Lightning Alarm vs Lightning Tracker & Radar Map
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lightning Alarm
Receive timely notifications about approaching thunderstorms and lightning strikes in your vicinity. This app provides accurate lightning detection and displays real-time information on a map, ensuring safety during outdoor activities.
- Real-time lightning detection
- Approaching storm notifications
- Lightning distance display
- Map view of lightning strikes
- Textual storm information
- Push message alerts
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Always safe with Lightning Alarm. You will be notified if a thunderstorm is in your area. The lightning detection is very accurate and the (automated) notifications are essential for safe outdoor activities. At a glance you can see the nearest lightning. Displayed on the map and in text, you see the current distance from the thunderstorm to your location. You can even set up a push message, notifying you for approaching storms. This App is unique and a must for your safety during outdoor activities. The information is based on the detection network of Meteoplaza.com. With this network 98% of all lightning discharges are detected, resulting in a high quality of the warnings! Lightning Alarm, you have been warned! Lightning Alarm Premium can be purchased through iTunes for € 3.49 per year. € 3.49 will be charged within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Subscriptions are user-managed and auto-renewal can be turned off by going to Apple ID settings. By purchasing Lightning Alarm Premium you agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Privacy statement: https://www.infoplaza.nl/en/about-us/disclaimer-privacy/ Terms of Service: https://www.infoplaza.nl/en/about-us/terms-of-use-lightning-alarm/
Lightning Tracker & Radar Map
This app displays live lightning strikes and storm zones on a map, powered by satellite data. It helps you understand storm activity, track movement, and receive alerts for saved locations to ensure outdoor safety.
- Live lightning map
- Storm zone tracking
- Saved place alerts
- 24-hour history (Premium)
- 30-30 safety timer
- NOAA satellite data
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Lightning Tracker & Radar Map helps you understand storm activity before it reaches you. See live lightning, storm zones, alerts, saved places and forecast context in one focused weather safety app. Powered by NOAA GOES GLM and EUMETSAT MTG-I1 LI satellite data, Lightning Tracker shows recent lightning flashes on a fast map, clusters active strikes into storm zones, and helps you judge whether a storm is building, approaching or moving away. Coverage includes the Americas, Atlantic, Europe and Africa; features depend on supported coverage and data availability. USE IT BEFORE YOU GO OUT Check storms before golf, boating, hiking, school sports, outdoor work, road trips, camping, events and family time outside. Open the map, check the nearest activity, review the storm zone and decide whether to wait, move or seek shelter. LIVE LIGHTNING MAP Fresh strikes appear on the map with age and distance context. Zoom from a regional view down to the places that matter and keep watching as cells develop. STORM ZONES AND TRACKS Lightning clusters are grouped into storm zones so the map is easier to read. Track movement, intensity and projected paths instead of trying to interpret scattered strikes one by one. HISTORY AND FORECAST Premium unlocks 24-hour lightning history, a lightning heatmap and storm forecast context from NOAA SPC where available. ALERTS FOR SAVED PLACES Set an alert radius around the places you care about. Free users can monitor one saved place with basic storm data; Premium adds push alerts, wider radius, more saved places, advanced storm data and an ad-free experience. 30-30 SAFETY TIMER Use the built-in timer to follow the 30-minute lightning safety rule after nearby activity. It gives you a simple outdoor-safety checkpoint when the sky is changing fast. Lightning Tracker is built for one practical question: how close is the storm, where is it moving and is it time to get inside? Terms: https://lightningtracker.app/terms Privacy: https://lightningtracker.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Lightning Tracker & Radar Map at none against Lightning Alarm's shown. Lightning Tracker & Radar Map also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 2 months) and chart position (#82 vs unranked). Lightning Alarm's advantage is review sentiment (80% vs 50%) and ratings volume (890 vs 120). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Lightning Alarm sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per year and Lightning Tracker & Radar Map sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Lightning Alarm against 4.6 for Lightning Tracker & Radar Map. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lightning Alarm has 890 ratings behind it against 120, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Lightning Alarm's written reviews are positive against 50% of Lightning Tracker & Radar Map's.
Lightning Alarm ships an update every 2 months, Lightning Tracker & Radar Map daily. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lightning Alarm | Lightning Tracker & Radar Map |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (890 ratings) | 4.6 (120 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 80.5% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 890 — better | 120 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Daily — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | — | #82 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 79 MB | 81 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Infoplaza BV | Nikolai Iakubovskii |
Customer experience
Lightning Alarm
Lightning Tracker & Radar Map
Bugs and requests
Lightning Alarm
Reported bugs
3 issues- Notifications not working
- Map tiles not loading properly
- App crashing on launch
Requested features
4 requests- Option to switch between miles and kilometers
- Add multiple locations to track
- Improve map visuals and details
- Customizable alert radius
Lightning Tracker & Radar Map
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Lightning Alarm
- Lightning Alarm Premium$2.991 Year
- 1 month ad free$0.99
- 3 months ad free$1.99
- 1 year ad free$2.99
Lightning Tracker & Radar Map
- Lightning Tracker Premium2 variants$5.997 Days
- Lightning Tracker Premium$7.997 Days
- Premium Monthly$9.991 Month
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- Lightning Tracker Premium$19.991 Year
- Lightning Tracker Premium$26.991 Year
- Lightning Tracker Premium$29.991 Year
- Lightning Tracker Premium3 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Lightning Tracker Premium3 Days trial$44.991 Year
Questions
Is Lightning Alarm free?
Is Lightning Tracker & Radar Map free?
Which has better reviews, Lightning Alarm or Lightning Tracker & Radar Map?
Do Lightning Alarm or Lightning Tracker & Radar Map have ads?
Which is updated more often, Lightning Alarm or Lightning Tracker & Radar Map?
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