Comparison

kWx vs Flash Weather

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

Head to head
About

kWx

Accesses official NOAA weather data directly, minimizing bandwidth and eliminating third-party tracking. View current conditions, 7-day forecasts, and heat index for numerous global locations. Customize station lists and offset forecast locations for precise weather information.

Highlights
  • Direct NOAA data access
  • 7-day text forecasts
  • Current conditions and temperature
  • Customizable station lists
  • Offset forecast locations
  • Heat Index display
Features
Read full description

Minimize bandwidth and eliminate third-party data collection by directly asking official NOAA weather stations, which include many Canadian and Mexican stations. You can add/ rearrange /subtract from the list. kWx retrieves data directly from weather.gov. Get the current conditions and temperature for most airports and then get the 7-day text forecast for those stations, or offset the forecast location from the weather station, e.g. use KNUQ (Moffett) for current temperature but set the latitude and longitude of Cupertino for the 7-day forecast. This is how NOAA reports the weather for any location. On the list page a station that has an asterisk means the forecast location is different from the weather station or you can rename that station to the actual location. Sometimes data are missing from weather.gov but available from aviationweather.gov (the FAA). These data are used as backup. On the Add station screen you can click the "Get Location" button and using your favorite mapping app you can enter in the location for where you want the forecast to be from as well as naming the station. Find Station button links to new page that allows you to see all the stations for each State and Canadian Province. If the corrected lat/lon offset is within 0.02 degrees the asterisk is omitted. Most stations are K+ Airport Locator (e.g. KORD), but Alaska/Hawaii begin with PA/PH, and Canadian stations begin with C. Many Canadian stations are C+Airport Locator (e.g. CYVR for Vancouver) but others begin CW, CX and CZ. In-app lookup for both US and Canadian weather stations. If available the Heat Index (combination of temperature and humidity) is presented. A heat index below 105F is in yellow, below 125F in orange, above that in red. ~40 Mexican stations are available, all start with MM rather than K (US) or C(Canada). No forecast for the Mexican stations, just current weather. Most foreign airports have now been added. Enter the ICAO code and aviationweather.gov will return the current temperature, conditions and winds for that airport. ICAO codes are different from IATA codes, which are typically 3 letters. ICAO codes are 4 letters and info about the region the airport is based in. All existing US weather stations (e.g. KORD) are ICAO codes but overseas they tend to be more obscure, eg Heathrow, which has an IATA code of LHR, has an ICAO code of EGLL, Narita is RIAA, CDG is LFPG, Seoul is RKSS, etc. The webs are pretty good at coming up with the right ICAO code for a given airport. Note that there is no forecast within these data, just the current conditions. We are tapping into METAR data for each airport. Try it and see! The app requires iOS 15

About

Flash Weather

This app uses advanced algorithms and deep learning to predict lightning strikes before they happen. It provides real-time and future radar, smart push notifications, and heat stress forecasting for outdoor safety. Get hourly and 7-day forecasts for temperature, precipitation, and more.

Highlights
  • Predictive lightning alerts
  • Live Activities on Lock Screen
  • Future radar up to 18 hours
  • Smart push notifications
  • Heat and WBGT forecasting
  • 7-day hourly and daily forecasts
Features
Read full description

FLASH predicts lightning before the first strike. With a patented algorithm infused with Deep Learning, you'll always know when to head inside, and when it's safe to head back out. Whether you are outdoors for work, training, sports, or recreation, FLASH is your edge against the elements. LIGHTNING PREDICTION LIKE NEVER BEFORE Our patented algorithm, infused with deep learning, forecasts where lightning will be before it hits. - Live Activities let you track the storm from your Lock Screen - FirstStrike tells you when the strike will be in your backyard - All Clear gives a simple yes/no answer to "Can we go back outside?" - 5 Hour Lightning Forecast gives extra time to decide on afternoon & evening plans CURRENT AND FUTURE RADAR High resolution current and future radar with lightning, watches and warnings, plus Flash Weather's FirstStrike, All Clear, and Lightning Probability forecast maps. - Up to the minute current radar and current lightning - 18-hour future radar in 15-minute increments, updating hourly - FirstStrike, All Clear, and Lightning Probability maps updating every 2 minutes SMART PUSH NOTIFICATIONS Get alerted when lightning is detected or forecast near you. - Forecast-based warnings before a strike - Customizable lightning proximity alerts for every saved location NFHS-STANDARD, EXCLUSIVE HEAT AND WBGT FORECASTING Plan your day with real-time WBGT readings, critical for outdoor safety. FLASH also forecasts heat stress 7 days out so you can avoid dangerous conditions before they start. - Live WBGT values for your exact location - Heat risk color coding for easy interpretation - 7-day forward-looking heat stress outlook HOURLY AND 7-DAY FORECASTS High and low temperatures, precipitation chance and amount, wind, dew point, cloud cover, and UV index. - Hourly and daily forecasts out 7 days - Graphical temperature, precipitation, and wind outlooks Developed by Flash Weather. Learn more at flashweather.ai Questions or suggestions: support@flashweather.ai Some features require a Flash Premium subscription. After a 7-day free trial, Premium is $3.99/mo or $39.99/yr. Privacy Policy: https://flashweather.ai/privacy/ Terms of Service: https://flashweather.ai/legal/ Auto-renewable subscriptions are governed by Apple's standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

kWx4 screens
Flash Weather4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: kWx at none against Flash Weather's 2. Flash Weather's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (105 vs 2). On price, update cadence, 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. Flash Weather sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. kWx asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Flash Weather holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Flash Weather has 105 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of kWx's written reviews are positive against 65% of Flash Weather's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

kWx ships an update every 4 weeks, Flash Weather fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
kWx versus Flash Weather: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterkWxFlash Weather
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (2 ratings)4.4 (105 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews64.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2105 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
Best chart rank—#78 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB73 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperSean BrennanFlash Scientific Technology

Customer experience

kWx

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

Flash Weather

All ratings105 ratings
Positive83.8%
Neutral3.8%
Negative12.4%
Written reviews48 reviews
Positive64.6%
Neutral6.3%
Negative29.2%

Bugs and requests

kWx

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Flash Weather

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • App doesn't always load quickly or at all
  • Lightning feature won't load during storms
  • Metrics (humidity, UV) never appear
  • Radar not working
  • Radar and lightning maps not working
Show 6 more
  • Location shows incorrect state
  • App crashes every time it's opened
  • App won't open all the way then closes
  • Lightning distance less precise after upgrade
  • No alerts during severe thunderstorms
  • Account creation fails

Requested features

9 requests
  • Add notifications for advisories/warnings
  • Include a lightning counter with trend rate
  • Show UV rating, rain possibility, air quality in radar section
  • Make more features available without premium
  • Fix app crashing issues
Show 4 more
  • Improve location accuracy
  • Ensure radar and lightning maps are consistently working
  • Provide a way to sign up for premium on all devices
  • Offer ads instead of premium for basic features

In-app purchases

None

kWx

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Flash Weather

Subscriptions2
  • Flash Premium Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Flash Premium Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is kWx free?
kWx is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Flash Weather free?
Flash Weather is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, kWx or Flash Weather?
Flash Weather is rated higher. kWx averages 4.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Flash Weather averages 4.4 from 105 ratings.
Do kWx or Flash Weather have ads?
Neither kWx nor Flash Weather shows ads.
Which is updated more often, kWx or Flash Weather?
kWx ships an update every 4 weeks, and Flash Weather fortnightly. Most recently, kWx was updated on November 3, 2026 and Flash Weather on November 7, 2026.

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