Comparison

Windy.app vs Surf

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

Head to head
About

Windy.app

This app provides detailed wind, wave, and weather forecasts for various outdoor activities. It offers historical data, real-time alerts, and a community feature for sharing conditions. Ideal for surfers, sailors, and other wind sports enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • Wind report, forecast, and statistics
  • Wind alert and storm warnings
  • Weather history (2012-2024)
  • Local NOAA forecast with 10-day prediction
  • Wave forecast for ocean and sea
  • Animated wind tracker and radar
  • Offline mode for forecast access
Features
Read full description

Windy.app - wind, waves and weather forecast app for surfers, kitesurfers, windsurfers, sailors, fishermen and other wind sports. FEATURES: • Wind report, forecast and statistics: wind map, accurate wind compass, wind meter, wind gusts and wind directions. It’s very useful for extreme wind sports. • Wind alert: Set up windalert and be aware of wind, storm and tornado warning via push-notifications • Weather history (archive) for 2012-2024: view wind data, temperature (day and night) and atmospheric pressure. Weather archive will help you to choose the best month for travel to the spot. • Local forecast from NOAA: temperature in Celsius, Fahrenheit and Kelvin, humidity, wind speed, precipitation (rain and snow). Forecast for 10 days with 3 hours step in metric or imperial units: m/s (mps), mph, km/h, knt (knout), bft (beaufort), m, ft, mm, cm, in, hPa, inHg. NOAA is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration / National Weather Service (nws). • Wave forecast: ocean or sea conditions, ocean waves and sea swell, fishing forecast • Animated wind tracker: weather radar for sailing, yachting and kiting in light wind • Cloud base/Dewpoint (dew point) data: necessary weather information for pleasant paragliding • Spots: over 30.000 spots sorted and located by the type and area. Add your spots to favourites. • Spot chats. Got anemometer? Share info about weather conditions and wind direction in the chat from a kite spot. • Community: exchange weather reports on the spot. Want to be a local/spot leader? Email us the name of your spot at feedback@catchwind.co and we will create a chat for it. • Weather Stations: online data from nearby online weather stations. • Offline Mode: activate offline mode and check the forecast for your activities without internet connection. PERFECT FOR: • Kitesurfing (kitesurf) • Windsurfing (wind surf) • Surfing • Sailing (Boating) • Yachting • Paragliding • Fishing • Snowkiting • Snowboarding • Skiing • Skydiving • Kayaking (kayak) • Wakeboarding • Cycling • Hunting (hunt) • Golf -------------------------- The free version allows you to use basic app functions. WINDY PRO Account auto-renewable subscription allows using all functions of this app. Subscription length periods: 1 month with 3 days free trial, and 1 year with 7 days free trial. Payment for WINDY PRO Account subscriptions will be charged to your iTunes account at the time of purchase. Your subscription will be automatically renewed every 30 or 365 days. If you have never subscribed to a monthly Premium account subscription before, you will have the option of getting a free 3/7-day trial period. Cancelling the trial period will immediately disable your subscription. Payment for subscription renewals will be charged to your account within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can disable subscription renewal in your iTunes account settings on your device. Terms of Use: https://windyapp.co/CustomMenuItems/34/en -------------------------- Created by kite addicted for wind addicted! Be WINDY. Join us! Waiting for your feedback and recommendations. Help us to make the best wind sports app!

About

Surf

Get simple, accurate surf forecasts for over 7,000 breaks worldwide. Plan your sessions with detailed wave information, tide times, and mapping to find the best conditions and nearby spots. Access extended forecasts and custom alerts with premium features.

Highlights
  • Detailed surf forecasts
  • Wavefinder map
  • Live webcam links
  • Tide times
  • 12-day forecasts
  • Custom surf alerts
Features
Read full description

