Thunderstorm for LIFX vs Snap Circuits® Coding
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Thunderstorm for LIFX
Create immersive thunderstorm experiences with synchronized light and sound effects for your smart home lighting. Customize rain intensity, lightning frequency, and ambient sounds to craft your perfect storm.
- Customizable thunderstorm light shows
- Synchronized rain and lightning effects
- Adjustable rain and thunder sounds
- Ambient background sound options
- Control over light color and brightness
- Zone control for targeted effects
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Summon a thunderstorm light show using your LIFX lights. Watch your lights pulse and flash to the sounds of a storm.* *Internet connection and LIFX Cloud account required THUNDERSTORMS • Strong Thunderstorm — Heavy rain with frequent lightning and thunder nearby Lights pulse quickly to the sound of heavy rain. Booming sounds of thunder accompany bright flashes of light. • Normal Thunderstorm — Steady rain with a full range of lightning and thunder Lights pulse to the sound of rain. The sound of thunder can be heard from various distances. The closer the lightning, the louder the sound, and the brighter the flashes of light! • Weak Thunderstorm — Light rain with occasional lightning and thunder far off Lights pulse slowly to the sound of light rain. Dim flashes of light are followed by soft sounds of thunder. • Passing Thunderstorms — Rain and lightning intensity changes as the storms pass Lights pulse and flash at different rates to correspond with the current strength of the storm. SETTINGS Sky • Change the color and brightness of your lights Rain • Toggle rain sound effects • Change rain audio: Default, Heavy, Steady, Light, On Tin Roof • Change rain volume • Toggle rain light effects • Toggle zone control • Change rain pulse rate: Default, Slow, Medium, Fast • Target lights for rain light effects • Change rain transition effects: Pulse, Fade Quickly, Fade Slowly • Change the color and brightness of the rain light effects Lightning/Thunder • Toggle thunder sound effects • Change thunder volume • Change delay lightning (Wireless audio delay offset) • Toggle delay thunder • Toggle lightning light effects • Target lights for lightning light effects • Change lightning transition effects: Random, Pulse, Fade Quickly, Fade Slowly, Flicker • Change lightning/thunder occurrence: Default, Never, Occasional, Normal, Frequent, Unreal • Change color and max brightness of the lightning light effects Passing Thunderstorms • Change starting storm for Passing Thunderstorms: Weak, Normal, Strong • Change cycle time for Passing Thunderstorms: 15m, 30m, 60m Background Sounds • Toggle background sounds: Birds, Cicadas, Crickets, Frogs • Change background sounds volume General • Change default end state: On, Off, Revert • Change sleep end state: On, Off, Revert • Select mode to automatically start when app opens • Choose time to automatically stop selected mode • Choose time to automatically restart selected mode when sleep timer ends, enabling recurring cycle LIGHTS / GROUPS Select one or more lights for your thunderstorm light show on the Lights/Groups tab. Choose a group that you set up using your LIFX app, or create a new group in the Thunderstorm for LIFX app. To edit an in-app group in the list, swipe the item to the left and tap the pencil icon. When you add, remove, or change lights, pull down the list to refresh. ADDITIONAL FEATURES • Lightning on Demand — Start a storm and utilize the lightning buttons at the bottom of the screen for manual control. • Sleep Timer — Set a timer complemented with an audio fade-out feature. Choose the state of your lights after the timer ends with the Sleep End State setting. • Bluetooth and AirPlay Support — Connect to Bluetooth speakers directly, or connect to speakers with AirPlay using the Control Center. Adjust the Delay Light FX setting to offset any wireless audio delay. Please contact me at support@thunderstorm.scottdodson.dev if you experience any issues. I'd love to hear your thoughts and appreciate you taking the time to rate and review the app. I want to continue to improve Thunderstorm for LIFX and create a great experience for you and future users. Thank you! —Scott
Snap Circuits® Coding
Learn coding fundamentals and control electronic projects with a smartphone or tablet. Design custom light, sound, and motor patterns using graphical or block-based coding. Explore electronics concepts through interactive projects.
- Graphical coding interface
- Blockly coding support
- Real-time control
- Control lights, sounds, and motors
- Learn electronics basics
- Create custom patterns
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Remote control and graphical coding for Snap Circuits® sets that have an SC Controller (U33) module. Learn the basics of coding, then code your own patterns of lights, sounds and moving parts. Download the Snap Circuits® App and control Snap Circuits® projects using your smartphone or tablet to control lights, sounds and a motor! A great introduction to coding, using easy graphical coding or real-time control. More advanced coders can move up to BLOCKLY coding. Learn about circuitry, security systems, dimmer switches, automatic lights, alarms, motion detectors, fan speeds, appliance motors, generators, and much more! Kids all over the world have learned basic electronics with Snap Circuits® kits. Now, Snap Circuits® takes the next generation into the world of coding!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Snap Circuits® Coding at Free against Thunderstorm for LIFX's $2.99. Snap Circuits® Coding also leads on ratings volume (49 vs 2). Thunderstorm for LIFX's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 3.7) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Snap Circuits® Coding is free to download; Thunderstorm for LIFX costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Thunderstorm for LIFX holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Snap Circuits® Coding has 49 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Thunderstorm for LIFX's written reviews are positive against 44% of Snap Circuits® Coding's.
Thunderstorm for LIFX ships an update every 2 months, Snap Circuits® Coding every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Thunderstorm for LIFX | Snap Circuits® Coding |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | 3.7 (49 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better | 44.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 49 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0.0 | 12.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 74 MB | 100 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Scott Dodson | Elenco Electronics, Incorporated |
Customer experience
Thunderstorm for LIFX
Snap Circuits® Coding
In-app purchases
Thunderstorm for LIFX
No in-app purchases
Snap Circuits® Coding
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Thunderstorm for LIFX free?
Is Snap Circuits® Coding free?
Which has better reviews, Thunderstorm for LIFX or Snap Circuits® Coding?
Do Thunderstorm for LIFX or Snap Circuits® Coding have ads?
Which is updated more often, Thunderstorm for LIFX or Snap Circuits® Coding?
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