Thunderly vs Lightning Tracker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Thunderly
Visualize real-time lightning strikes globally on an interactive map. Explore weather data like clouds and precipitation, and measure distances to storms. You can even simulate lightning flashes with your camera.
- Real-time global lightning map
- Accurate day/night cycle
- Real-time clouds and precipitation layers
- Lightning history layer (last hour)
- Zoomable map detail
- Storm distance measurement
- Simulated lightning flashes
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Do you love storms as we do? Then you’ll love our app. At photorealistic globe you can see real time lightning all around the world. Besides accurate day and night cycle, globe contains real time clouds, precipitation and lightning history layer for last hour. For better resolution you can zoom into map detail. If you zoom really closely to your location, you can use start-stop feature to measure your distance from nearby storm. When no storm is close enough, feel free to “stream” lightnings via your camera flash from opposite side of the world to your living room. ...and one more thing: If you try hard enough we are pretty sure that you’ll find switch for real time aurora. Not as cool as lightning, but also kind of amazing!
Lightning Tracker
Visualize real-time lightning strikes across North and South America on a dynamic map. Receive predictive alerts for strike patterns and intensity, with estimated arrival times for your location. Monitor current and historical lightning activity to stay informed and protected.
- Live lightning map
- Real-time strike visualization
- Predictive lightning alerts
- Estimated time of arrival (ETA) for strikes
- Monitor saved locations
- 6-hour strike history
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Stay safe from lightning! Lightning Tracker delivers real-time lightning strike data for North and South America, keeping you and your loved ones protected. Live Lightning Map: Watch real-time strikes across the Americas with color-coded visuals to track lightning movement. Lightning Alerts: Predict strike patterns and intensity, with ETAs for your location. Monitor Anywhere: Check strikes near you or saved spots, like home or family, in one tap. 6-Hour Strike History: Analyze past lightning trends to stay one step ahead. Protect what matters most with Lightning Tracker. Download now to track strikes and stay safe!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Thunderly at none against Lightning Tracker's 1. Thunderly also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months). Lightning Tracker's advantage is review sentiment (76% vs 58%). On price, rating 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
Both are free to download. Lightning Tracker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Thunderly asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Thunderly against 4.3 for Lightning Tracker. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.6K and 574 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 58% of Thunderly's written reviews are positive against 76% of Lightning Tracker's.
Thunderly ships an update every 3 weeks, Lightning Tracker every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Thunderly | Lightning Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (2.6K ratings) | 4.3 (574 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 57.7% of reviews | 75.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.6K — better | 574 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 113 MB | 127 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jan Plesek | Elecont LLC |
Customer experience
Thunderly
Lightning Tracker
User reviews
Thunderly
From 2.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🌟 Awesome app
- 🌩️ Great for tracking storms
- 🎨 Beautiful graphics
- 🔊 Realistic sound effects
- 🌍 Global coverage
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🔌 App not working/functional
- 🕰️ App no longer updated
- 🔇 Sound/vibration issues
- 📱 Compatibility problems on older devices
Lightning Tracker
From 574 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Accurate and real-time lightning tracking
- 👍 Helpful for safety and planning outdoor activities
- 💡 Useful for weather monitoring and storm tracking
- ⭐ Excellent app overall
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 📢 Intrusive ads in free version
- 🚫 Lack of important features like distance, alerts, and history
Bugs and requests
Thunderly
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes on launch
- Globe not rendering properly
- Lightning data not updating in real-time
- Incorrect lightning strike detection
Requested features
5 requests- Add ability to track past lightning strikes
- Implement distance/location-based alerts
- Include weather data and radar
- Add support for landscape mode and iPad
- Provide more customization options
Lightning Tracker
Reported bugs
3 issues- App not detecting lightning strikes even when visible
- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Issues with app updates and functionality changes
Requested features
4 requests- Add distance/radius information for lightning strikes
- Implement push notifications/alerts for lightning within a certain radius
- Provide historical data and the ability to view past lightning activity
- Improve overall app stability and performance
In-app purchases
Thunderly
No in-app purchases
Lightning Tracker
- Remove Ads & Limits$2.99
Questions
Is Thunderly free?
Is Lightning Tracker free?
Which has better reviews, Thunderly or Lightning Tracker?
Do Thunderly or Lightning Tracker have ads?
Which is updated more often, Thunderly or Lightning Tracker?
Other comparisons