Surf-Forecast.com gives you simple, accurate and easy-to-read surf forecasts so you have the best chance of hitting those breaks when the waves are pumping. Built by surfers, for surfers, and trusted by millions of surfers for over 20 years, our updated app lets you see all your favorite surf spots at a glance. Providing detailed surf forecasts for over 7,000 breaks worldwide, our new features let you see further ahead than ever before - giving you plenty of advance warning for when those swells start coming in. Find the best surfing conditions near you and use the rating tool to find exactly when to go. – FREE App Features ⁃ Detailed surf forecasts ⁃ Wavefinder map ⁃ Live webcam links ⁃ Multi-swell component presentation ⁃ Tide times ⁃ Detailed mapping to locate nearby breaks – Surf Premium Benefits ⁃ Access to the full 16 days of our new Wavefinder feature ⁃ Hourly forecasts ⁃ 16 day forecasts ⁃ Custom surf alerts ⁃ Ad-free browsing on our website So what are you waiting for? Grab your board and get exploring. We’ll see you out there! For the full Terms and Conditions of this service please visit: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Windy.app4 screens
Surf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Windy.app at none against Surf's shown. Windy.app also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (73K vs 1K). Surf's advantage is review sentiment (86% vs 65%). 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. Windy.app sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Surf sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Surf holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Windy.app has 73K ratings behind it against 1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Windy.app's written reviews are positive against 86% of Surf's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Windy.app ships an update weekly, Surf every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Windy.app versus Surf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWindy.appSurf
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (73K ratings)4.9 (1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.8% of reviews86.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings73K — better1K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#6 — better#109
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size382 MB138 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWindy Weather World IncMeteo365 Ltd.

Customer experience

Windy.app

All ratings73,191 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral3.5%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews1,274 reviews
Positive64.8%
Neutral4.7%
Negative30.5%

Surf

All ratings940 ratings
Positive99.3%
Neutral0.1%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews125 reviews
Positive86.4%
Neutral4.0%
Negative9.6%

User reviews

Windy.app

From 73K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌊 Accurate wind and weather forecasts
  • 🔍 Ability to compare multiple weather models
  • 🗺️ Detailed and customizable map views
  • 🛥️ Useful for sailing, fishing, and other water sports
  • 🔧 Responsive and helpful support team

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription fees
  • 🤔 Confusing user interface for casual users
  • 🔒 Difficulty cancelling subscriptions
  • 🔄 Inconsistent data accuracy across locations
  • 📢 Excessive notifications and upsell prompts

Surf

From 1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌊 Accurate surf forecasts
  • 👍 Easy to use and navigate
  • 🗺️ Comprehensive coverage of locations
  • 🔍 Detailed information (swell, wind, tides, etc.)
  • 💰 Good value for subscription

Room to improve

  • 🔄 Inconsistent data updates
  • 🌊 Wave height/conditions not always accurate
  • 🏞️ Missing data for some locations (e.g. Great Lakes)
  • 🤔 Confusing or misleading surf ratings/forecasts

Bugs and requests

Windy.app

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes after recent updates
  • Saved locations and settings not syncing properly
  • Incorrect weather data displayed in some areas

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add radar and precipitation overlays
  • Improve tide and current data accuracy
  • Introduce more affordable subscription options
  • Provide better support for Apple Watch integration
  • Allow more customization of the user interface

Surf

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes or freezes on some devices
  • Geolocation issues with break markers

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to manually refresh data
  • More detailed tidal/current information
  • Expanded location coverage
  • Improved accuracy for wave height/conditions

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Windy.app

Subscriptions9
  • WINDY PRO access for 1 month$9.991 Month
  • WINDY PRO account - 1 month$19.991 Month
  • WINDY PRO account7 Days trial$39.991 Year
Show 6 more
  • WINDY PRO account$39.991 Year
  • Windy.app Fishing Pro7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • WINDY PRO account7 Days trial2 variants$59.991 Year
  • WINDY PRO access$59.991 Year
  • WINDY PRO account7 Days trial$99.991 Year
  • WINDY PRO account7 Days trial$164.991 Year
2 purchases

Surf

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Service: Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Premium Service (Yearly)$34.991 Year

Questions

Is Windy.app free?
Windy.app is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Surf free?
Surf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Windy.app or Surf?
Surf is rated higher. Windy.app averages 4.7 out of 5 from 73K ratings, while Surf averages 4.9 from 1K ratings.
Do Windy.app or Surf have ads?
Surf shows ads; Windy.app does not.
Which is updated more often, Windy.app or Surf?
Windy.app ships an update weekly, and Surf every 6 weeks. Most recently, Windy.app was updated on November 6, 2026 and Surf on November 3, 2026.
Which is more popular, Windy.app or Surf?
Windy.app currently peaks at #6 in the App Store charts, and Surf at #109. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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