Waterspeed vs Surfr (2026): which tracking app for kite, wing and windsurf?
Surfr measures jumps and adds spots, webcams and competitions. Waterspeed goes deeper on jibes, foiling and speed, supports more watches and covers 30+ watersports.
By the Waterspeed team
Choose Surfr if jumps are your thing: it measures height and airtime, even from the phone alone, and has a spot map with live wind and webcams plus competitions. Choose Waterspeed if you want detailed jibe, foiling and speed analysis, use a Coros or Suunto watch, or do more than kite, wing and windsurf.
Compared as of October 2026, from Surfr’s App Store page (US) and thesurfr.app, and Waterspeed’s help centre. We make Waterspeed; corrections welcome at support@waterspeedapp.com.
How do Waterspeed and Surfr compare?
| Waterspeed | Surfr | |
|---|---|---|
| Sports | 30+ watersports: sailing, wing, windsurf, kite, SUP, kayak, rowing and more | Kite, wing, windsurf |
| Jump height and airtime | No | Yes |
| Jibes and tacks | Each one with entry and exit speed, made or missed; quality rating with Ultra | Not listed |
| Foiling time | Yes | Not listed |
| Best speeds | 2 s to 1 hour; alpha 250 m to 1 km | Speed and distance |
| VMG, polar, legs | Yes (Ultra) | Not listed |
| Track with the phone | Yes (iPhone, Android) | Yes (iPhone, Android) |
| Apple Watch | Yes | Yes, with Pro |
| Wear OS | Yes | Yes, with Pro |
| Garmin | Sync from Garmin Connect, plus a Connect IQ app | Yes, with Plus |
| Coros, Suunto, Vakaros | Yes (sync or import) | Not listed |
| Safety | Live tracking from iPhone, Android or Apple Watch | Safety beacon: your contacts follow the session live; an alarm from your wrist reaches all of them |
| Spots | Explore+: spots and where others ride, from community sessions | Spot map with live wind, forecasts and webcams |
| Community | Challenges, groups, feed | Competitions, leaderboards, feed |
| Price model | Free; Pro and Ultra subscriptions | Free; Plus and Pro subscriptions (14 days free) |
| App Store rating (US, 22 Oct 2026) | 4.6 (1,112 ratings) | 4.8 (224 ratings) |
“Not listed” means the feature is not in Surfr’s App Store description or on its website.
When is Surfr the better pick?
- You want to know how high you jumped.
- You want spot webcams and live wind on the same map as your sessions.
- You ride with friends who are on Surfr and compete on its leaderboards.
When is Waterspeed the better pick?
- You want to see why a jibe failed: entry and exit speed per jibe and your success rate. See how to improve your jibes with GPS data.
- You want foiling time, best speeds and alpha runs. See foiling efficiency and best speeds.
- You record on a Coros or Suunto watch, or import from a Vakaros.
- You also sail, SUP or kayak and want one log.
