Comparison

Tide Charts vs UAV Forecast

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

Head to head
About

Tide Charts

Access worldwide tidal estimates, lunar data, and weather forecasts. Plan outdoor adventures with ease using current radar and offline predictions. Supports Apple Watch and includes a Today Extension for quick access.

Highlights
  • Worldwide tidal estimates
  • Lunar data
  • Weather forecast
  • Current radar
  • Offline predictions
  • Favorite station management
  • Apple Watch support
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Finally a beautiful and simple way to view tides on your mobile device! In addition to worldwide tidal estimates at tide stations, you can see the lunar data, weather forecast, and current radar making your next outdoor adventure as easy to plan as possible. By default, the application will pick the closest tide station to you, but picking a different tide or weather station is as easy as viewing a map of your current location. You can also setup and quickly switch between many stored favorite stations if you need to. No internet access while outdoors? No problem. This app has been designed to give you tidal and lunar predictions without internet access! Tides at a glance • A clear chart of the whole day, with the current height marked and daylight hours shaded (lunar rise and set is the small gray bar on the bottom) • The times and heights of every high and low tide • Swipe left or right to move through the days, or pick a date on the calendar • Swipe down to see sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset and the phase of the moon • Subscribe for tide alerts that notify you before a chosen high or low tide • Home Screen widgets with today's tides and the next tide Worldwide Tidal Stations • Nearly 8,000 stations, from the coasts of the United States and Canada to Europe, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South America and the Pacific islands • Find the nearest station with one tap, search by name, or browse the map, with satellite imagery when you want it • Keep your favorites one tap away Adjustable Height to Match Your Local Tide Table • Heights use the datum your local charts and tables use: MLLW in the United States, chart datum in Canada, Japan and Korea, LAT in Europe and Australia, MLWS in Peru and Ecuador (or you can choose your own from Mean Sea Level, MLLW, MLW, MLWS or LAT) Weather and Radar • Weather forecast is included for the station's location, with wind, temp, precipitation, and the day's high and low • Animated rain radar with a scrubber, so you can see what is coming Apple Watch • A full-screen tide chart on Apple Watch: turn the Digital Crown to step through highs, lows, sunrise, sunset and moon times, or drag to scrub through the next 30 days • Complications for every watch face, from a tide gauge to a chart of the next 24 hours, in the color you choose • Your favorite and nearby stations, with the current height and the next tide Tides is free with ads, however we do offer a one-time purchase to remove them if you would rather a clean distraction free experience.

About

UAV Forecast

This app provides a comprehensive weather forecast and flight condition analysis for drone pilots. It includes hyperlocal wind data, GPS satellite information, solar activity, and no-fly zones. Get color-coded "Good To Fly" or "Not Good To Fly" assessments with customizable thresholds.

Highlights
  • Hyperlocal wind and gust speeds
  • GPS satellite data (Galileo, GLONASS)
  • Solar weather (Kp) index
  • No-Fly Zone and flight restrictions
  • Hourly forecasts up to 15 days
  • Color-coded flight condition analysis
  • Configurable thresholds
Features
Read full description

When will it be good to fly your quadcopter? See the weather forecast, GPS satellites, solar activity (Kp), No-Fly Zones and flight restrictions, all in one convenient tool. Perfect for DJI Neo, Mini, Mavic, Air, Inspire, FPV, and Hover, Autel and Skydio drones, and many other Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Systems. UAV Forecast is the original, best, and classic tool for drone pilots. Suitable for both beginners and advanced pilots, recreational and commercial, features include: • Hyperlocal weather data, including detailed wind and gust speeds at ground level and at any altitude. • GPS satellite data including Galileo and GLONASS, solar weather (Kp) index, and more. • Hourly forecasts up to 15 days. • Automatic color-coded analysis of the conditions: green for Good To Fly, red for Not Good To Fly. • Fully configurable thresholds. • Light and Dark themes, with automatic switching at sunrise and sunset. • Location search and Favorite Locations. • Full tablet support. Our users include paraglider and paramotor pilots too. Become a subscriber for 24-hour, 7-day, or 15-day hourly forecast and many other features. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period at the same price you originally paid. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Terms: https://www.uavforecast.com/terms

