# Sunbeam vs Is It Beach Day

The clearest difference is monetization model: Is It Beach Day at free against Sunbeam's freemium. Is It Beach Day also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). Sunbeam's advantage is ratings volume (1.7K vs 1) and update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sunbeam sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Is It Beach Day sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Is It Beach Day holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sunbeam has 1.7K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Sunbeam ships an update every 4 weeks, Is It Beach Day every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sunbeam | Is It Beach Day |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sunbeam-uv-index-tracker/id1448601833/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/is-it-beach-day/id6779072992/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.7K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 69.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 113 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Electric Acorn Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1890746620) | [yitz frid](https://appshunter.io/developer/6777739428) |

## What reviewers say

### Sunbeam

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sunbeam-uv-index-tracker/id1448601833)

This app provides real-time UV Index forecasts and personalized sun exposure tracking. It helps users avoid sunburn, monitor time spent in daylight, and estimate Vitamin D levels. Features include widgets, Apple Watch integration, and Apple Health syncing.

**Highlights:** Worldwide UV Index forecasts, Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets, Apple Watch app with complications, Apple Health integration, Personalized sunburn risk tracking, Live Activities for Lock Screen, Extended 10-day UV forecasts

**Features:** Apple Watch app, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sunbeam Pro Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Sunbeam Pro Annual | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Accurate UV tracking
- 👍 Helpful for planning sun exposure
- 🌞 Useful for tanning and vitamin D generation
- 🔒 Respects user privacy
- 📊 Provides detailed hourly and daily UV forecasts

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Many features locked behind paywall
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and connectivity issues
- 📍 Difficulty setting custom location
- 🔋 High battery consumption for some users

**Reported bugs**

- Widget not working for some users
- UV data not updating correctly in certain locations
- Vitamin D tab not functioning as expected

**Requested features**

- Integration with Apple Health for better vitamin D tracking
- Customizable sun exposure timers and alarms
- Historical data and exposure tracking
- More detailed skin type and sunscreen recommendations


### Is It Beach Day

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/is-it-beach-day/id6779072992)

This app provides a simple beach day score based on over 15 live data sources, including weather, water conditions, and crowds. It offers a 7-day outlook and detailed explanations for its scores, helping you plan your beach trips effectively.

**Highlights:** Live Beach Day score (0-100), 15+ live data sources, 7-day hourly outlook, Live weather radar, Beach-cam intelligence (seaweed, crowds, water clarity), Golden hour forecast, Sand temperature

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Beach Day Plus (Monthly) | $2.99 | per month |
| Beach Day Plus (Yearly) | $19.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sunbeam free?

Sunbeam is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Is It Beach Day free?

Is It Beach Day is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Sunbeam or Is It Beach Day?

Is It Beach Day is rated higher. Sunbeam averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while Is It Beach Day averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Sunbeam or Is It Beach Day have ads?

Neither Sunbeam nor Is It Beach Day shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sunbeam or Is It Beach Day?

Sunbeam ships an update every 4 weeks, and Is It Beach Day every 2 months. Most recently, Sunbeam was updated on November 6, 2026 and Is It Beach Day on October 31, 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.*