Best surf apps in 2026, by the job you need done

Most "best surf apps" lists still recommend Magicseaweed, which shut down in May 2023. This one was checked against each app's own App Store or Google Play listing in October 2026. No app does every job, so the list is sorted by job.

Every app, by job

Prices are from the US App Store in October 2026 unless noted. Stores in other countries charge in local currency.

Cams: see the surf before you drive

• Surfline

  Best for live cams

  The biggest network of surf cams, with a spot forecast, ratings and session logs. Premium adds cam rewind and the 16-day forecast. iPhone, Android, Apple Watch and web, worldwide. The other tools on this list replace its forecast. Nothing replaces its cams.

• Swellnet

  Best in Australia

  Australian cams with replay, notes from human forecasters and a 16-day forecast. It now covers spots worldwide, but Australia is where it is strongest. Day and week passes cost a few Australian dollars if you only need it for a trip.

Spot forecasts: the daily surf check

• Surf-Forecast.com

  Best free spot forecast

  More than 7,000 breaks worldwide, each with swell, wind and tide for the week, plus a swell map and links to cams. Premium removes the ads and adds 16 days, hourly detail and alerts. iPhone, Android and web.

• Surf Captain

  Best for the US East and Gulf coasts

  A wave model tuned to each location with buoy data, from New England to Texas, plus the West Coast, Canada, Central America and the Caribbean. The 5-day forecast costs nothing. iPhone, Android and web.

Model maps: read the ocean yourself

• Windy

  Best map of swell and wind

  Swell, wind, period and tide layers from many weather models on one map. It forecasts the ocean, not your break, so you translate it to your spot. iPhone, Android, Apple Watch and web. Not the same as Windy.app, which is another company.

• Windguru

  Best raw numbers table

  Dense model tables built for kiters and windsurfers, and just as useful for swell. Fast to scan once you can read them. It runs on the web; the iPhone apps named Windguru are from other developers.

Session tracking: count your waves

• Dawn Patrol

  Best surf tracker

  Wear your Apple Watch or Garmin in the water and it logs each wave, your speed and a map of the session. Tracking costs nothing. Soul Surfer adds the forecast on the watch and paddle stats.

• Rip Curl Search GPS

  Best for a little competition

  Session tracking on Apple Watch or a Rip Curl GPS watch, with leaderboards for each break and conditions from Surfline. Tracking needs the subscription; there is a trial.

Trip planning: where to fly for waves

• BarrelFare

  Best for surf trips

  Ours, so judge accordingly. BarrelFare scores the 16-day forecast at 114 surf breaks and checks round-trip fares from your home airport, then ranks the trips by waves and price. It sends an alert when a good fare lands on good swell. For trips further out, each break has a month-by-month season chart from years of past swell. iPhone and web.

• BreakFinder

  Best spot count

  More than 9,200 spots with a 0 to 100 score, a session tracker for Apple Watch, Wear OS, Garmin and Amazfit, and many calculators. Its trip page ranks spots by a 14-day forecast and one-way fares from your airport. Pick it if you surf with Android or Garmin, or you want the widest spot list.

New to forecasts? How to read a surf report and forecast explains each number in eight short lessons.

Questions

What is the best surf app in 2026?

For cams, Surfline. For a worldwide spot forecast that costs nothing, Surf-Forecast.com. For tracking sessions, Dawn Patrol. For planning a surf trip with flights, BarrelFare. No single app is best at all four.

What is the best free surf app?

Surf-Forecast.com has the widest forecast with no subscription, and Windy has the best free model map. Surf Captain's 5-day forecast and Dawn Patrol's session tracking also cost nothing.

Which surf app is best for planning a trip?

BarrelFare ranks surf trips from your home airport by the forecast and the round-trip fare, and has season charts for each break. BreakFinder covers more spots and shows one-way fares against a 14-day forecast.

Is Magicseaweed still available?

No. Surfline shut Magicseaweed down in May 2023, and its pages and app now send you to Surfline.

Sources: each app's App Store or Google Play listing and its own website, checked 27 October 2026. Swellnet prices are from the Australian App Store; the rest are US. Magicseaweed: Surfline bought it in 2017 (Swellnet) and redirected it to Surfline in May 2023 (Stab). Features and prices change; corrections to [email protected]. We are BarrelFare, so one entry is ours: the rest of the list stands on its own either way. More articles