Since June 2026 there's the eFoil Guide: our own app for iPhone and Android. It shows eFoil spots on a world map and explains the sport from the ground up — free, no account. Why we built it and what's inside.

By Andreas Lakeberg — E-SURFER founder, eFoil expert since 2017 and board member of the Global Foil Board Sports Association (GFA)

As of July 2026

eFoil App — why we built it ourselves

We built the eFoil App because knowledge about this sport is still scattered to this day — and because that makes getting started needlessly hard.

When we started out in 2017, there was no single place that told you what an eFoil is, how it works and where you're allowed to ride. There were forums where a handful of people traded half-knowledge. There were closed groups you had to get into first. And there were individuals — people like us who had simply tried it. Anyone wanting to start had to piece it all together laboriously and hope nobody was feeding them nonsense.

Less has changed than you'd think. The boards have got better, the scene has grown — but the information is still spread across dozens of sources. That's exactly what costs beginners time, money and sometimes their motivation.

We've been gathering this experience since 2017: the world's first eFoil blog, our own YouTube channel, a test centre in Berlin, several eFoil schools and a seat on the board of the Global Foil Board Sports Association. We test all the leading eFoil models ourselves. This knowledge sat with us in a blog, in a guidebook and in a spot database — just not where you need it: out on the water, on your phone.

What Does the Spots Map in the eFoil App Show?

The spots map shows over 140 places across more than 40 countries — from Germany to the Maldives to New Zealand. It's the eFoil App's home screen.

Four filters separate what's there:

• Spot — open riding waters where you can ride
• School — certified eFoil instructors
• Dealer — where you can buy
• Test centre — try before you decide

Tap an entry and you get photos, the description and — the part that matters most in practice — a navigation button. It hands the coordinates straight to Apple Maps or Google Maps. No typing out an address, no copy-and-paste. There's also a location search and a geolocation button that pulls you to your current position.

The data comes from our community platform eFoil-Spot.com. Which also means the map lives off the riders themselves. If your home spot is missing, you report it straight from the eFoil App — we check every entry before it appears.

What's the difference from the map in the browser? It's the same data, but a different moment. The map on eFoil-Spot.com is for planning: big screen, prepare a trip, compare spots. The eFoil App is for on the go — you're standing somewhere on the coast, open it and see what's nearby. How that fits with the legal situation, and why a spot on the map is no free pass, is covered in detail in our article on the community map.

What's in the Guide — and Who Is It For?

The guide part consists of a preface and twelve chapters that walk through the sport from the first question to the future. The text comes from my eFoil guidebook — in full, not as a teaser.

The twelve chapters:

1. What Is an eFoil? — The electric hydrofoil surfboard explained
2. History of the eFoil — From concept to global success
3. How Does an eFoil Work? — Technology, physics and components
4. Buying an eFoil — What to look for when buying
5. Best eFoils Compared — Models, prices and recommendations
6. Learning to Ride an eFoil — From first tries to flying
7. Safety and Regulations — Rules, laws and protective gear
8. Transport, Storage, Care — Keeping your eFoil fit long term
9. Accessories and Spare Parts — What you really need
10. eFoil on a Yacht — The ultimate luxury guide
11. The Best eFoil Spots — Where to ride the world's finest waters
12. The Future of the eFoil — Trends, technologies and outlook

Every chapter has a title image and a photo gallery at the end — real shots from eight years, not stock symbols. The preface, for instance, shows the photo of my self-built eFoil from 2017, back then in Los Angeles.

The guide is meant for anyone about to buy or who has just started. If you want to know what an eFoil actually is, start at Chapter 1. If you're facing the buying decision, Chapters 4 and 5 are yours — we cover the same topics in our eFoil comparison, there with current prices. For everything about learning there's Chapter 6, and to go with it our online course.

What Does the eFoil App Cost and What Data Does It Collect?

The eFoil App is free and collects no data. No subscription, no ads, no account, no email address — you download it and get going.

That's not a marketing formula but a declaration we have to answer for to Apple and Google. In both stores, the privacy section says “No data collected”. Make false claims there and you're out. There's no analytics SDK in the app, no ad tracker, no advertising ID. Location is used only on the device to pull the map to your position — it never leaves the phone.

That leaves the honest question: so why do we do it? Because we have a shop. The app's third tab holds ten hand-picked eFoils and accessories with links to e-surfer.com. That's the only commercial spot in the app, it's recognisable as such, and nobody has to tap it. An eFoil costs between 12,000 and 16,000 euros depending on the model — we don't need ad banners to justify a free app.

Which Devices and Languages Does the eFoil App Run On?

The eFoil App runs on iPhone and Android — in the App Store since 25 June 2026, on Google Play since 6 July 2026. It's targeted at 177 countries and regions, so it's available virtually worldwide.

The language sets itself: if your phone is on German, the app is German. If it's on anything else, it's English. You don't have to switch anything.

That it's one bilingual app and not two separate ones has a solid reason: Apple and Google ban duplicate apps. Two apps with identical content in different languages lead to rejection or removal from the store. The store listings themselves are still localised separately — German users see a German description in the store.

The rest in brief: around 25 MB, age rating 4+ or PEGI 3, category Sport, currently portrait only. A tablet works but doesn't yet make full use of the space.

Download the eFoil Guide — Is It Worth It for You?

The eFoil Guide is worth it if you want to learn to eFoil, are looking for a board or find spots on the go. It's free in both stores: eFoil Guide on the App Store (iPhone) and eFoil Guide on Google Play (Android).

Honesty also means saying who the eFoil App isn't for. If you ride a jetboard — a board without a foil wing — it's the wrong tool: this is about eFoils. And if you already own an eFoil and have a specific technical problem, the app isn't your address either. For that we built something else: the eFoil Doctor, a free AI assistant for error codes, battery and maintenance. It's a web app, not a store download — but made for exactly that.

If, on the other hand, you're still at the beginning and simply want to know what this sport is and where you can try it: download the eFoil App and look at the map. The nearest spot may be closer than you think.

→ Get the eFoil Guide — free and without sign-up: App Store · Google Play. And if you're looking for a board afterwards, you'll find our selection in the eFoil shop.

Frequently Asked Questions About the eFoil App