Comparison

Windy.com vs National Weather Forecast Data

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

Head to head
About

Windy.com

This app offers advanced weather forecasting with over 50 detailed maps and 15 weather models, including live radar, satellite imagery, and hurricane tracking. It provides customizable alerts for storms, wind, and snow, making it ideal for outdoor activities and aviation.

Highlights
  • Live weather radar & satellite
  • Over 50 weather maps
  • 15+ weather models
  • Hurricane tracker
  • Customizable weather alerts
  • Aviation-specific forecasts
  • Air quality index
Features
Read full description

A UNIQUE WEATHER FORECAST VISUALISATION While most weather forecasting apps rely solely on free global models, Windy has gone a step further by investing heavily in the most accurate weather models available, always at the highest possible resolution, to deliver you the most accurate forecasts in the world. LIVE WEATHER APP - WEATHER RADAR & SATELLITE (Now with Precipitation Type & Lightning tracker) Radar is a highly valued tool for weather forecasting. To provide you with the most accurate radar imagery, we constantly expand our resources so that rain, snow, and storms don't catch you by surprise. Trusted radar sources include NOAA, Met Office, Météo France, DWD, JMA, IMD, BoM & more. The global satellite composite is created from NOAA, EUMETSAT & Himawari data. MORE THAN 50 WEATHER MAPS - Rain radar, Satellite and a unique combined layer of Radar & Satellite images (blue, infrared, visible) - Hurricane tracker, Weather warnings & Extreme forecast - Wind forecast: Wind speed, Wind gusts & Accumulation, models comparison, data from live Weather stations - Temperature: Humidity, Pressure, Dew point, live data from Weather stations - Rain: Thunder & storms, Rain accumulation, Thunderstorms, Precipitation type, CAPE-index - Aviation: Clouds, Cloud tops, Cloud base, Visibility (LIFR, IFR, MVFR, VFR), Fog, Icing, Clear air turbulence, Thermals, Freezing altitude - Marine Forecast: Waves, Swell, Wave power, Tide forecast, Currents, Sea temperature - Solar activity: Solar power, UV index, Wet-bulb temperature - Snow: Snow depth, New snow, Snow density - Air Quality: Air Quality Index (AQI) with Pollen (CAMS), NO2, PM 2.5, Aerosol, SO2, Ozone layer, Surface ozone, CO concentration, Dust mass - Soil moisture, Moisture anomaly, Drought intensity, Fire Danger, Fuel moisture MORE THAN 15 WEATHER MODELS Global weather models: - meteoblue - AI forecast - ECMWF - GFS by NOAA - ICON by DWD Local weather models: - HRRR by NOAA - NAM by NOAA - HRDPS by MSC - ICON-EU by DWD - ICON-D2 by DWD - UKV by Met Office - AROME-HD by Météo France - ALADIN by CHMI - NEMS by meteoblue - MSM by JMA - ACCESS-C by BoM LIVE RAIN, STORM ALERTS & CUSTOM WEATHER ALERTS Want to know before the storm hits near you while you hike, bike or spend time outdoors? You can now access live weather alerts or set up your custom weather alert for wind, sunshine, or new snow. HURRICANE TRACKER FOR STORM TRACKING With Windy's hurricane tracker, you can track the past and projected path of a hurricane or a storm. Windy doesn't rely on just one hurricane model, but will give you all the forecasts available for a storm or hurricane. WINDY MADE FOR PILOTS - 16 altitude levels from the surface to 13.5km/FL450 - 50k+ Airports searchable by ICAO and IATA, including runway info, decoded & raw METAR, TAF & NOTAMs - Detailed Airgram and Meteogram: temperature and dew point, wind speed and wind gusts, pressure, precipitation, altitude cloud cover, freezing altitude - Thermals forecast - Route planner WINDY MADE FOR OUTDOOR SPORTS, SURF & BOATING - 67K+ global webcams - Summer & winter outdoor topographic maps by Mapy.com - 4.5K+ Surfing spots - 12.1K+ Paragliding spots - 4.3K+ Kiting spots - Boating tide forecast - Sun & Moon tracker - Plugins with buoy data WINDY AS A WEATHER WIDGET ON YOUR DEVICE Get the weather now on your iPhone, MacOS, iPad, CarPlay & Apple Watch, from forecast, Radar, METAR, Weather stations & Wind, ready for your travels and outdoor sports. WINDY PREMIUM — FORECAST LIKE A PRO - 1-hour & 15-day outlook with 4–6× daily updates - Radar/Satellite 24h loops & 1-year archives - More maps (Tide Forecast) - Model comparison to find the best model Terms of Use: https://account.windy.com/agreements/windy-terms-of-use Privacy Policy: https://account.windy.com/agreements/windy-privacy-policy GET IN TOUCH Join us on social media or at community.windy.com to discuss weather-related topics, report bugs, or suggest a new feature. Contact us directly at info@windy.com.

