AI surf coaching tools compared

A platform for coaches, not a report for riders. Upload session footage and it detects surfers, tracks them through the lineup, classifies maneuvers (cutback, snap, floater, air reverse, barrel and more) and paints pose-skeleton and tracking overlays onto the video. Around that sits a full coaching back office: athlete rosters, booking, a drill library, Apple Watch per-wave data, daily readiness check-ins, session reports and, on the higher tier, opponent scouting and heat planning for competitive athletes.

Pricing as published: Independent Instructor $19/month (+$9/month per assistant seat, up to 25 athletes); Professional Coach $79/month (+$25/month per specialist seat, up to 20 athletes). 14-day free trial.

Where it's the better choice: you coach a roster of surfers — especially competitive ones — and want tracking, overlays and scheduling in one place.

Where it isn't: you're a rider who wants one clear answer about one wave, or you ride behind a boat. It's surf-only and it's built to be operated by a coach.

A consumer app: film a wave, upload it, get an automated breakdown in 10–20 seconds with scores for pop-up speed, bottom turn, rail control and flow, plus tips pitched at your level and a session journal that tracks scores over time. Its site describes analysis "against pro-level benchmarks." A web demo offers five free analyses a day (MP4/MOV/WebM, 100 MB max).

Pricing as published: free during early access, no card. The site states the app is "coming to the App Store — late May 2026"; as of the date above the page still reads that way.

Where it's the better choice: you want instant, free, gamified feedback on lots of waves and you're happy to interpret it yourself.

Where it isn't: you want a human to have checked the output, or you wakesurf or wakeboard.

Also consumer, also instant and free. Upload footage in the browser and get feedback in under a minute on stance, wave-catching, riding and maneuvers, with curated tutorials matched to the feedback, side-by-side "ghost" comparisons against more advanced surfers, and levels and badges to keep you going. Later analyses build on earlier ones. The same company sells an auto-tracking beach camera, which is the footage problem solved from the other end.

Pricing as published: free open beta. Their FAQ says the service "will likely be paid in the future." Their FAQ also notes the AI "might still make mistakes" — a candour we respect and share.

Where it's the better choice: you're an ocean surfer who wants frequent, free, unsupervised feedback and enjoys the gamification.

Where it isn't: you need someone accountable for the advice, or you ride wake.

Not AI at all: coach Kirby Liesmann personally reviews your clip and sends back a recorded video with side-by-side analysis walking through what to change. Covers wakeboarding and wakesurfing. Submit by email or file transfer.

Pricing as published: $30 per trick; $60 for a generalized riding analysis of a 2–5 minute video; $250 for a ten-trick package. Turnaround 3–5 business days, up to 14 days in June–August.

Where it's the better choice: you ride wake, you're stuck on one specific trick, and you want a named, experienced human coach's eyes on it. It is the proof that riders pay for exactly this kind of review.

Where it isn't: you want it fast, you want it written down and structured, or you surf.

You upload one filmed ride (side angle, whole ride, wipeouts included) and within 48 hours get a written coaching report: a one-line verdict, a reconstructed timeline of the ride, a scorecard, three prioritised fixes each pinned to a marked-up frame, drills with a measurable test for each, a printable cue card, and a four-week progression. Every report is drafted by our engine and checked by a human before it reaches you. Your next report grades the previous one's targets. If the footage can't support good coaching, we reject it with a specific reason and save your credit. Covers surf, wakesurf and wakeboard.

Pricing as published: $25 per analysis, free during our founding launch, no card required. Coaches: $99 founding pilot for two weeks and up to ten student reports released under the coach's own brand.

Where it's the better choice: you want one decisive, structured answer you can take to the water tomorrow, you want a human to have stood behind it, or you ride wake and want AI-assisted analysis at all — we are the only AI tool here that covers it.

Where it isn't — honestly: we are the slowest of the AI tools by a wide margin (hours, not seconds), we're the only AI tool here that charges consumers, we don't do live pose overlays or maneuver detection, our coach tooling is a white-label report workflow rather than a full roster-and-booking platform, and we are new and small. If instant is the point, use Surfr or Surf Buddy.