Thunder & Lightning vs Dwell Secure
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Thunder & Lightning
Measure the distance to loud events like thunder, fireworks, or rocket launches by timing the visual and auditory cues. Adjust for temperature for greater accuracy and choose your preferred units. It also functions as a stopwatch, speed-of-sound calculator, and unit converter.
- Distance measurement to sound events
- Temperature adjustment for accuracy
- U.S./Imperial and metric units
- Stopwatch functionality
- Speed-of-sound calculator
- Fahrenheit/Celsius converter
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Thunder & Lightning has (barely) one practical purpose: to measure your distance to a sound source. It works for thunder and lightning, fireworks, rocket launches, or other loud events visible from a (hopefully safe) distance away. Just press the Lightning button when you see the event, and Thunder when you hear it. Modern technology does the rest. To perform this trivial task even more accurately, you can enter the temperature of your surroundings to more precisely calculate the speed of sound. You can also choose between U.S./Imperial and metric measurements depending on your personal unit preferences. Should its intended purpose be insufficiently useful, this application can also be used as a reasonably precise (if redundant) stopwatch, a speed-of-sound calculator, a Fahrenheit/Celsius converter, or as an odometer if you happen to be traveling at precisely the speed of sound. Note: Use of application while operating supersonic aircraft is not recommended or approved.
Dwell Secure
Manage property emergencies and building systems with this comprehensive utility app. Store vital information about utility shutoffs, appliances, and maintenance schedules, with easy access during emergencies or for routine upkeep. Share crucial data with household members and tenants for enhanced preparedness.
- Emergency preparedness
- Utility shutoff management
- Appliance tracking
- Maintenance scheduling
- Service technician contacts
- Information sharing
- Mobile property support
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Dwell Secure — Home Documentation & Emergency Preparedness Born from a firefighter's firsthand experience with the chaos emergencies create, Dwell Secure helps homeowners, renters, and property managers document everything that matters about their property — so when something goes wrong, the information is already at your fingertips. Document Your Home's Vital Systems -------------------------------------- Capture detailed records of every service in your home — HVAC, plumbing, electrical, water heaters, appliances, and more. - Store locations, photos, make/model details, warranty dates, and notes - Record serial numbers and installation dates - Never scramble to find a shut-off valve location again - Upload floor plans and property maps - Annotate photos to pinpoint emergency shutoffs and key equipment - Create interactive maps showing service locations throughout your property Stay Ahead with Maintenance Tracking - Set up maintenance schedules with reminders - Track what's been done, what's coming due, and what's overdue - Keep everything organized in one place Share Access with the People Who Need It - Invite family members, partners, roommates, tenants, or property managers - Flexible permission levels — view, edit, or emergency-only access - Everyone gets the information they need to handle emergencies or routine upkeep Manage Any Property Type - Single-family homes, condos, apartments, and ADUs - Boats, RVs, and other mobile properties - Store operating instructions, maintenance reminders, and vendor contacts Property Health Checkup - Track your setup progress with a built-in health checkup - Get guided through documenting services, uploading photos, creating maps, and sharing access - Complete every step and share your achievement Keep Your Trusted Vendors Handy - Store contact details for every service provider - Link vendors directly to the services they maintain - When something breaks, know exactly who to call Emergency Guides & Special Needs - Create step-by-step emergency procedures - Document accessibility requirements, pets, and medical considerations - Ensure anyone with property access knows what to do and who to care for Your Data, Your Control - Two-factor authentication and flexible sharing permissions - Revoke access to shares at any time - Works offline on mobile devices so your information is always available
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Thunder & Lightning at none against Dwell Secure's 12. Thunder & Lightning also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). Dwell Secure's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 128 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 87%). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. Dwell Secure sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Thunder & Lightning asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Thunder & Lightning against 5.0 for Dwell Secure. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 6 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 87% of Thunder & Lightning's written reviews are positive against 100% of Dwell Secure's.
Thunder & Lightning ships an update every 128 months, Dwell Secure fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Thunder & Lightning | Dwell Secure |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (7 ratings) | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 87.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 128 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 22 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bryan Figler | Chasing Bacon LLC |
Customer experience
Thunder & Lightning
Dwell Secure
Bugs and requests
Thunder & Lightning
Reported bugs
2 issues- App crash
- App does not work anymore
Requested features
11 requests- Option to have both miles per hour and centigrade
- Switch to a single button for lightning and thunder
- Allow typing temperature instead of slider
- Display average time and distance of records
- Use light sensor and camera for lightning detection
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- Use microphone to detect thunder
- Log time, location, and estimated distance of lightning
- Pull weather data for accuracy
- Use compass to input heading of lightning
- Plot estimated location of lightning on a map
- Update for iOS 7
Dwell Secure
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Thunder & Lightning
No in-app purchases
Dwell Secure
- Basic Package$4.991 Month
- Business Package$19.991 Month
- Bundle of Five$19.991 Month
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- Bundle of Ten$29.991 Month
- Bundle of Twenty$49.991 Month
- Bundle of Fifty$99.991 Month
- Personal Package$4.99
- Business Package$19.99
- Bundle of Five$19.99
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Bundle of Ten$29.99
- Bundle of Twenty$49.99
- Bundle of Fifty$99.99
Questions
Is Thunder & Lightning free?
Is Dwell Secure free?
Which has better reviews, Thunder & Lightning or Dwell Secure?
Do Thunder & Lightning or Dwell Secure have ads?
Which is updated more often, Thunder & Lightning or Dwell Secure?
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