# HopeWaves vs Current

The clearest difference is rating: HopeWaves at 4.9 against Current's 4.5. HopeWaves also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 80%) and ratings volume (189 vs 16). Current's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and chart position (#198 vs unranked). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. HopeWaves sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Current sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

HopeWaves holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HopeWaves has 189 ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of HopeWaves's written reviews are positive against 80% of Current's.

HopeWaves ships an update every 2 months, Current fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HopeWaves | Current |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (189 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hopewaves/id945847570/reviews)** | [4.5 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/current-surf-forecast/id6779697881/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **189** | 16 |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 80.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | — | **#198** |
| Size | 51 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Matthew Iannucci](https://appshunter.io/developer/945847569) | [Colin Weaver](https://appshunter.io/developer/6779697884) |

## 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 |


### Current

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/current-surf-forecast/id6779697881)

**Currently charting:** #198 Top Grossing · Weather (US App Store)

Get detailed, physics-based surf forecasts for California breaks. See wave height, how waves break, swell details, wind, tide, and water temperature. A free daily forecast is available, with premium features for multi-day predictions and advanced statistics.

**Highlights:** Physics-based surf forecasts, Wave break type prediction, Swell partitions and timeline, Lull duration and wave energy, Water temperature, Multi-day forecast (premium)

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Current Premium | $4.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HopeWaves free?

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

### Is Current free?

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

### Which has better reviews, HopeWaves or Current?

HopeWaves is rated higher. HopeWaves averages 4.9 out of 5 from 189 ratings, while Current averages 4.5 from 16 ratings.

### Do HopeWaves or Current have ads?

Neither HopeWaves nor Current shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HopeWaves or Current?

HopeWaves ships an update every 2 months, and Current fortnightly. Most recently, HopeWaves was updated on October 29, 2026 and Current on October 28, 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.*