Tide Alert (NOAA) is an iPhone tide app that charts NOAA tide predictions for thousands of US stations, with tidal currents, wind, swell, water temperature and moon phases on the same screen. It has 4.8 stars from 44,726 App Store ratings, and it isn’t really free: after a trial with every feature, you need a subscription to keep using it.
Quick verdict
Tide Alert is made for people who fish, surf, paddle, boat or walk a beach that disappears at high tide. Many reviewers call it easy to read. Several say it is accurate, several praise the graphics, and the widgets and moon phases have their fans too. The main complaint is money. Many reviewers complain about the subscription, including several who used the app for months or years before it asked them to pay, and several who say the same tide data is free elsewhere. It covers US stations only, and the listing warns not to use it for navigation.
Tide Alert at a glance
| Developer | Rivolu LLC |
|---|---|
| Store listing | Tide Alert on the App Store |
| Price | Free trial with all features, then a subscription (prices not in our data) |
| Ads | Not stated in the listing; two reviewers mention no ads |
| App Store rating | 4.8 stars from 44,726 ratings |
| Downloads | Not in our data |
| Version / last updated | 3.5.3 / October 23, 2026 |
| Requires | iOS 16.0 or later |
| First released | April 10, 2018 |
| Data checked | October 26, 2026 |
What is Tide Alert?
Tide Alert is a tide chart app for the US coast. The listing says it is “Powered by NOAA tide forecasts” and gives high and low tide times, current speeds, slack tide windows, swell, water temperature and wind for “thousands of stations along the US coastline.” You can set alerts for high tide, low tide or any tide level, and the listing says tide data works fully offline for your favorite stations. The listing also says Tide Alert “is not associated with NOAA.”
Key features
- Tide predictions: NOAA predictions for thousands of US stations, shown on a tide chart.
- Tidal currents and slack tides: current speed drawn on the tide chart, with estimated start and end times for slack water, from NOAA current prediction stations.
- Custom tide alerts: get notified for high tide, low tide or any level you choose.
- Wind, swell and water temperature: hourly wind speed, gusts and direction; a swell chart with height, period and direction; water temperature from NOAA and Open-Meteo.
- Compare stations: several tide charts side by side, added straight from the map.
- Monthly view: daily tide range bars and the month’s lowest, highest and average range.
- Sun and moon: sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset on the chart, plus a moon phase calendar.
- Apple Watch: tide chart, ocean conditions and complications.
- Widgets and Siri: Home Screen, Lock Screen and StandBy widgets, iOS Shortcuts and Siri voice commands.
- Offline and time zones: offline tide data for favorite stations, all US time zones and daylight saving time.
Tide Alert vs. what a weather app should have
“Listed” means the App Store listing names the feature, “Partial” means it covers part of it, and “Reviews only” means reviewers describe it but the listing doesn’t. “Not listed” means neither the listing nor the reviews in our sample show it. Tide Alert is a tide app, so rows such as rain, air quality and pollen are left out.
Must have
| Feature | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Current conditions | Partial | Wind, swell and water temperature; no air temperature or feels-like listed |
| Hourly forecast | Partial | Hourly wind forecasts and the tide chart |
| Wind, humidity, UV | Partial | Wind only; one paid reviewer says wind shows only some of the time |
| Severe weather alerts | Not listed | |
| Map | Partial | An interactive map for finding stations; radar not listed |
| Home Screen widgets | Listed | Several reviewers praise them; one says the Home Screen widget’s direction arrow doesn’t update |
| Current location and search | Partial | Station map; two reviewers say the app opened to the wrong place or that picking a station was confusing |
Should have
| Feature | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Notification or Lock Screen info | Listed | Lock Screen and StandBy widgets, and tide alerts |
| Multiple saved locations | Listed | Favorite stations and side-by-side comparison |
| Choice of data source | Partial | NOAA for tides and currents; NOAA and Open-Meteo for water temperature |
| Layout customization | Listed | Customizable chart symbols and reference levels |
| Light and dark themes | Not listed | One reviewer wants a white widget background |
| Sunrise, sunset, moon phase | Listed | Several reviewers like the moon phases |
| Multiple languages | Not listed | One Spanish-speaking reviewer notes it isn’t in Spanish |
Nice to have
| Feature | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Custom alerts | Listed | Tide alerts for any level |
| Side-by-side comparison | Partial | Compares stations, not data providers |
| Photography times | Partial | Sunrise and sunset on the chart; the listing mentions beach photographers chasing golden hour |
| Animated wind map | Not listed | One reviewer asks for a shoreline map with wind |
| Smartwatch app | Listed | Two reviewers say the complications work well; a few report Watch problems |
Weather coverage is thin: the listing names no rain, air temperature or radar. Tides, currents, alerts, widgets and moon data are all listed.
