Disaster Detector vs Tornados
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Disaster Detector
This educational game allows players to predict and prepare for natural disasters like tornadoes and earthquakes. By analyzing data from various scientific tools, users can help cities mitigate damage and save citizens. It's designed for learning but fun for all ages.
- Predict tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and hurricanes
- Analyze data from Doppler radar, anemometers, barometers, and seismometers
- Learn to forecast events using current and historical data
- Generate printable reports
- Suitable for classroom or home use
- Audio and text interplay
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The citizens of Smithsonville are in dire need of a Disaster Detector! Help Smithsonville and other cities predict and prepare for natural disasters. Use tools to make predictions and save the city from damage by helping citizens prepare properly. Are you up for the challenge? From the Smithsonian Science Education Center, Disaster Detector teaches players how to analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and how to implement tools to mitigate the effects of those disasters. FEATURES - Prepare the city for possible tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and hurricanes - Analyze data from tools such as Doppler radar, anemometers, barometers, and seismometer - Players learn how to analyze current and historical data to make predictions - Printable reports - For use in the classroom or at home - Aligned to national science standards for middle school but great for players of any age - Audio and text interplay
Tornados
Experience the power of a massive tornado in this engaging game. Challenge other twisters and destroy everything in your path as you learn about tornado behavior.
- Control a giant tornado
- Destroy everything in your path
- Challenge other tornados
- Learn about tornado behavior
- Immersive gameplay
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Discover how tornados behave by diving in this game and challenge other tornados, this game will let you feel like a real huge tornado that can destroy anything on its way
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Tornados at 4.6 against Disaster Detector's 4.1. Tornados also leads on ratings volume (2K vs 54) and device support (3 vs 1). Disaster Detector's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (75% vs 54%). On price, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Tornados holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tornados has 2K ratings behind it against 54, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of Disaster Detector's written reviews are positive against 54% of Tornados's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Disaster Detector ships an update every 3 months, Tornados every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on July 23, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Disaster Detector | Tornados |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (54 ratings) | 4.6 (2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better | 53.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 54 | 2K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 5.1.1 — better | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 57 MB | 132 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Smithsonian Institution | Mad Hook |
Customer experience
Disaster Detector
Tornados
Bugs and requests
Disaster Detector
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Tornados
Reported bugs
2 issues- Game crashes or freezes
- Black screen on launch
Requested features
5 requests- Add solo/endless mode
- Increase game duration
- Reduce ads or add paid version
- Ability to customize tornado
- Add more game modes
In-app purchases
Disaster Detector
No in-app purchases
Tornados
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Disaster Detector free?
Is Tornados free?
Which has better reviews, Disaster Detector or Tornados?
Do Disaster Detector or Tornados have ads?
Which is updated more often, Disaster Detector or Tornados?
Other comparisons