About

National Weather Forecast Data

Access detailed weather forecasts from NOAA by tapping on a map. View 7-day forecasts, including summaries, wind, snow, and severe weather. Explore national weather service discussions and data from over 40,000 stations.

Highlights
  • Interactive map for weather forecasts
  • 7-day NWS/NOAA spot forecasts
  • National Weather Service discussions
  • Access 40,000+ weather stations
  • NOAA weather radar overlays
  • Hourly, 16-day, and simulation model forecasts (Pro)
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The fastest way to access NWS/NOAA weather data. Simply tap anywhere on the map and view NOAA's spot specific weather forecast. 7-DAY NWS/NOAA WEATHER FORECAST - Text Summary, Spot & Zone Forecast - Weather, Sky, Wind & Waves - Snow Accumulation & Probability - Severe Weather Hazards NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DISCUSSION - Weather Synopsis - Short Term Forecast - Long Term Forecast - Severe Weather Forecast - Aviation Weather - Marine Weather - Hazard Potential Outlook ACCESS 40,000+ WEATHER STATIONS - Air Temperature - Wind Speed, Gust, Direction - Dew Point, RH, Wind Chill - Pressure, Solar Radiation, Precipitation Note: Data availability varies by weather station Access NOAA weather radar map overlays -- PRO SUBSCRIPTION FEATURES -- + Hourly Weather Forecast + High Resolution Satellite Imagery + 16-Day Weather Forecast Models + Hi-Res Weather Simulation Models + Winter Weather / Rainfall Graphics HOURLY WEATHER FORECAST - Air Temperature - Wind Speed, Gust, Direction - Probability of Precipitation - Cloud Cover - Relative Humidity - Signifiant Wave Height - Wind Waves - Swell (Primary / Secondary Swell if Available) GOES HI-RES SATELLITE IMAGERY Fifteen (15) Satellite Imagery Filters - Visible (Band 2) - Near IR (Bands 4 & 5) - Infrared (Bands 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14 & 16) - Nighttime Microphysics - Day Cloud Phase - True Color - Air Mass - Sandwich 16-DAY WEATHER FORECAST MODELS - Global Forecast System (GFS) - Global Ensemble Forecast System (GEFS) - North American Ensemble (NAEFS) WEATHER SIMULATION FORECAST MODELS - WaveWatch III (WW3) - Hi-Res Rapid Refresh (HRRR) - Hi-Res Ensemble Forecast (HREF) - North American Mesoscale (NAM) - Hi-Res North American Mesoscale (NAM-HIRES) - High Resolution Window (HRW-FV3, HRW-ARW, HRW-ARW2) TERMS & CONDITIONS https://lwbrandsllc.com/national-weather-forecast-data-app-terms-conditions/ -- * Available for iPhone & iPad Forecast coverage includes: - Continental USA - Hawaii - Alaska - Puerto Rico Feel free to contact me at support@lwbrandsllc.com if you have any questions. Enjoy.

