# Northern Light Aurora Forecast vs SpaceWeatherLive

The clearest difference is rating: SpaceWeatherLive at 4.0 against Northern Light Aurora Forecast's 2.7. SpaceWeatherLive also leads on review sentiment (54% vs 42%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). Northern Light Aurora Forecast's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Northern Light Aurora Forecast sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and SpaceWeatherLive sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

SpaceWeatherLive holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 208 and 189 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 42% of Northern Light Aurora Forecast's written reviews are positive against 54% of SpaceWeatherLive's.

Northern Light Aurora Forecast ships an update every 3 weeks, SpaceWeatherLive every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Northern Light Aurora Forecast | SpaceWeatherLive |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.7 (208 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/northern-light-aurora-forecast/id1092949787/reviews) | **[4.0 (189 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spaceweatherlive/id1435501021/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **208** | 189 |
| Positive reviews | 41.8% of reviews | **53.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 21 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Letovaltsev Maxim](https://appshunter.io/developer/1092949786) | [Parsec vzw](https://appshunter.io/developer/1435501020) |

## What reviewers say

### Northern Light Aurora Forecast

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/northern-light-aurora-forecast/id1092949787)

This app monitors real-time auroral activity and sends alerts when the Northern Lights may be visible. It provides short-term and long-term forecasts, weather conditions, and solar wind data to help you plan your viewing experience.

**Highlights:** Real-time auroral activity monitoring, Push alerts for potential aurora visibility, Short-term (1 hour) and long-term (3 days, 27 days) forecasts, Weather conditions and moon illumination data, Probability of seeing Northern Lights by location, Solar wind data from NASA satellites, Customizable alerts based on Kp index and solar wind

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Aurora forecast for 1 month | $0.99 | one-time |
| Kp index alert for 1 month | $0.99 | one-time |
| Solar Wind parameters alert service for 1 month | $0.99 | one-time |
| All alert services for 1 month | $1.99 | one-time |
| 27 days aurora forecast unlock | $1.99 | one-time |
| Aurora forecast for 6 months | $2.99 | one-time |
| Kp index alert for 6 month | $2.99 | one-time |
| Solar Wind parameters alert service for 6 months | $2.99 | one-time |
| All alert services for 6 months | $4.99 | one-time |
| Aurora forecast lifetime alert | $12.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Detailed information
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 💡 Customizable alerts
- 🔍 Accurate forecasting

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🔁 Inconsistent/unreliable updates
- 💰 Paid features required
- 📍 Location-specific issues

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on launch
- Restore purchases not working
- Alerts not triggering correctly
- Long-term forecast not loading

**Requested features**

- Improved tutorial/documentation
- Ability to manually set location
- Sortable saved locations list
- Explanation of data metrics


### SpaceWeatherLive

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spaceweatherlive/id1435501021)

Track aurora and solar activity in real-time with detailed forecasts and historical data. Receive customizable push notifications for significant space weather events. Explore an extensive archive and learn from expert reports.

**Highlights:** Aurora and solar activity tracking, Real-time forecasts, Push notifications for space weather events, Dark mode for night use, Detailed graphs and reports, Extensive historical data archive, Beginner-friendly explanations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ad-free - monthly package | $0.99 | per month |
| Ad-free - half-yearly package | $5.49 | per 6 months |
| Ad-free - yearly package | $9.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent space weather information
- 🔍 Detailed and informative data
- 📚 Helpful tutorials and explanations
- 🌍 Useful for aurora chasers and enthusiasts
- 🤖 Comprehensive data from various sources

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Overwhelming amount of information
- 🔔 Too many notifications/alerts
- 💰 Ads becoming too intrusive
- 🔌 Notifications not always working
- 🤔 Confusing navigation at times

**Reported bugs**

- Video links not working
- Alerts disappearing after opening the app
- Inconsistent performance after updates
- Notification count not clearing properly

**Requested features**

- Customizable notification settings
- Dark mode option
- Location-based alerts
- Ability to track solar activity trends
- Integration with other weather/astronomy apps


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Northern Light Aurora Forecast free?

Northern Light Aurora Forecast is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is SpaceWeatherLive free?

SpaceWeatherLive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Northern Light Aurora Forecast or SpaceWeatherLive?

SpaceWeatherLive is rated higher. Northern Light Aurora Forecast averages 2.7 out of 5 from 208 ratings, while SpaceWeatherLive averages 4.0 from 189 ratings.

### Do Northern Light Aurora Forecast or SpaceWeatherLive have ads?

SpaceWeatherLive shows ads; Northern Light Aurora Forecast does not.

### Which is updated more often, Northern Light Aurora Forecast or SpaceWeatherLive?

Northern Light Aurora Forecast ships an update every 3 weeks, and SpaceWeatherLive every 4 months. Most recently, Northern Light Aurora Forecast was updated on September 25, 2026 and SpaceWeatherLive on September 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*