WeatherBug vs Forecast Now
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
WeatherBug
Get real-time local weather, severe storm alerts, and detailed forecasts. Track lightning, pollen, UV exposure, and air quality with interactive maps and customizable widgets. Plan your day with confidence, knowing what to expect from the weather.
- Real-time pinpoint forecasts
- Severe weather alerts
- Interactive weather maps
- Lightning and storm tracking
- Pollen and UV index
- 10-day and hourly forecasts
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A brand-new WeatherBug is here! The weather app you rely on for live local radar, severe storm alerts, lightning alerts and pollen forecasts, now with a new design, an improved experience and even more ways to stay ahead of the weather. Whether you’re planning your day, tracking a storm, checking your UV exposure, or wondering when the rain will start, WeatherBug gives you the weather information you need when you need it. Explore new and improved features, including UV, Spark Lightning, Tropical Center, Precipitation Outlook and more, all designed to make understanding what’s happening outside easier and more useful. Plan ahead with 10-Day Forecasts and over 140 hours of Hourly Forecasts, track changing conditions with interactive weather maps, and get timely severe weather alerts when conditions could impact your day. WeatherBug brings your forecast, radar, lightning, severe weather, pollen, precipitation and more together in one easy-to-use app. Because checking the weather shouldn’t just tell you what’s happening. It should help you know what to do next. Join millions of people who use WeatherBug to stay informed, prepared and ready for whatever the weather brings. WEATHERBUG FEATURES: YOUR WEATHER FORECAST • Real-Time Pinpoint Forecasts: Get the most accurate current, hourly, and 10-day weather forecasts • Precipitation Outlook: See when rain or snow is likely to start and stop near you • Enhanced Interactive Map: Visualize weather conditions with over 20 weather maps • Lifestyle Forecasts: Know how the weather will impact your trips, workouts, allergies, chronic pain and much more • Weather Widget: Customize your alerts and display them with weather widgets • Severe Weather Alerts: Get alerted to thunderstorms, tornadoes, flooding and other severe weather near you • Weather Videos: Get storm updates, weather explainers, seasonal outlooks, and practical safety tips from WeatherBug meteorologists to help you understand what’s happening and what it means for you. TRACK ANY CONDITION • Live Weather Radar: available across the U.S. • Spark Lightning Alerts: track lightning near you with minute-by-minute, mile-by-mile lightning proximity alerts, ideal for outdoor sports, golf, pools and hiking • Tropical Center: track hurricanes and tropical storms with forecasts and changing conditions • Fire Center: global fire data to know when you are at risk • Winter Weather: Stay safe in severe winter conditions with our real-time snowstorm alerts MORE THAN JUST RAIN • Pollen Count & Allergy Forecast: Keep your allergies in check by knowing what the local pollen conditions are like • UV Index: Check local UV levels and know when sun exposure may be strongest • Air Quality: Get an in-depth look at the air quality around you • Precise Weather Details: Wind speed, weather observations and more FASTEST WEATHER ALERTS • Receive all National Weather Service watches, warnings, and advisories, including tornado and flood warnings. CONNECT WITH US • Facebook: @WeatherBug • Instagram: @weatherbug • TikTok: @officialweatherbug • Check out WeatherBug's YouTube weather channel broadcast here: https://www.youtube.com/user/WeatherBugVideo Download WeatherBug, the free weather app for live radar, severe storm alerts, lightning alerts and pollen forecasts, used and loved by millions. Awarded the "Best Weather App" in 2019 by Mediapost Appy Awards. Also, voted the "Best Weather App for iPads" by AppPicker and "Best App for Moms" by Parent Magazine: WeatherBug! This app may include "Interest-Based Ads" (see https://www.weatherbug.com/legal/privacy#AC for more information) and may collect or share "Precise Location Data" (see https://www.weatherbug.com/legal/privacy#PLD for more details).