Screenshots

Windy.com4 screens
National Weather Forecast Data4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Windy.com at 89% against National Weather Forecast Data's 72%. Windy.com also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.6) and chart position (#8 vs #129). On price, update cadence, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Windy.com sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and National Weather Forecast Data sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Windy.com holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Windy.com has 79K ratings behind it against 12K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Windy.com's written reviews are positive against 72% of National Weather Forecast Data's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 30, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Windy.com versus National Weather Forecast Data: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWindy.comNational Weather Forecast Data
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (79K ratings) — better4.6 (12K ratings)
Positive reviews88.9% of reviews — better71.8% of reviews
Number of ratings79K — better12K
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#8 — better#129
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size172 MB66 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperWindyty, SELW Brands, LLC

Customer experience

Windy.com

All ratings78,968 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral1.7%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews3,765 reviews
Positive88.9%
Neutral3.1%
Negative8.0%

National Weather Forecast Data

All ratings12,218 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral4.4%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews117 reviews
Positive71.8%
Neutral6.0%
Negative22.2%

User reviews

Windy.com

From 79K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌊 Accurate weather forecasts
  • 🌍 Comprehensive global coverage
  • 🔍 Detailed weather data and models
  • 🛥️ Useful for marine/sailing activities
  • 🛫 Valuable for aviation planning

Room to improve

  • 🤯 Overwhelming number of features and options
  • 🔍 Small text and cluttered interface on mobile
  • 🤖 Occasional app crashes or stability issues
  • 💰 Paywall for some advanced features
  • 🌐 Lack of offline functionality

National Weather Forecast Data

From 12K App Store ratings

What we love

  • ⭐ Excellent weather app
  • 🌟 Accurate forecasts and data
  • 📊 Detailed weather information
  • 🔍 Comprehensive NOAA data
  • 🌐 Covers wide geographic areas

Room to improve

  • 💰 Paid features required for full functionality
  • 🗺️ Slow map/radar loading
  • 🧭 Incorrect location data for some users
  • 🔍 Navigation/UI could be more user-friendly

Bugs and requests

Windy.com

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Map dragging issues on newer iPhone models
  • Inconsistent temperature display units
  • Premium features not always working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add weather front data on isobar charts
  • Improve font size and layout for better readability
  • Provide option to hide webcams or certain layers
  • Implement weather warning notifications
  • Add support for Apple Watch and other wearables

National Weather Forecast Data

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App crashes when accessing certain features
  • Hourly forecast data not displaying properly

Requested features

3 requests
  • Landscape mode for tablets
  • Local temperature/conditions based on device location
  • More visual/graphical weather summaries

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Windy.com

Subscriptions4
  • Donate 3 EUR/USD a month$2.991 Month
  • Windy Premium$2.991 Month
  • Donate 6 EUR/USD a month$5.491 Month
Show 1 more
  • Windy Premium2 variants$24.991 Year
One-time5
  • Donate approx 5 EUR/USD$4.99
  • Donate approx 10 EUR/USD$9.99
  • Donate approx 20 EUR/USD$19.99
Show 2 more
  • Windy Premium$29.99
  • Donate approx 50 EUR/USD$49.99
4 purchases

National Weather Forecast Data

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Subscription (Monthly)3 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Pro Subscription (Yearly)3 Days trial$11.991 Year
One-time2
  • Gift the Developer Coffee$0.99
  • Gift the Developer Coffee$2.99

Questions

Is Windy.com free?
Windy.com is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is National Weather Forecast Data free?
National Weather Forecast Data is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Windy.com or National Weather Forecast Data?
Windy.com is rated higher. Windy.com averages 4.8 out of 5 from 79K ratings, while National Weather Forecast Data averages 4.6 from 12K ratings.
Do Windy.com or National Weather Forecast Data have ads?
Neither Windy.com nor National Weather Forecast Data shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Windy.com or National Weather Forecast Data?
Windy.com ships an update every 3 weeks, and National Weather Forecast Data every 3 weeks. Most recently, Windy.com was updated on September 30, 2026 and National Weather Forecast Data on September 30, 2026.
Which is more popular, Windy.com or National Weather Forecast Data?
Windy.com currently peaks at #8 in the App Store charts, and National Weather Forecast Data at #129. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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