Comparison

Lightning Tracker vs Marine Instruments

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Live lightning map
  • Real-time strike visualization
  • Predictive lightning alerts
  • Estimated time of arrival (ETA) for strikes
  • Monitor saved locations
  • 6-hour strike history
Read full description

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!

About

Marine Instruments

Read full description

Marine Instruments turns your iPhone into a boat instrument display. Connect it to your boat's NMEA 0183 WiFi gateway and see your real instruments — wind, depth, speed and heading — on a big, glare-friendly screen. No gateway? The built-in sensors still give you heel angle, a barometer with storm alarm and a GPS trip log. BOAT INSTRUMENTS OVER WIFI (NEW) • Connects to any NMEA 0183 WiFi gateway: Orca Core, Yacht Devices, Digital Yacht, Vesper and many more • Speed over ground (SOG), depth, apparent wind angle & speed, heading • TCP or UDP, configurable host and port (standard 10110) • Automatic reconnection when the connection drops • Values mark themselves stale ("--") within seconds if data stops — no misleading frozen numbers HEEL & ATTITUDE INDICATOR • Real-time pitch, roll and yaw with an aircraft-style horizon • Maximum heel angle tracking for port and starboard • One-tap recalibration to your mounting position • Motion history graph BAROMETER • Live atmospheric pressure from the iPhone's own barometer sensor • 4-hour pressure graph with trend arrow • Automatic alarm with vibration when pressure changes faster than 1.5 hPa/hour — a classic early storm warning • If your phone has no barometer, pressure from the gateway (MDA) is used instead TRIP LOG • Distance in nautical miles, current/average/max speed in knots • Trip duration, reset whenever you like • Recording happens while the app is open — the screen stays on automatically, so mount the phone and sail SEA STATE • Beaufort scale estimate (0-12) from vessel motion • Wave height estimation REAL NIGHT MODE • Every instrument — attitude, barometer, graphs, trip log and NMEA tiles — switches to a red-on-black palette that preserves your night vision • Remembered across launches PRIVACY All data stays on your device. No accounts, no analytics, no tracking. The only network connection the app ever makes is to the gateway IP you enter yourself. Note: for accurate heel and wave readings, mount the device in a fixed position on your vessel.

Screenshots

Lightning Tracker4 screens
Marine Instruments4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Lightning Tracker at Free against Marine Instruments's $7.99. Lightning Tracker also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). Marine Instruments's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On update cadence 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

Lightning Tracker is free to download; Marine Instruments costs $7.99 up front. Lightning Tracker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Marine Instruments asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lightning Tracker ships an update every 4 months, Marine Instruments every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Lightning Tracker versus Marine Instruments: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLightning TrackerMarine Instruments
PriceFree — better$7.99
Rating4.3 (574 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews74.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings574 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 7 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size127 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperElecont LLCStolk.cc

Bugs and requests

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

Marine Instruments

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Lightning Tracker

One-time1
  • Remove Ads & Limits$2.99
None

Marine Instruments

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Lightning Tracker free?
Lightning Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Marine Instruments free?
Marine Instruments costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Lightning Tracker or Marine Instruments have ads?
Lightning Tracker shows ads; Marine Instruments does not.
Which is updated more often, Lightning Tracker or Marine Instruments?
Lightning Tracker ships an update every 4 months, and Marine Instruments every 7 months. Most recently, Lightning Tracker was updated on October 17, 2026 and Marine Instruments on October 10, 2026.

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