Comparison

SDG&E Weather vs Guidepole

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

Head to head
About

SDG&E Weather

Get hyper-local weather forecasts for San Diego. View current conditions, hourly predictions, and extended outlooks. Stay informed about weather alerts and trends specific to your area.

Highlights
  • Hyper-local San Diego forecasts
  • Current weather conditions
  • Hourly predictions
  • Extended outlooks
  • Weather alerts
Features
Read full description

San Diego Weather

About

Guidepole

Track wildfire smoke and air quality with real-time maps and forecasts. Get alerts for approaching smoke and understand current air conditions to make informed decisions about your safety.

Highlights
  • Real-time smoke plume tracking
  • 24-hour smoke forecast
  • Live EPA AQI maps
  • 24-hour AQI forecast
  • Active wildfire information
  • Customizable safety alerts
Features
Read full description

Wildfire smoke doesn't stay where the fire is. Guidepole Fire is a live wildfire map that shows every fire, the smoke overhead and the air you're actually breathing, right now and for the next 24 hours. So you know whether to go outside, close the windows or get out of town. EVERY WILDFIRE, LIVE • Active wildfires across the US and Canada: size, containment, cause and crews, updated continuously. • Official fire perimeters from NIFC, drawn on a 3D map of the terrain. • Satellite hot spots from NASA FIRMS, so new heat shows up even before a fire has a name. • Wind, humidity, radar and red flag warnings, so you can see which way a fire may run. SMOKE AND AIR QUALITY • The live smoke plume overhead from NOAA satellites. • A 24-hour smoke forecast you can scrub hour by hour. • Real-time air quality (AQI) from EPA AirNow and PurpleAir sensors, with a 24-hour AQI forecast. ANSWERS, NOT JUST DATA • "Where's this smoke coming from?" Tap any spot and Guidepole Fire traces it to the upwind fire. • "Is my air safe right now?" The current AQI in plain words, and what it means for you. • "When will it clear?" A read on how wind and weather will move the smoke out. • Or just ask Gary, the built-in assistant, about the fires, smoke and air near any place. FREE FIRE AND SMOKE ALERTS Save home, the cabin or anywhere you care about. Get a heads-up when a new fire starts nearby, when satellite heat shows up, when a red flag warning is issued, or when smoke and bad air reach your places. The core safety alerts are always free. FIRE PRO (OPTIONAL) Unlock the full forecast and deeper detail with Fire Pro, monthly or annual. Start with a free trial and cancel anytime. Built on public data from NIFC, NASA FIRMS, NOAA HMS and HRRR, EPA AirNow, PurpleAir and the National Weather Service. Guidepole Fire is an information tool, not an emergency service. It does not replace evacuation orders or alerts from local authorities, 911, InciWeb, AirNow or the National Weather Service. Always follow official guidance. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy: https://guidepole.com/legal/privacy

Screenshots

SDG&E Weather4 screens
Guidepole4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SDG&E Weather at none against Guidepole's 1. SDG&E Weather also leads on ratings volume (19 vs 4) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). Guidepole's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 75%). On price, 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. Guidepole sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $29.99 per year. SDG&E Weather asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Guidepole holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 19 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of SDG&E Weather's written reviews are positive against 100% of Guidepole's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SDG&E Weather ships an update every 4 months, Guidepole every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
SDG&E Weather versus Guidepole: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSDG&E WeatherGuidepole
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (19 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings19 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB94 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperSan Diego Gas & ElectricGuidepole LLC

Customer experience

SDG&E Weather

All ratings19 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

Guidepole

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

SDG&E Weather

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Guidepole

Subscriptions1
  • Guidepole Fire Pro7 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is SDG&E Weather free?
SDG&E Weather is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Guidepole free?
Guidepole is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SDG&E Weather or Guidepole?
Guidepole is rated higher. SDG&E Weather averages 4.7 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while Guidepole averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do SDG&E Weather or Guidepole have ads?
Neither SDG&E Weather nor Guidepole shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SDG&E Weather or Guidepole?
SDG&E Weather ships an update every 4 months, and Guidepole every 11 days. Most recently, SDG&E Weather was updated on October 24, 2026 and Guidepole on October 25, 2026.

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