Comparison

Air Quality Index vs Wildfire Map Tracker

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

Head to head
About

Air Quality Index

This app provides 48-hour smoke prediction maps for the Continental US, utilizing data from NOAA. It can also display EPA AQI readings, offering a comprehensive view of air quality.

Highlights
  • 48-hour smoke prediction maps
  • Near surface and vertically integrated smoke data
  • Continental US coverage
  • Optional EPA AQI readings
  • NOAA data integration
Features
Read full description

Air Quality shows you what is actually in the air — where the smoke is, where it is heading, and what the air is like at any point on Earth you tap. See the smoke before it arrives A 48-hour NOAA HRRR forecast for the continental US and Alaska, hour by hour, at ground level and through the whole air column. Scrub the timeline and watch a plume move. Outside the US, Copernicus CAMS gives you five days of global smoke, dust, and haze. Air quality across a whole country, not a scatter of dots The US air quality map draws the hourly AQI as a continuous field from EPA AirNow, with a second layer for tomorrow’s forecast. Monitor readings ride on top as pins you can tap. Community sensor readings from OpenAQ cover the rest of the world. A forecast anywhere, not just where a weather station is Tap or press and hold any point on the map for a five-day air quality forecast — a stretch of coastline, a trailhead, a valley with nobody in it. Layers you choose • Ground-level and column smoke, 48 hours (NOAA HRRR) • Global smoke, dust, haze, PM2.5 and aerosol, 5 days (Copernicus CAMS) • US air quality index, now and tomorrow (EPA AirNow) • EPA monitor readings and worldwide community sensors • Active wildfires and satellite heat detections (NASA EONET, NASA FIRMS) • Daily satellite photography (NASA GIBS) • Volcanoes (Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program) • Pollen forecasts for six species across Europe On every screen you own Widgets and complications for a glance. An Apple Watch app with the reading and a five-day chart. An interactive 3D globe on Apple Vision Pro. An ambient satellite flyover on Apple TV. Multiple windows, a sidebar and a menu bar item on Mac. Free and private No price, no subscriptions, no ads, no accounts. Your location is used to show you the air where you are and never leaves your device. Data from NOAA, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, EPA AirNow, NASA, OpenAQ, Open-Meteo and the Smithsonian Institution. Air quality data is provided as published and is not a substitute for official public health guidance.

About

Wildfire Map Tracker

This app provides an interactive map to monitor active wildfires in the US, alongside global volcanic activity and hurricane storms. It's designed for educational purposes, offering real-time and historical data visualization.

Highlights
  • Wildfire monitoring (US)
  • Volcanic activity tracking
  • Hurricane storm alerts
  • Interactive global map
  • Historical data visualization
  • Educational purposes
Features
Read full description

Wildfire Map: Real-time monitoring of fires, smoke, AQI, and weather conditions in North America and Europe. The Wildfire Map helps you monitor wildfire activity in real time across North America and Europe using satellite data from hotspots. Visualize active fires on an interactive map, check nearby smoke risk, the Air Quality Index (AQI), wind, humidity, temperature, and other weather conditions that favor fire spread—all from one easy-to-use app. Use the Wildfire Map to explore hotspots, monitor selected fire areas, and review environmental conditions that can affect smoke and fire behavior. You can save important locations for easier monitoring. The Wildfire Map is designed for wildfire awareness, fire tracking, smoke monitoring, air quality updates, and weather hazard information. The Wildfire Map provides informative data on wildfires, smoke, weather and air quality, and does not replace official emergency alerts or evacuation recommendations... Terms os Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://scannercalorieios2024.web.app/

Screenshots

Air Quality Index4 screens
Wildfire Map Tracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Air Quality Index at 60% against Wildfire Map Tracker's 0%. Air Quality Index also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). Wildfire Map Tracker's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and update cadence (daily vs every 4 months). On price 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. Wildfire Map Tracker sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Air Quality Index asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Wildfire Map Tracker holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Air Quality Index has 20 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 60% of Air Quality Index's written reviews are positive against 0% of Wildfire Map Tracker's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Air Quality Index ships an update every 4 months, Wildfire Map Tracker daily. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 1 level
Air Quality Index versus Wildfire Map Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAir Quality IndexWildfire Map Tracker
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (20 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings20 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsDaily — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB48 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperApparent Logic, LLCLuz Ochoa

Customer experience

Air Quality Index

All ratings20 ratings
Positive85.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative15.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%

Wildfire Map Tracker

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

Air Quality Index

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Wildfire Map Tracker

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Premium Subscription$2.997 Days
  • Monthly Premium Subscription$9.991 Month
  • Annual Premium Subscription$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium Subscription$49.99

Questions

Is Air Quality Index free?
Air Quality Index is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Wildfire Map Tracker free?
Wildfire Map Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Air Quality Index or Wildfire Map Tracker?
Wildfire Map Tracker is rated higher. Air Quality Index averages 4.5 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Wildfire Map Tracker averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Air Quality Index or Wildfire Map Tracker have ads?
Wildfire Map Tracker shows ads; Air Quality Index does not.
Which is updated more often, Air Quality Index or Wildfire Map Tracker?
Air Quality Index ships an update every 4 months, and Wildfire Map Tracker daily. Most recently, Air Quality Index was updated on September 16, 2026 and Wildfire Map Tracker on September 22, 2026.

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