Best wind apps for water sports (2026): Windy, Windfinder, PredictWind and more compared
Windy, Windy.app, Windfinder, PredictWind, iKitesurf and WindAlert, and Windguru compared for sailing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, wing foiling and paddling: forecast models, live stations, wind alerts, Apple Watch and price model, as of November 2026.
By Paula Acebo
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For a free map that compares forecast models, pick Windy. For a quick check of one spot with live stations, pick Windfinder. For sailing passages and weather routing, pick PredictWind. For live station readings and free wind alerts, pick iKitesurf, iWindsurf or WindAlert. A tracking app such as Waterspeed does not replace them: it records the wind you actually went out in, next to your speed.
Compared as of 13 November 2026, from each app’s US App Store page, the companies’ own pages and Google Play search results. Prices are US App Store in-app prices in US dollars; many listings do not state the billing period. “Not verified” means we did not find the fact in those sources. The full research, with a source for each fact, is in our research notes.
Which wind apps are there?
| App | Made for | Forecast models | Live stations | Wind alerts | Apple Watch | Price model (US) | App Store rating (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windy.com | Everyone who reads weather maps | ECMWF, GFS, ICON, meteoblue, an AI forecast, plus local models such as AROME-HD, ICON-D2 and HRRR | Yes, stations and METAR, plus user stations | Custom alerts for wind, sun and snow | Yes | Free; Premium | 4.8 (81,000) |
| Windy.app | Wind and water sports, fishing | ECMWF, GFS, ICON, AROME, HRRR, NAM and its own WRF8 model | Yes, 30,000+ by the company’s count | Wind, wave and spot alerts | Yes | Free; WINDY PRO | 4.7 (73,317) |
| Windfinder | Kite, windsurf, wing, sailing, SUP and kayak spots | Superforecast, its own high-resolution model, in Plus | Yes, 21,000 | In Plus | Not listed | Free with ads; Plus $12.99 a year or $1.99 a month | 4.8 (63,000) |
| PredictWind | Sailing, cruising and racing | ECMWF, AIFS, ICON, UKMO, GFS and its own PWG, PWE and PWAi models | Yes, with forecast checks against them | Weather alerts | Not mentioned | Free; Basic $29, Standard $249, Professional $499 a year | 4.8 (33,000) |
| iKitesurf, iWindsurf and WindAlert | Kite, windsurf and sailing | HRRR, NAM, GFS, CMC, ICON and its own Nearcast AI | Yes, 90,000+ of its own Tempest stations plus NOAA and METAR | Free and unlimited, with your own limits | Yes | Free; Plus, Pro and Gold | 4.7 to 4.8 |
| Windguru | Kite and windsurf forecasts on the web | GFS, ICON and its own WRF | Not verified | Not verified | No official iOS app found | Free; PRO | No official iOS app |
What does each app do well?
Windy.com
Windy is a free animated map with many forecast models side by side. You can switch between ECMWF, GFS and ICON, and between local models such as AROME-HD over France and HRRR over the US, to see where they agree. Premium adds hourly steps, a 15-day outlook, more updates a day and model comparison. It shows live station and METAR readings, and you can add your own station. It is a general weather app, so it has no sport profiles.
Windy.app
Windy.app comes from a different company than Windy.com. It is built for wind sports and fishing, with profiles for about 16 activities, 30,000+ spots, spot chats and an offline mode. It lists more than ten forecast models, including its own regional WRF8. We could not verify which models and alerts are free and which need WINDY PRO.
Windfinder
Windfinder is the quick check: open a spot and read the wind, gusts and direction for the coming days, with live readings from 21,000 stations. It lists kite, windsurf, wing foil, sailing, SUP, kayak and paragliding, and 20,000+ tide locations. Its own Superforecast and the wind alerts need Windfinder Plus; the free version has ads. Apple Watch is not listed.
PredictWind
PredictWind is made for sailors who plan passages. It offers weather routing, departure planning and an ECMWF ensemble out to 30 days, plus its own high-resolution models. It checks its forecasts against live observations, so you can see which model has been right at your spot. It costs the most of the apps here. PredictWind is the official weather supplier to the 37th America’s Cup, by its own App Store listing.
iKitesurf, iWindsurf and WindAlert
These three apps from WeatherFlow-Tempest share one network of live stations: 90,000+ of their own, plus NOAA, NWS and METAR data. Their wind alerts are free and unlimited, with your own thresholds, by email, text or in the app. iKitesurf adds daily forecasts written by meteorologists for kite spots, and charts of windy days by month. The paid Plus, Pro and Gold tiers add more stations and forecasts.
Windguru
Windguru is the classic forecast table for kite and windsurf spots, on the web at windguru.cz. It runs GFS, ICON and its own WRF model. We found no current official iOS app: “Windguru Spots” on iOS is an independent app. Its PRO price did not load for us.
How much wind do riders go out in?
Kitesurfers and windsurfers go out in about 12 knots of forecast wind on average, wing foilers in about 11 and sailors in about 7. Paddlers choose calmer days: about 6 knots for SUP and kayak. The figures come from the Waterspeed leaderboard sessions of January to November 2026.
| Sport | Sessions | Average forecast wind | Beaufort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitesurf | 16,691 | 12.6 kn | 4, moderate breeze |
| Windsurf | 86,682 | 12.2 kn | 4, moderate breeze |
| Wing foil | 104,035 | 10.9 kn | 4, moderate breeze |
| Windfoil | 19,846 | 9.9 kn | 3, gentle breeze |
| Sailing | 63,129 | 7.3 kn | 3, gentle breeze |
| SUP | 28,379 | 6.3 kn | 2, light breeze |
| Rowing | 3,651 | 6.0 kn | 2, light breeze |
| Kayak | 8,598 | 5.6 kn | 2, light breeze |
The wind is the forecast wind at the time and place of each session, so it is an average over good days and bad ones. Convert it to mph, km/h or m/s with the knots converter, and see which force each sport goes out in on the Beaufort scale page.
Which wind app should you pick?
- Kitesurf, windsurf and wing foil: Windy to compare models the night before, plus Windfinder or a station app such as iKitesurf for the live wind at the launch. Set an alert so you do not miss the good days.
- Sailing and cruising: PredictWind if you plan passages and want routing; Windy if you only need the forecast.
- Racing: Windy or PredictWind to compare models for the race area, then a tracking app to see how the wind shifts showed up in your tacks.
- SUP and kayak: Windfinder or Windy for wind and gusts, and a tide app for the coast. On rivers, check water levels too.
- Downwind foiling: wind direction against the coast and the swell matter as much as the speed. Compare two models in Windy and check a live station before you commit to a run. Our downwind foil page covers live tracking for long runs.
Can a tracking app replace a wind app?
No. A tracking app answers a different question. A wind app tells you what the wind will do; a tracking app tells you what you did in it.
Waterspeed shows wind, weather and tide forecasts, sends wind alerts for your spots and puts the wind on an Apple Watch complication, in the Pro plan. Each session keeps the forecast wind next to your speed, so you can compare two days in the same wind or see how much wind your best runs needed. For model comparison and weather routing, keep Windy or PredictWind.
Why do two wind apps show different numbers?
They run different forecast models, at different resolutions, updated at different times. A global model such as GFS or ECMWF sees the large weather pattern; a local model such as AROME or HRRR resolves smaller effects like sea breezes and land shading. Live stations show what the wind does now at one point, which can differ from the forecast at your launch. Our guide to local wind and spot conditions shows how to combine them.
