Comparison

wXL23 vs StormNet

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

Head to head
About

wXL23

An advanced, open-source weather application focused on US weather data, optimized for storm chasers and meteorologists. It provides detailed NWS data, including radar, model outputs, and specialized products, with a focus on information depth over flashy graphics.

Highlights
  • NWS data for US locations
  • Level 3 Nexrad radar viewer
  • Optimized text product viewer
  • Mosaic viewer with animations
  • SPC, WPC, NHC product access
  • Weather models
  • Customizable home screen
Features
Read full description

For USA Weather only: wXL23 is a free, no-ads, and open-source ( GNU GPLv3 / APL2.0 ) advanced weather application that is geared towards storm chasers, meteorologists, and weather enthusiasts. NWS ( National Weather Service ) data is optimized for mobile format and provided for divisions not normally covered together in the mobile space: SPC, WPC, NHC, OPC, etc. Level 3 Nexrad radar (single, dual, quad pane). This weather app is not affiliated with NOAA or the National Weather Service. If you *only* need current conditions and your local 7 day forecast then this app is probably more then you need although it will easily provide those 2 things as well. If you are looking for wasted screen real estate or fancy graphics this app is not for you. Given the depth of information covered there is a steep learning curve if you seek to use the program in it's entirety, help information is available and touched on below. Common weather acronyms are used throughout so you should be familiar with those as well. Currently United States locations are supported. - Current forecast, 7 day conditions, sounding data for an unlimited number of locations from NWS. - Customizable home screen - Metal based Nexrad radar interface with numerous options. 2 pane and 4 pane version also available in MISC tab. - Optimized text product viewer for easy access to AFD, HWO and others from any NWS WFO. - Vis/IR/WV/Radar mosaic viewer ( with animations ). - SPC products (such as Watches/MCDs/Convective Outlooks/Mesoanalysis) - WPC products - Weather models - NHC products NOTE: iPhone 5s or newer required for Nexrad radar viewer.

About

StormNet

This app provides highly accurate severe weather forecasts using advanced radar and real-time data analysis. It predicts risks for lightning, hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes up to 14 days in advance.

Highlights
  • NEXRAD Super-Res Radar
  • 14-day severe weather forecasts
  • Lightning, hail, wind, tornado risk prediction
  • Real-time data analysis
  • Radar overlays (reflectivity, velocity)
  • National Weather Service warnings
Read full description

StormNet is optimized to provide the most accurate severe weather forecast with NEXRAD, Super-Res Radar. StormNet is completely free, with no ads. Trained on decades of severe weather events, StormNet analyzes high-resolution radar, satellites, ground-based sensors, and weather forecast models in real-time to find complex patterns that lead to severe weather. The model updates every 2 minutes to provide 14-day forecasts for lightning, hail, damaging thunderstorm winds, and tornadoes. Super-Res Radar is the highest-resolution NEXRAD radar data available from 159 stations across the continental United States. Each radar station updates every 3-4 minutes and measures the intensity of precipitation based on how much energy the radar signal receives back from objects in the atmosphere. Combined, StormNet + Super-Res Radar provides a first-of-its-kind, multiple-component severe weather forecast system for the United States. StormNet Map Overlays • Radar: The highest-resolution radar available for the United States from each radar station. • Radar + Risk: NEXRAD radar, alongside StormNet risk probabilities, for the next 4 hours. • Risk Forecast: The StormNet risk probabilities from real-time to 14 days into the future. StormNet Risk Forecasts • Lightning • Hail • Damaging Winds • Tornado Super-Res (NEXRAD) Radar • Radar Reflectivity • Radar Velocity • Spectrum Width National Weather Service Warnings • Tornado • Severe Thunderstorm • Snow Squall • Flash Flood StormNet vs. National Weather Service The National Weather Service, the Storm Prediction Center, and other government agencies are the official sources for watches, warnings, and severe weather information. StormNet should serve as a trusted and automated guide for severe weather risk, but StormNet should not be treated as an official source. StormNet vs. Traditional Weather Models Existing weather forecast models are incredible feats of engineering and predict the ingredients for severe weather, but they are not designed to excel at severe weather forecasting and are not real-time tools. StormNet was trained and optimized to provide severe weather forecasts. StormNet vs. Other Weather Apps Existing weather apps and companies usually pass along official government watches and warnings, and often communicate if lightning or hail is already close by. While these are valuable features, we are not aware of another weather app or company that matches StormNet’s ability to provide real-time updates for lightning, hail, damaging thunderstorm winds, and tornado risk. Powered by OpenSnow In 2011, OpenSnow began predicting snowfall for skiers and snowboarders. OpenSnow has since become a global leader in mountain weather forecasts and expanded to provide forecasts for every type of outdoor activity. Since lightning is a risk to outdoor activities, especially on longer mountain-based adventures, OpenSnow created a weather forecast system that would provide both lightning forecasts to support real-time decisions and multi-day outlooks to support trip planning. Meteorologist Andrew Brady built StormNet to predict the risk of severe weather. OpenSnow acquired his technology in 2024 to help people stay safe and enjoy the outdoors. — Terms & Conditions — StormNet is free and available in the United States. We'll never track you, sell ads, or collect data. We only ask for your location to show the most accurate radar and severe weather forecast. Full terms and conditions can be found here: https://support.opensnow.com/legal/terms | https://support.opensnow.com/legal/privacy