Forecast Now
Get detailed local weather forecasts for any US town, including daily and hourly predictions, animated radar, and hazardous weather alerts. Track air quality, UV index, and snowfall with data from official US sources. An optional subscription removes ads and unlocks advanced satellite imagery.
- 7-day daily weather forecast
- 24-hour hourly forecast
- Animated radar and satellite views
- Hazardous weather warnings
- Predicted snowfall totals
- Air quality index
- Ultraviolet index
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Want the latest local weather forecast on your mobile device? For any town in the USA, Forecast Now provides: - the daily local weather forecast for the next 7 days - the hourly forecast for the next 24 hours - animated radar and satellite views - hazardous weather warnings - predicted snowfall totals (winter months) - the air quality index - the ultraviolet index - up to 8 stored locations Weather and climate information comes directly from the US National Weather Service, NOAA, and the EPA. Development of Forecast Now is funded in part by ads, which can be removed by selecting the monthly auto-renewing subscription option "Remove Ads" from the app's settings menu. Subscribing will also give you access all the GOES satellite imagery. The subscription price of 0.99 USD (in your local currency) will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and, for each renewal, within 24 hours prior to the end of the current month. You can cancel the subscription at any time through your iTunes account settings, but you must do so at least 24 hours before the end of the current month to avoid being charged, and ads will show again at the start of the subsequent month. Terms of use: https://www.kellytechnology.com/privacy/tac.html Privacy policy: https://www.kellytechnology.com/privacy/privacy_policy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: WeatherBug at 2.2M against Forecast Now's 1.5K. WeatherBug also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and chart position (#6 vs unranked). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. WeatherBug sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Forecast Now sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
WeatherBug holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: WeatherBug has 2.2M ratings behind it against 1.5K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of WeatherBug's written reviews are positive against 55% of Forecast Now's.
WeatherBug ships an update fortnightly, Forecast Now every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | WeatherBug | Forecast Now |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (2.2M ratings) — better | 4.4 (1.5K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 60.7% of reviews — better | 55.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2.2M — better | 1.5K |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #6 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 238 MB | 82 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | WeatherBug | Kelly Technology Inc. |
Customer experience
WeatherBug
Forecast Now
User reviews
WeatherBug
From 2.2M App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Accurate weather forecasts
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- ⚡️ Reliable lightning and storm tracking
- 📍 Customizable location settings
- 🌤️ Detailed weather information (humidity, UV, air quality)
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inconsistent data updates
- 🔋 Battery drain issues
- 🤔 Contradictory weather information between hourly and daily forecasts
- 🗺️ Inaccurate radar and location mapping in some areas
- 💤 Slow app loading times
Forecast Now
From 1.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Favorite weather app
- 🚀 Accurate and dependable forecasts
- 💡 Detailed weather information
- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
Room to improve
- 🐛 Ads disrupt user experience
- 🐛 Forecast information not always available
- 🐛 Slow app performance and crashes
- 🐛 Difficult to read small text
Bugs and requests
WeatherBug
Reported bugs
3 issues- App crashes on startup
- Widget functionality issues
- Incorrect location and weather data for some areas
Requested features
4 requests- Improved radar and storm tracking coverage
- Ability to disable unnecessary notifications
- More accurate and up-to-date weather data
- Metric unit support for international users
Forecast Now
Reported bugs
3 issues- Radar and local weather information not working
- Forecast details disappearing after updates
- Inability to access more than one location
Requested features
4 requests- Add day of week to forecast
- Improve radar and map functionality
- Provide more location-specific details
- Offer a paid ad-free version
In-app purchases
WeatherBug
- Monthly Ad Free Subscription3 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Annual Ad Free Subscription7 Days trial$10.991 Year
- Ad Free Subscription Holiday Promo$10.991 Year
Forecast Now
- Remove Ads$0.991 Month
Questions
Is WeatherBug free?
Is Forecast Now free?
Which has better reviews, WeatherBug or Forecast Now?
Do WeatherBug or Forecast Now have ads?
Which is updated more often, WeatherBug or Forecast Now?
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