Comparison

Helio vs Explore Fall

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

Head to head
About

Helio

Predicts the quality of sunrises and sunsets at your location, helping you plan when to capture the perfect shot or simply enjoy the view. Includes weather forecasts and future predictions for better planning.

Highlights
  • Daily sunrise/sunset quality forecasts
  • Integrated weather forecasts
  • Future forecast planning
  • Community photo sharing
  • Clean and simple design
Features
Read full description

Will tonight’s sunset actually be worth it? Helio tells you before you go. Helio uses real weather and an ML model to rate how good every sunrise and sunset will be at your exact location — on a clear, simple scale. No more guessing whether to grab your camera or just step outside. What you get: • Sunrise & sunset quality scores — every day, at a glance, for your exact location • Built-in weather — see the conditions that shape the sky before you head out • Multi-day forecasts — plan shoots, hikes, and trips around the best skies ahead • Community Reports — real sky conditions from people near you, live on a map. Rate your own sunset to help everyone call the next one • Top Predicted Spots — discover the places worldwide our model expects to have a genuinely great sky tonight (only the standouts make the list) • Clean, fast design — the answer you need, none of the clutter Whether you’re chasing golden hour for the perfect shot or just want to know if tonight’s sky is worth looking up for, Helio turns “maybe” into a plan. Free to download. Upgrade to Helio Premium for extended, longer-range forecasts.

About

Explore Fall

Discover the best fall foliage across the United States with interactive maps and community-driven reports. Get local forecasts for peak timing, current color status, and weather information. Follow seasonal highlights with real photos and videos.

Highlights
  • Interactive foliage map
  • Local fall color forecasts
  • Community foliage reports
  • Seasonal highlights
  • Date slider for color progression
  • Real photos and videos
Currently charting
Read full description

Explore Fall helps you find the best fall color across the United States. Start on the Home tab for recent community reports, foliage photos, regional highlights, and a quick way to report what you are seeing. Search for a city, park, or scenic area to view a local fall foliage forecast with expected peak timing, current color status, local weather, and nearby community observations. Use the interactive foliage map to follow color progression through the season. Move the date slider to look ahead, compare timing across regions, and explore how fall color changes from early color to peak and past peak. Follow seasonal Highlights with real photos, videos, and updates from across the country. Community foliage reports are reviewed before submitted notes and photos are publicly visible.

Screenshots

Helio3 screens
Explore Fall4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Explore Fall at 86% against Helio's 44%. Explore Fall also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and rating (4.5 vs 4.2). Helio's advantage is ratings volume (136 vs 8). 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. Helio sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Explore Fall asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Explore Fall holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Helio has 136 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of Helio's written reviews are positive against 86% of Explore Fall's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Helio ships an update every 11 days, Explore Fall every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Helio versus Explore Fall: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHelioExplore Fall
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (136 ratings)4.5 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews43.8% of reviews85.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings136 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank—#112 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJohn ElettoExplore Fall LLC

Customer experience

Helio

All ratings136 ratings
Positive80.9%
Neutral2.2%
Negative16.9%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive43.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative56.3%

Explore Fall

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Helio

Subscriptions3
  • Helio Monthly3 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Helio Yearly$19.991 Year
  • Helio Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
None

Explore Fall

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Helio free?
Helio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Explore Fall free?
Explore Fall is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Helio or Explore Fall?
Explore Fall is rated higher. Helio averages 4.2 out of 5 from 136 ratings, while Explore Fall averages 4.5 from 8 ratings.
Do Helio or Explore Fall have ads?
Neither Helio nor Explore Fall shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Helio or Explore Fall?
Helio ships an update every 11 days, and Explore Fall every 3 weeks. Most recently, Helio was updated on October 15, 2026 and Explore Fall on October 13, 2026.

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