Best surf apps
The best surf app is the one that answers your question fastest. Some apps are built around live cams, some around raw wind and swell maps, some around worldwide spot lists, and some around your own sessions. Quiver is our app, built for one question on US coasts: which beach, which window, which board, and whether it is worth paddling out for you.
Recommendation model
What to look for
Quiver is our app. Prices checked on 2026-10-11.
Free app answer
For iPhone surfers who want forecast basics and session logging without paying, Quiver is our pick. The free tier includes forecasts, conditions, and tides for 280+ breaks; session logging with a free account; and one watched beach with up to three alert rules. The personal match score, ranked session windows, and personal alerts are Quiver Pro only.
“Free” means different things across surf apps. Some give a short forecast with ads and charge for longer range, some keep cams or alerts behind a subscription, and government buoy data is free but raw. Check which of the needs above a free tier actually covers before you pay.
By surfer and coast
Pick an app that says whether today is small and gentle enough to learn, not just how big it is. Quiver's beginner pages give a YES, MAYBE, or NO for learners at each city's reference beach, and the beginner conditions guide explains the numbers behind it. Whatever the app says, watch the water from shore first.
If cams matter most, a cam-first app covers more of the coast. Quiver covers California breaks with a per-beach best window, tides, and water temperature, free on the web and iPhone, and shows public cams where they exist.
East Coast surf often comes from short-lived wind swell and passing storms, so hourly wind matters more than a long outlook. Quiver covers Florida, the Carolinas, New Jersey, New York, and Gulf breaks in Texas.
Hawaii swells are big, direction-specific, and break over reef, so swell direction and local knowledge count for more than height. Quiver covers Hawaii breaks with the same per-beach forecast, and its Honolulu beginner page points learners to gentler water.
If you want your own history to shape what you check next, pick an app built around a session log, not a forecast alone. Quiver's session log is free with an account and saves the conditions with each session.
You mostly surf outside the US, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Baja. You want the biggest live-cam network. Or you need an Android app today: Quiver for Android is in closed testing, though quiversurf.app works in any browser.
Surf app FAQ
The one that answers your question fastest. Cam-first apps are best for watching the lineup, map apps for reading raw wind and swell, and global spot directories for surfing far from home. Quiver, our app, is built for a free per-beach forecast and the best window to go on US coasts.
One that tells you whether today is small and gentle enough to learn, not just a wave height. Quiver's beginner pages give a plain YES, MAYBE, or NO for learners at several US beaches. Whichever app you use, watch the water from shore before you paddle out.
If you check live cams most days or surf far from home, a paid cam-first plan can be worth it. If you mainly need a forecast and tides for a few home breaks, a free tier usually covers it.
The forecast for your actual break, not just a region: wave height with swell period and direction, hourly wind, tide, and water temperature. A good app also tells you when the best window is, so you are not reading six charts before dawn.
Not publicly yet. Quiver's Android app is in closed testing. On Android you can use quiversurf.app in any browser for the same free forecasts, tides, and water temperature.
Cam-first apps run their own cam networks, usually behind a subscription. Quiver shows public surf cams where they exist, alongside the forecast.
For iPhone surfers who want forecasts, conditions, tides, session logging, and a small alert setup without paying, Quiver is our pick. If live cams matter most, a cam-first app is the better fit, and if you like reading raw wind and swell maps yourself, a map app is.
Yes. Quiver's free tier includes forecasts, conditions, and tides for 280+ breaks; session logging with a free account; and one watched beach with up to three alert rules. The personal match score, ranked session windows, and personal alerts require Quiver Pro.
Next reads
Source links and comparison facts were checked on 2026-10-11.
Quiver iPhone listing: free download; Pro in-app purchases $4.99 monthly, $39.99 annual, and $119.99 lifetime. Pro features include similarity alerts, board recommendations, and offline mode.
Free buoy observations and historical observations.
Coastal wave buoys used for swell observations where one is close enough to a break.
