Thunderly vs StrikeCast
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!
StrikeCast
This app provides real-time lightning strike distance and live alerts on a map. Save locations to receive notifications when lightning is detected nearby, even when you're away. It offers a clean interface with no ad clutter.
- Real-time lightning strike distance
- Live map of lightning activity
- Customizable alerts for saved locations
- Distance in miles or kilometers
- Approaching and moving-away trends (Pro)
- Animated weather radar (Pro)
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How close is the lightning? StrikeCast: Lightning Tracker puts the answer front and center. See the approximate distance to the nearest detected strike in miles/km, follow activity on a clean live map, and set alerts for the places you care about. DISTANCE AT A GLANCE • See the nearest detected strike without searching through the map • View distance in miles or kilometers • Check when the latest nearby strike was detected • Explore latest strikes and lightning hotspots • Built on NOAA GOES satellite lightning data ALERTS FOR PLACES THAT MATTER Save a location and choose an alert radius. StrikeCast can notify you when lightning is detected nearby, even when you are somewhere else. Monitor home, work, school, or any place you want to keep an eye on. CALM, CLEAR DESIGN No noisy dashboard and no ad clutter. When the area is quiet, StrikeCast says so. When lightning is nearby, the distance stays easy to find. UPGRADE TO PRO • Real-time strike data with no added free-tier delay • Approaching and moving-away trends • More saved locations and flexible alert radii • Animated weather radar • 12-hour thunderstorm forecast • Extended lightning range PRIVACY FIRST No ads. No cross-app tracking. Your location is used to calculate distance and power the alerts you choose. Lightning detection has inherent latency and location uncertainty. Distances are approximate. StrikeCast is informational and is not a substitute for official weather warnings or emergency guidance. Privacy Policy: https://strikecast.app/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://strikecast.app/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Thunderly at none against StrikeCast's 3. Thunderly also leads on ratings volume (2.6K vs 5) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). StrikeCast's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, ads 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. StrikeCast sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Thunderly asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Thunderly against 4.2 for StrikeCast. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thunderly has 2.6K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Thunderly ships an update every 3 weeks, StrikeCast every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 22, 2026.
| Parameter | Thunderly | StrikeCast |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (2.6K ratings) — better | 4.2 (5 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 57.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2.6K — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| 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 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 113 MB | 67 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jan Plesek | Kirill Proskurin |
Customer experience
Thunderly
StrikeCast
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
StrikeCast
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Thunderly
No in-app purchases
StrikeCast
- StrikeCast Pro$4.997 Days
- StrikeCast Pro$9.991 Month
- Lightning Tracker: Distance Pro3 Days trial$29.991 Year
Questions
Is Thunderly free?
Is StrikeCast free?
Which has better reviews, Thunderly or StrikeCast?
Do Thunderly or StrikeCast have ads?
Which is updated more often, Thunderly or StrikeCast?
Other comparisons
