Comparison

NOAA Forecast vs Solar Activity Pro

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

Head to head
About

NOAA Forecast

Visualize detailed weather forecasts from NOAA's Global Forecast System. Explore a scrollable and zoomable grid of forecast maps, with options for different forecast types and global regions.

Highlights
  • NOAA GFS weather map display
  • Scrollable and zoomable grid interface
  • Multiple forecast types (21 options)
  • Forecasts displayed in 12-hour intervals
  • Global region selection
  • Raw GFS model data visualization
Features
Read full description

The NOAA Forecast app collects and displays weather maps produced by NOAA's Global Forecast System (GFS). The maps are displayed in a scrollable and zoomable grid. The vertical axis of the grid is forecast time. Four different forecasts are displayed at 12 hour time intervals. The horizontal axis of the grid is different types of forecasts - five different types of maps can be selected from among 21 possible map types. The maps are available for thirteen different regions of the globe. These maps are the raw maps produced by the GFS computer model. The maps and the data contained in the maps are processed and interpreted by other weather services to produce the maps seen in the newspaper and on TV.

About

Solar Activity Pro

Monitor solar activity and its potential effects on well-being and technology. Get aurora forecasts, real-time data, and customizable widgets. Stay informed about space weather events with detailed indicators and notifications.

Highlights
  • Widgets for solar activity
  • Push notifications
  • Aurora forecast and cameras
  • KP and AP index tracking
  • Solar wind and electron/proton flux data
  • Sunspot and electron content maps
Read full description

Solar Activity Pro — your space weather companion Geomagnetic and solar activity can affect how you feel — from headaches and fatigue to general malaise — and can also influence technical systems such as GPS, satellites, and radio communications. Solar Activity Pro helps you stay informed about what is happening on the Sun and around Earth, whether you are an aurora hunter, a space weather enthusiast, or simply curious about solar storms. NEW: Aurora Map Explore Northern Lights probability on an interactive world map powered by NOAA OVATION data. Tap anywhere to see aurora probability, coordinates, and place name. Customize the map with multiple styles, cloud overlay, aurora intensity, and your current location. Stay informed - Push notifications for NOAA space weather alerts - Alerts screen with solar activity warnings and impacts timeline - Live dashboard with key gauges (solar wind speed, density, Bz, Bt, Kp, Dst, magnetometer, electron flux) - Boulder Kp index with trend direction Forecasts - Kp and Ap index forecasts - Predicted solar wind - 24-hour and weekly outlooks - Solar activity reports - Sunspot number and F10.7 radio flux forecasts Observations (last 24 hours) - Solar wind speed, density, and temperature - Magnetometer data - Electron and proton flux Aurora - Interactive Aurora Map (NOAA OVATION) - Northern and Southern Lights models - Tonight and tomorrow aurora outlook - Live aurora cameras - aurora forecast for major cities around the world - you can select your city on the map to get an aurora forecast - aurora forecast powered by artificial intelligence Models & maps - Solar wind velocity, density, and pressure animations - Global and regional ionospheric perturbation maps - Total Electron Content (TEC) — global and North America - CTIPe, WAM-IPE, and GloTEC models Media - Aurora cameras from observation stations - Latest solar images (including DSCOVR) - Space weather videos Knowledge base - Phenomena — 16 illustrated topics: aurora, coronal holes, CMEs, geomagnetic storms, solar wind, flares, sunspots, ionosphere, radiation belts, cosmic rays, and more - Impacts — how space weather affects GPS, HF radio, satellites, power grids, and satellite drag Widgets Add live data to your Home Screen: - Planetary Kp index - Space weather conditions - DSCOVR solar view - Latest X-ray flare event - Observations - Aurora cameras - Solar images Access to the application is carried out through a subscription system. You can choose a subscription for one month or one year. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase App used standard EULA agreement - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ App privacy policy - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ksHp-nv_gkoOiqq6i8wENw9LJw-ey8NH/view?usp=sharing

Screenshots

NOAA Forecast1 screens
Solar Activity Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Solar Activity Pro at 4.2 against NOAA Forecast's 3.7. Solar Activity Pro also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 30 months). NOAA Forecast's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Solar Activity Pro sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. NOAA Forecast asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Solar Activity Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 5 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NOAA Forecast ships an update every 30 months, Solar Activity Pro fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on June 3, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
NOAA Forecast versus Solar Activity Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNOAA ForecastSolar Activity Pro
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (3 ratings)4.2 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings35 — better
Update frequencyEvery 30 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.2 — better17
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGeoffrey DommPavel Koyushev

Customer experience

NOAA Forecast

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Solar Activity Pro

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

NOAA Forecast

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Solar Activity Pro

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly subscription$2.991 Month
  • 3 Months subscription$6.993 Months
  • Yearly subscription$17.991 Year

Questions

Is NOAA Forecast free?
NOAA Forecast is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Solar Activity Pro free?
Solar Activity Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, NOAA Forecast or Solar Activity Pro?
Solar Activity Pro is rated higher. NOAA Forecast averages 3.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Solar Activity Pro averages 4.2 from 5 ratings.
Do NOAA Forecast or Solar Activity Pro have ads?
Neither NOAA Forecast nor Solar Activity Pro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NOAA Forecast or Solar Activity Pro?
NOAA Forecast ships an update every 30 months, and Solar Activity Pro fortnightly. Most recently, NOAA Forecast was updated on June 3, 2026 and Solar Activity Pro on September 25, 2026.

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