Best Surf Forecast Apps in 2026
One good thing and one bad thing about each... According to a surf forecast developer
I'm going to attempt saying one good thing and one bad thing about every major surf app in 2026!
It's time to embrace the lovers and the haters – and share some words about my fellow Surf Forecast developers out there. At the end of the day though – we're all pretty lucky to spend our time working on something as fun as surf apps.
I'm going to keep it honest & positive – but please note these are my opinions and are based on what things looked like in October 2026.
At a glance
| App | Live cams | Spot database | Custom spots | Raw model data | Session journal | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surfline | 1000+ | Worldwide | No | With ratings | Yes | iOS, Android, web |
| Windy | Webcams | 4,500+ surf spots | Tap any point | Several models | No | iOS, Android, web |
| Windguru | No | Worldwide | With an account | Several models | No | Web, iOS, Android |
| Surf-Forecast.com | Links only | 7,000+ | No | With ratings | No | iOS, Android, web |
| Swell Scope | No | No | Drop a pin | Yes | Yes | iOS, Android |
Surfline
- Live cams
- 1000+
- Spot database
- Worldwide
- Custom spots
- No
- Raw model data
- With ratings
- Session journal
- Yes
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, web
One Good Thing: Cams
No one can dispute the breadth and quality of Surfline's cams. Although many councils, surf clubs, and cafes are hosting their own cams these days – they're usually not as well aimed and zoomed.
The best way to use the cams though is to look through the past 15 mins – that way you can quickly scrub to watch the set waves only. On some plans & cams – the app will even do that for you.
One Bad Thing: Ratings
My biggest frustration with Surfline has always been the emphasis on their own ratings – both the surf heights and "good/bad" descriptions. Although they apply some high-tech modeling to make those predictions – they are inherently more variable than the base swell & wind forecasts that they're generated on.
The combination of smart-cams, forecaster reports, and ratings really push you to rely on Surfline's judgement instead of making your own call. That vibe is probably the biggest difference to Swell Scope!
Windy (.com… the red one)
- Live cams
- Webcams
- Spot database
- 4,500+ surf spots
- Custom spots
- Tap any point
- Raw model data
- Several models
- Session journal
- No
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, web
One Good Thing: Map
I love the Windy map. You can view pretty much any weather metric from any weather agency – visualised with excellent render performance.
I personally use it for tracking rain locally, or following the progress of large systems that are still far off. The main reason I haven't added many map features to Swell Scope, is that there is already a great alternative in Windy!
One Bad Thing: Spot UI
Windy does have a surf-spot UI, but it is fairly buried in the app. Additionally – the small bottom sheet only shows numbers & colours without charts.
I think this is a natural trade-off for an app that supports many use-cases. Similarly, surf-specific things like session logging and tracking boards aren't supported.
Windguru
- Live cams
- No
- Spot database
- Worldwide
- Custom spots
- With an account
- Raw model data
- Several models
- Session journal
- No
- Platforms
- Web, iOS, Android
One Good Thing: Multi-Model View
In my opinion – Windguru has the best multi-model view. I appreciate that they choose to show the exact model names and parameters from each source – it's an excellent commitment to showing things "as-is".
I think the "raw" forecast data from GFS, IFS, ICON, etc. is really underrated. So I love that Windguru shows them all – along with nuance like resolution, grid selection, and runtimes that are ignored in most surf apps.
One Bad Thing: Arrow Grids
The main view is a grid of arrows. There is also a chart plot. Both can be a bit overwhelming to look at due to the amount of data being shown.
The views are good if you want to really drill into the forecast. However, scanning your spots and getting the mental picture of the conditions for the week can take a while as a result.
Surf-Forecast.com
- Live cams
- Links only
- Spot database
- 7,000+
- Custom spots
- No
- Raw model data
- With ratings
- Session journal
- No
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, web
One Good Thing: Map Snapshots
I've always liked how surf-forecast.com slots in a zoomed out picture of the swell map in their grid-view of the weekly forecast. This instantly gives you the big picture for things like "there's a big storm on its way", or "nothing is happening anywhere anytime soon".
One Bad Thing: Wave Graph
I appreciate the originality in visualisation choices. However, I find the wave graph hard to read because it uses wave icons/pictures instead of lines or points.
There is an alternate energy table that uses arrows instead. Similar to Windguru though – I find arrows hard to interpret unless they're overlaid on a map.
Swell Scope
- Live cams
- No
- Spot database
- No
- Custom spots
- Drop a pin
- Raw model data
- Yes
- Session journal
- Yes
- Platforms
- iOS, Android
One Good Thing: No Spots
Do I have to pick just one?! I think I'll answer this with what I'm most proud of instead –
A surf app with NO surf spots
I'm really amazed at how many people were into using an app that comes with zero surf spots preloaded. I think it's awesome that in 2026, there are still lots of people into taking their own journey and setting up everything for themselves.
One Bad Thing: Static Map
No global/moveable map with forecast heatmaps. Although there is an awesome map view for each spot you add – there is no moveable globe view like there is in Windy/others.
The main reason I haven't done it yet… is that it's one of the things I think there actually are good alternatives for already! I do have some whacky map ideas I'd like to try out that are different than the existing views out there. It would be a fun project to add those one day soon hopefully!
