# West Texas Mesonet vs FWAS

The clearest difference is rating: West Texas Mesonet at 4.0 against FWAS's 3.3. West Texas Mesonet also leads on review sentiment (49% vs 25%) and ratings volume (137 vs 10). FWAS's advantage is update cadence (every 4 months vs every 11 months) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

West Texas Mesonet holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: West Texas Mesonet has 137 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of West Texas Mesonet's written reviews are positive against 25% of FWAS's.

West Texas Mesonet ships an update every 11 months, FWAS every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | West Texas Mesonet | FWAS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (137 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/west-texas-mesonet/id1210071930/reviews)** | [3.3 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fwasfire-weather-alert-system/id6445856411/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **137** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | **48.7% of reviews** | 25.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | **Every 4 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#201** | — |
| Size | 5 MB | 200 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **10.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Texas Tech University](https://appshunter.io/developer/346248861) | [US Forest Service](https://appshunter.io/developer/949583790) |

## What reviewers say

### West Texas Mesonet

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/west-texas-mesonet/id1210071930)

**Currently charting:** #201 Top Free · Weather (US App Store)

Access real-time weather data from over 150 locations across West Texas, eastern New Mexico, and southwest Colorado. View detailed conditions, forecasts, and maps, and share information easily.

**Highlights:** Real-time weather data from 150+ sites, Save favorite weather stations, Daily and weekly forecasts, Share weather data, Weather data maps, Quick data refresh

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Real-time temperature data
- 👍 Accurate local conditions
- 👍 Good for West Texas weather
- 👍 Informative data
- 👍 Easy to navigate maps

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Map background hard to read
- 🐛 Map zooms out after selection
- 🐛 NWS forecast not loading
- 🐛 Radar/Satellite not working
- 🐛 Old app was better

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot save weather stations after update
- Map background colors unreadable
- Map zooms out and is hard to navigate
- NWS forecast will not load
- Radar/Satellite features stopped working

**Requested features**

- Save weather stations
- Improve map readability
- Fix map zoom behavior
- Load NWS forecast
- Fix radar/satellite functionality


### FWAS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fwasfire-weather-alert-system/id6445856411)

This app provides critical weather information and custom alerts for firefighters to anticipate dangerous fire behavior. It offers map-based access to fire-specific weather data, including RAWS, NWS forecasts, and radar, helping to prevent entrapments.

**Highlights:** Custom weather alerts, RAWS/ASOS station data, Fire-specific weather forecasts, Satellite hotspot mapping, Incident location and fire perimeters, NWS watches, warnings, and advisories, NEXRAD radar data

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is West Texas Mesonet free?

West Texas Mesonet is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is FWAS free?

FWAS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, West Texas Mesonet or FWAS?

West Texas Mesonet is rated higher. West Texas Mesonet averages 4.0 out of 5 from 137 ratings, while FWAS averages 3.3 from 10 ratings.

### Do West Texas Mesonet or FWAS have ads?

Neither West Texas Mesonet nor FWAS shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, West Texas Mesonet or FWAS?

West Texas Mesonet ships an update every 11 months, and FWAS every 4 months. Most recently, West Texas Mesonet was updated on November 6, 2026 and FWAS on November 3, 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.*