Screenshots

Tide Charts4 screens
UAV Forecast4 screens

Verdict

The call

Tide Charts and UAV Forecast both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 69% of Tide Charts's written reviews are positive against 33% of UAV Forecast's. Tide Charts also leads on ratings volume (114K vs 3.5K) and device support (4 vs 2). UAV Forecast's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Tide Charts sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and UAV Forecast sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Tide Charts against 4.6 for UAV Forecast. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tide Charts has 114K ratings behind it against 3.5K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 69% of Tide Charts's written reviews are positive against 33% of UAV Forecast's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tide Charts ships an update every 3 weeks, UAV Forecast every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Tide Charts versus UAV Forecast: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTide ChartsUAV Forecast
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (114K ratings) — better4.6 (3.5K ratings)
Positive reviews68.7% of reviews — better33.2% of reviews
Number of ratings114K — better3.5K
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#26 — better#30
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size104 MB83 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer7th GearMatthew LLOYD

Customer experience

Tide Charts

All ratings113,466 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral2.3%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews518 reviews
Positive68.7%
Neutral7.1%
Negative24.1%

UAV Forecast

All ratings3,511 ratings
Positive92.0%
Neutral1.3%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews753 reviews
Positive33.2%
Neutral4.9%
Negative61.9%

User reviews

Tide Charts

From 114K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Clear tide information
  • 👍 Useful for planning activities
  • 💡 Comprehensive data including weather and moon phases
  • 🤖 Accurate and reliable
  • 🌟 Great app for Apple Watch

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inaccurate tide data in some locations
  • 🙈 Intrusive and unskippable ads
  • 🤯 Ads crashing the app
  • 🤔 Confusing UI and navigation
  • 🤖 Unreliable Apple Watch complications

UAV Forecast

From 3.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great planning tool
  • 👍 Useful and well-designed
  • 🚀 Excellent app for UAV pilots
  • 👍 Fantastic tool
  • 🚀 Awesome app for ALL drone pilots!

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inaccurate weather data
  • 🐛 Not accurate at all
  • 🐛 Fake weather data shown
  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 💰 Not worth the price

Bugs and requests

Tide Charts

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Tide data off by several hours
  • Tide graph not displaying correctly
  • App crashing on ad dismissal
  • Apple Watch complications freezing

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to set custom locations
  • Improved accuracy and data sources
  • Option to purchase ad-free version
  • Landscape mode support
  • More detailed tide height information

UAV Forecast

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on iPad Pro
  • Location not detected
  • Freezes when entering location

Requested features

5 requests
  • Metric option for altitude
  • More than 5 favorite locations
  • Ability to store drone profiles
  • Alerts for weather changes
  • Map with wind direction overlay

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Tide Charts

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99
14 purchases

UAV Forecast

Subscriptions13
  • Plus Subscription - Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Hobbyist Subscription - Weekly7 Days trial$2.997 Days
  • Professional - Weekly7 Days trial$4.697 Days
Show 10 more
  • Value Subscription - Monthly7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Hobbyist - Monthly7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Elite Subscription - Weekly7 Days trial$8.697 Days
  • Professional - Monthly7 Days trial$9.491 Month
  • Plus Subscription - Annual7 Days trial$12.991 Year
  • Elite Subscription - Monthly7 Days trial$17.491 Month
  • Value Subscription - Annual7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Hobbyist Subscription - Annual7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Professional - Annual7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Elite Subscription - Annual7 Days trial$99.991 Year
One-time1
  • Hobby Subscription - One Year$23.99

Questions

Is Tide Charts free?
Tide Charts is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is UAV Forecast free?
UAV Forecast is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Tide Charts or UAV Forecast?
Tide Charts is rated higher. Tide Charts averages 4.8 out of 5 from 114K ratings, while UAV Forecast averages 4.6 from 3.5K ratings.
Do Tide Charts or UAV Forecast have ads?
Tide Charts shows ads; UAV Forecast does not.
Which is updated more often, Tide Charts or UAV Forecast?
Tide Charts ships an update every 3 weeks, and UAV Forecast every 5 days. Most recently, Tide Charts was updated on October 26, 2026 and UAV Forecast on October 26, 2026.
Which is more popular, Tide Charts or UAV Forecast?
Tide Charts currently peaks at #26 in the App Store charts, and UAV Forecast at #30. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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