Common problems reviewers report
The data we collected doesn’t include developer replies, so this table shows each problem and when it was reported, not an official fix. Older reports may describe earlier versions, and version 3.5.3 may behave differently.
| Problem | What reviewers report | When |
|---|---|---|
| Paywall after the trial | Many reviewers; several had used the app for months or years before it asked them to pay | October 2021 to June 2026 |
| Crashes, blank screen or no tides shown | Several reviewers; reinstalling didn’t help one of them | August 2021 to July 2025 |
| Can’t reach support | A few reviewers couldn’t find a way to contact the developer, or the support site wouldn’t load | March 2022 to July 2025 |
| Apple Watch | A few reviewers; in 2026 one says the Watch app got stuck on location access, and one says the Minimal complication disappeared | October 2021 to September 2026 |
| Subscription doesn’t cover a partner’s phone | A few reviewers ask for Family Sharing or say a second phone needs its own subscription | November 2022 to August 2024 |
The listing says tide data “does not account for the effects of wind, storms, rain, freshwater runoff, or floods” and warns: “Do NOT use Tide Alert for NAVIGATION.” One reviewer found the charts inaccurate during a hurricane. Don’t rely on a single app for severe weather warnings; check official alerts too.
Pros (from user reviews)
- Easy to read: many reviewers call it easy to use or easy to read at a glance. A fishing guide says the visual of the tide’s rise and fall is better than any app they’ve used.
- Accurate: several reviewers say the predictions are accurate, including one diver and one who checks it daily and notes it adjusts for daylight saving time. Two disagree: one found it off during a hurricane, and one says it showed high tide at low water.
- Clear graphics: several reviewers praise the chart design. One who used five tide apps kept this one because it “has the most information, displayed the cleanest.”
- Moon and sun data: several reviewers like seeing moon phases, sunrise and sunset next to the tides.
- Widgets: several reviewers use the Home Screen or Lock Screen widget, and one chose Tide Alert for its widget.
- Tide-level alerts: a few reviewers like the tide alerts, and two like setting their own tide level. One uses a reference line at 3.6 feet to know when they can reach oyster bags on their beach.
- Offline and support: two reviewers use it out of cell range. A few praise customer support, all in 2023, and two of them say it fixed a problem with the app.
Cons (from user reviews)
- The subscription: many reviewers complain about paying. Several used the app for months or years before the paywall appeared, several would rather pay once or see ads, and several argue that the same tide data is free elsewhere. A few say the trial or the cost wasn’t clear up front; one says the trial lasted about three hours.
- US only: several reviewers looked for places the app doesn’t cover, including Europe, Australia, Africa, the Great Lakes and British Columbia.
- Crashes and blank screens: several reviewers say the app crashed, opened to a blank or black screen, or stopped showing tides.
- Hard to reach support: a few reviewers couldn’t find a way to contact the developer.
- Apple Watch: a few reviewers report Watch trouble, such as not syncing, a limited set of stations or a missing complication.
- No Family Sharing: a few reviewers say a spouse needs a separate subscription. One calls the yearly cost “the most expensive of any app I use.”
- Smaller complaints: two reviewers each mention misspelled station names, missing future dates, older devices dropped by the iOS requirement and a limited Mac app. One asks for landscape mode.
Most reviews in our sample are 5 stars, and about a fifth are 1 or 2 stars. The data we collected doesn’t include a star breakdown of all 44,726 ratings, so we can’t say how common these complaints are across all of them.
Pricing
Tide Alert is “free to try with all features available during the trial period,” the listing says, and “After the trial, a subscription is required to continue.” Our data doesn’t include the subscription price. Reviewers quote “$20 a year” (May 2026) and “$3.99 for three months” (2022). Check the App Store listing for current prices before the trial ends.
Privacy and permissions
We couldn’t read the App Store privacy label for Tide Alert, so we make no claim about what data it collects. The listing links to Apple’s standard terms of use and a disclaimer page on tidealert.app. One reviewer says the Apple Watch app got stuck while asking for location access.
Who it’s for
Tide Alert suits you if you plan your day around US tides, whether for fishing, boating, surfing, diving or beach walks, and you’re willing to pay a subscription for clear charts, alerts and widgets. It’s a poor fit if you need tides outside the US, want a one-time price, or need to share one subscription with family. Use the trial to check your local station before you subscribe.
FAQ
Is Tide Alert free?
No. The listing says you can try every feature during a trial, and after that a subscription is required. Our data doesn’t include the price; reviewers quote “$20 a year” in May 2026.
Does Tide Alert work outside the US?
The listing covers “thousands of stations along the US coastline.” A few reviewers say places outside the US, such as Europe, Australia and British Columbia, aren’t covered, and one found nothing for the Great Lakes.
Does Tide Alert work offline?
The listing says it has “full offline support” for tide data and charts for favorite stations. Two reviewers say they use it without cell service.
Is Tide Alert an official NOAA app?
No. The listing says the app is “Powered by NOAA tide forecasts” but “is not associated with NOAA.” It also warns not to use it for navigation.
How this review was put together
We haven’t tested Tide Alert. This review is based on public information from official sources: the app’s Google Play or App Store listing and rating breakdown, the developer’s website when there is one, and recent user reviews on the store with the developer’s replies. Features and claims are the developer’s own descriptions; what users like and dislike comes from the store reviews. Everything was checked on October 26, 2026. Apps change with every update, so check the store listing before you install.
