# HopeWaves vs North Forecasting

The clearest difference is update cadence: North Forecasting at every 3 weeks against HopeWaves's every 2 months. HopeWaves's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. HopeWaves sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and North Forecasting sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

HopeWaves ships an update every 2 months, North Forecasting every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HopeWaves | North Forecasting |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (189 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hopewaves/id945847570/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **189** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 51 MB | 83 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Matthew Iannucci](https://appshunter.io/developer/945847569) | [Remi Audrey D Vanderhaeghen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1791931609) |

## What reviewers say

### HopeWaves

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hopewaves/id945847570)

Access real-time HD beach webcam snapshots and 16-day wave forecasts for Rhode Island. Get tide information and live buoy data to track current swell conditions. Widgets are available for home and lock screens.

**Highlights:** HD beach webcam snapshots, 16-day wave forecasting, Tide information, Live NOAA buoy data, Home and lock screen widgets, Apple Watch widgets

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Tip | $1.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $9.99 | one-time |


### North Forecasting

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/north-forecasting/id6754179073)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| NORTH PRO monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| NORTH PRO yearly | $17.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HopeWaves free?

HopeWaves is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is North Forecasting free?

North Forecasting is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do HopeWaves or North Forecasting have ads?

Neither HopeWaves nor North Forecasting shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HopeWaves or North Forecasting?

HopeWaves ships an update every 2 months, and North Forecasting every 3 weeks. Most recently, HopeWaves was updated on October 24, 2026 and North Forecasting on October 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*