Comparison

Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite vs Lightning Tracker‎

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite

Receive real-time NOAA weather alerts and view 3D radar imagery. This app integrates the latest Apple MapKit features with NOAA data for comprehensive weather tracking across multiple devices.

Highlights
  • Real-time NOAA weather alerts
  • 3D NOAA radar imagery
  • Interactive 3D map view
  • Alert filtering by category
  • Apple Watch integration
  • Universal Purchase for iOS, Watch OS, Apple TV
Features
Read full description

The Next Generation of NOAA Alerts and NOAA Radar app is here (This app is part of the Universal Purchase. With one purchase, you will be able to see the NOAA Alerts on your iOS, Watch OS and Apple TV devices.). NOAA Alerts provide you the latest active weather alerts. Thanks for your feedback. The following features are added to the Pro version: - Landscape support is not added. - Different alert colors are added. iOS App Quick Started: > By default, alerts are loading once the app is launched. Alerts are listed based upon "Date". Once alerts are loaded, you can select "Importance" on the top to list the alerts based upon the severity. Select any alert to see the alert details. > Click on the Map tab and Alerts around the globe are listed. Zoom in/out and select any alert to see the latest weather information. Please notice alerts are being loaded dynamically, you can use "Refresh" button to refresh the latest alerts on the map. If you prefer to view alerts in different map type (Normal, Satellite, Hybrid and Flyover). Click on the "Map Type" to start to switch to different map type. > Click on the Alert Categories/Filters to select all categories or one specific category, then only alerts for the selected category will be listed. Click on "Refresh" button on the Map view and only selected category will appear on the map. > US NOAA Radar images will be loaded when the app is launched and will be refreshed every 10 minutes. And you are ready to see the latest real time radar images on the map. Zoom in and out to see the whether across multiple states. Click on the "Radar" button to enable/disable radar images. Slide the slider to change the transparency of radar images. > To see the Alerts in 3D View, follow the steps below: 1. By default, Select the Map tab and 3D View is enabled and you should be able to see the Alerts in 3D View. 2. You can use two-fingers gesture to change viewing angles: zoom in/out, rotate, swipe up/down for 3D View 3. Click on any Alert and the app will automatically zoom into the alert area. Click on the information button to see the alert details. Watch App Quick Started: > Launch the Watch App and the app will communicate with the iOS App to get the nearest Alert information and also notify the iOS App to select and view the Alert. Click on the "Nearest Alert" button if you would like to search the nearest Alert again. Introduction: This app is the Next Generation of NOAA Alerts and NOAA Radar app by integrating the following technologies and data together: - The latest Apple MapKit features such as Traffic, Buildings, POI and 3D Model - Apple Watch Integration with iPhone. - Apple TV integration (Universal Purchase: one purchase to get the app on iOS, Apple Watch and Apple TV) - NOAA Alerts - Real Time NOAA Radar - Databases with built in information. This app provides the following features: - The first app to integrate both NOAA Alerts and the latest national Radar images together. - The first app to provide NOAA Alerts and Radar images in 3D view. - This app provides the Apple Watch Integration - This app will provide Apple TV integration.

About

Lightning Tracker‎

Monitor real-time lightning strikes on a map with detailed information like time and distance. Receive background notifications for nearby activity and customize your detection radius. View current weather conditions alongside lightning alerts.

Highlights
  • Real-time lightning strike map
  • Strike details (time, distance)
  • Background monitoring and notifications
  • Customizable detection radius (1-50 miles)
  • Current weather conditions view
  • Lightning strike expiration (15 minutes)
Features
Read full description

Track and monitor lightning strikes in realtime nearby to your location, with Lightning Tracker Live. Lightning strikes are presented on a map view, where you can tap on each marked lightning strike for more details, including: • Time of strike • Distance from your current location Lightning strikes will appear on the map view in realtime & will expire after 15 minutes, keeping you up to date with only the latest lightning activity all the time. The app will also work when in the background, periodically checking for any lightning strikes & notifying you if any do occur. As a default setting, the app will check/monitor at a radius of 25 miles within your location for lightning activity. This can be customized in the app settings from anywhere between 1 & 50 miles. Your chosen radius value will be saved for future use. Other features include an option to view your current weather conditions. We hope that you find this app useful. Please reach out to us via email support if you have any feedback or questions. Subscription: Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. If your subscription is subject to any promotional discount, the discount will expire upon the end of the current period and you'll be charged the standard rate upon renewal. Go to your iTunes Account under subscriptions to manage your membership and to turn auto-renew off. Your iTunes Account will be charged when the purchase is confirmed. Privacy Policy: https://goingmerry.xyz/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use: https://goingmerry.xyz/terms-conditions/

Screenshots

Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite4 screens
Lightning Tracker‎4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Lightning Tracker‎ at Free against Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite's $1.99. Lightning Tracker‎ also leads on ratings volume (177 vs 2). Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite's advantage is review sentiment (50% vs 8%) and in-app purchases (none vs 6). On rating and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Lightning Tracker‎ is free to download; Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite costs $1.99 up front. Lightning Tracker‎ sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite against 4.4 for Lightning Tracker‎. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lightning Tracker‎ has 177 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite's written reviews are positive against 8% of Lightning Tracker‎'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite ships an update every 3 weeks, Lightning Tracker‎ every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite versus Lightning Tracker‎: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInstant NOAA Alerts 3D EliteLightning Tracker‎
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (2 ratings) — better4.4 (177 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews — better8.3% of reviews
Number of ratings2177 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB64 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJufen ChangGoing Merry LLC

Customer experience

Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Lightning Tracker‎

All ratings172 ratings
Positive84.9%
Neutral3.5%
Negative11.6%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive8.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative91.7%

In-app purchases

None

Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Lightning Tracker‎

Subscriptions6
  • Premium Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Premium Weekly$1.997 Days
  • Premium Weekly$2.997 Days
Show 3 more
  • Premium Yearly$6.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly$9.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite free?
Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Lightning Tracker‎ free?
Lightning Tracker‎ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite or Lightning Tracker‎?
Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite is rated higher. Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Lightning Tracker‎ averages 4.4 from 177 ratings.
Do Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite or Lightning Tracker‎ have ads?
Lightning Tracker‎ shows ads; Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite does not.
Which is updated more often, Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite or Lightning Tracker‎?
Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite ships an update every 3 weeks, and Lightning Tracker‎ every 4 months. Most recently, Instant NOAA Alerts 3D Elite was updated on November 2, 2026 and Lightning Tracker‎ on November 4, 2026.

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