991 Year

Questions

Is CMonster free?
CMonster is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Surfast free?
Surfast is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do CMonster or Surfast have ads?
Neither CMonster nor Surfast shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CMonster or Surfast?
CMonster ships an update every 3 months, and Surfast fortnightly. Most recently, CMonster was updated on October 24, 2026 and Surfast on October 25, 2026.

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