Surfline
Surfers who want live cams. A cam and a swell rating — not a per-ability call, and surf-only.
BEST SURF FORECAST APP
The best surfingforecast app?
Surfline, Surf-Forecast, Windy are all good at what they do. Here's a fair look at where each wins for surfing — and where a per-ability, physics-grounded score fits.
For surfing, Surfline leads on live cams and Surf-Forecast on raw spot tables — but both hand you swell, wind and tide numbers to read yourself. 4Shor models how each swell actually breaks on that specific seabed and turns it into a 0–100 surf score for your ability, so a clean beginner day and a powerless expert day read differently. The decision, not just the data.
Best surfing forecast apps compared
 | Surfline | Surf-Forecast | Windy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Surfers who want a per-ability decision | Surfers who want live cams | Surfers wanting spot tables | Reading the weather models |
| Per-ability surfing score | Yes — 0–100, beginner → expert | No | No | No |
| Multi-sport scoring | Yes — 10 sports on one scale | No | No | No |
| Forecast approach | Own high-res Europe seabed map + ECMWF / national NWP | LOLA swell model + live cams | Global swell model, 7,000+ breaks | Multi-model (ECMWF/GFS/ICON) maps |
| Nearshore wave physics | Yes — modelled per spot | No — open-ocean data | No — open-ocean data | No — open-ocean data |
| Tide-aware scoring | Yes — factored into the score | Yes | Yes | Yes (currents) |
| Live wind stations | No — modelled, not sensor | No | No | Some observations |
| Live cams | No | Yes — hundreds of spots | Some | Community webcams |
| Condition alerts | Yes — per sport & ability | Yes (Premium) | No | Yes (alerts) |
| Forecast horizon | 8-day (in the app) | Up to 16-day (Premium) | Up to ~10-day tables | Up to ~10-day (multi-model) |
| Coverage | Europe — 2,500+ spots | Global | Global | Global |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, web | iOS, Android, web | Web, app | iOS, Android, web |
| Free tier | Today free on web; 3-day forecast free in the app | Limited free; paid Premium | Free, ad-supported | Generous free; paid Premium |
Competitor features change — check each app for its current offering. Comparison reflects our reading as of 2026.
Reading the table
Every tool here is genuinely useful — they're built for different jobs. Surfline is surfers who want live cams; Surf-Forecast is surfers wanting spot tables; Windy is reading the weather models.
What only 4Shor does for surfing: model how conditions actually behave at each spot on its own high-resolution European seabed map, then score that per sport and per ability. The 0–100 score is the output of real nearshore physics, which is why it can be read as a decision rather than a rating. See the full method, the surfing forecast across Europe, or the full app comparison.
THE FIELD
When each tool wins — and where it stops
Every app here earns its place for surfing. Here's the honest read on what each is best at, and the gap a per-ability, physics-grounded score fills.
When it wins When it wins Surf-Forecast
Surfers wanting spot tables. A star rating on open-ocean swell — you still read the table yourself.
When it wins Windy
Reading the weather models. Raw model data for every sport — no judgement, no per-ability score.
WHAT MATTERS
What to look for in a surfing forecast
The tools above hand you accurate numbers. The harder question is what separates a forecast you can act on from a table you have to interpret. For surfing, these are the things that actually decide the session:
- A decision, not just data. Wind speed, swell height and tide are inputs. What you want out is whether today is worth the drive — a single read, not four numbers to weigh in your head.
- Your ability, factored in. The same conditions are a green light for one rider and a write-off for another. A surfingforecast that ignores level is only half the answer.
- The spot's own seabed. How swell and wind behave in the last few hundred metres to shore — refraction, shoaling, shelter — changes everything. Open-ocean data misses it; nearshore modelling doesn't.
- Tide at this spot. Many places only work on a certain state or a push. A forecast that folds tide into the call beats one that leaves you cross-referencing a separate table.
- Enough warning. A good window is worth planning around, so horizon and alerts matter — you want to hear about the day before it arrives, not discover it that morning.
That's the frame 4Shor is built on: it turns the same modelled conditions into one 0–100 surfing score per ability, from the seabed up. See the full method or the surfing conditions guide for the ideal-conditions breakdown.
FAQ
Surfing forecast app — common questions
What's the best surfing forecast app?
For surfing, Surfline leads on live cams and Surf-Forecast on raw spot tables — but both hand you swell, wind and tide numbers to read yourself. 4Shor models how each swell actually breaks on that specific seabed and turns it into a 0–100 surf score for your ability, so a clean beginner day and a powerless expert day read differently. The decision, not just the data.
Is 4Shor a good alternative to Surfline for surfing?
Surfline is strong for surfers who want live cams. 4Shor's edge for surfing is the per-ability 0–100 score built from nearshore wave physics: Ideal surf pairs clean, long-period groundswell with light offshore wind and the right tide for the bank — enough energy to stand the wave up without closing it out. Many riders use both — one to read the raw conditions, 4Shor to decide where to go.
Does 4Shor score surfing by ability?
Yes. Every spot is scored 0–100 for Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Expert, so the same conditions read differently for a learner and an expert — updated hourly across 2,500+ European surfing spots.
What data does 4Shor use for the surfing forecast?
4Shor blends ECMWF and national weather models with its own high-resolution seabed map of the European coastline, then models how conditions actually behave in the last stretch to shore at each spot. That nearshore physics — not open-ocean data — is what the surfing score is built from.
How many surfing spots does 4Shor cover?
More than 2,500 coastal locations across Europe, each scored for surfing where the conditions suit it. Coverage is Europe-first, with 4Shor's own nearshore bathymetry for the European coastline rather than a thinned-out global grid.
Is there a free surfing forecast?
Yes. Today's surfing score is free on every 4Shor location page on the web, and the app gives you a free 3-day forecast. The full 8-day forecast and per-ability condition alerts are part of Premium and Pro.
Can I get surfing alerts before a good day?
Yes. 4Shor can push an alert when a spot crosses your surfing conditions threshold — tuned to your ability level — up to a week before the window opens, so you hear about the good days rather than checking a table every morning.
SEE IT ON A REAL SPOT
Ready for the surfing decision?
Today's surfing scores are free on every location page — per ability, from the seabed up.