Screenshots

wXL233 screens
StormNet4 screens

Verdict

The call

wXL23 and StormNet both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 96% of wXL23's written reviews are positive against 82% of StormNet's. wXL23 also leads on ratings volume (211 vs 20). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for wXL23 against 4.9 for StormNet. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: wXL23 has 211 ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 96% of wXL23's written reviews are positive against 82% of StormNet's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
wXL23 versus StormNet: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterwXL23StormNet
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (211 ratings) — better4.9 (20 ratings)
Positive reviews96.0% of reviews — better81.8% of reviews
Number of ratings211 — better20
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB39 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJosh GreenCloudnine Weather, Inc.

Customer experience

wXL23

All ratings214 ratings
Positive98.6%
Neutral1.4%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews75 reviews
Positive96.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative0.0%

StormNet

All ratings18 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral5.6%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive81.8%
Neutral18.2%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

wXL23

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • App crashes on iOS 26 and iOS 18.1.1 after updates
  • Radar animations crash app when playing frames
  • Play button malfunction on radar displays
  • App crashes on open after certain updates
  • Radar product glitching on iOS 14 and iPhone 12 Pro Max
Show 3 more
  • Current conditions loading issue at single stations
  • Radar display crashes when added to home screen
  • Models slow to load or fail to load data

Requested features

11 requests
  • Dark mode icon support for iOS
  • Bottom navigation bar with category icons
  • Widget support for home screen
  • Push notifications for SPC outlooks and mesoscale discussions
  • Personal Weather Station (PWS) integration
Show 6 more
  • Map scrolling improvements
  • Annotation feature for radar
  • Custom color code input for radar color tables
  • Additional mesoanalysis subregions (sectors 21 and 22)
  • Enhanced hourly forecast display with more data points
  • Windows 11 application version

StormNet

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

wXL23

No in-app purchases

None

StormNet

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is wXL23 free?
wXL23 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is StormNet free?
StormNet is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, wXL23 or StormNet?
wXL23 is rated higher. wXL23 averages 4.9 out of 5 from 211 ratings, while StormNet averages 4.9 from 20 ratings.
Do wXL23 or StormNet have ads?
Neither wXL23 nor StormNet shows ads.
Which is updated more often, wXL23 or StormNet?
wXL23 ships an update every 2 months, and StormNet every 2 months. Most recently, wXL23 was updated on October 24, 2026 and StormNet on October 24, 2026.

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