AeroWeather Lite vs Windy.com
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AeroWeather Lite
Access current and precise weather conditions (METAR) and forecasts (TAF) for airports worldwide. View data in raw or decoded formats, with offline access and customizable alerts. Ideal for aviation professionals and weather enthusiasts.
- METAR and TAF weather data
- Raw and decoded data formats
- Offline weather data caching
- Airport database with sunrise/sunset
- METAR alert notifications
- Customizable units and formats
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*** AeroWeather: for pilots, aviation enthusiasts, and everyone who is serious about the weather! *** Current and precise weather conditions (METAR) and forecasts (TAF). AeroWeather Lite provides quick and intuitive access to METAR and TAF for airports worldwide. Data can be shown in its original (raw) format or as fully decoded and easy understandable texts. AeroWeather Lite is helpful for weather preflight-briefings, but also to just get very precise weather. All weather data is cached for offline access. There are many settings for units and format of METAR/TAF available. The app features a built-in airport database, which includes basic airport data like sunrise/sunset, twilight times, timezones etc. AeroWeather Lite offers built-in groups for nearby stations, today widget (pre iOS 14), and earthquakes. Depending on your needs, groups can be shown or hidden in the main list view. METAR alert notifications** is an helpful feature to stay up-to-date. Define multiple alerts for each station with the following criteria: flight rule (US NOAA), wind speed, temperature, pressure, present weather, visibility, and ceiling (BKN and OVC). Notifications will be sent to your device if the criteria is met (e.g., when wind is greater/equal 10 kts, flight rule becomes IFR). Dedicated METAR/TAF** access is optionally available. METAR/TAF data comes primarily from a certified ANSP (air navigation service provider) and is provided reliably and fast from our dedicated, redundant servers (indicated by blue checkmark underneath METAR/TAF). Please consult our web-site for a full description of all features. In order to keep AeroWeather Lite free we added a small ad banner at the bottom of the screen. Consider getting AeroWeather Pro, subscribe the additional features**, or remove the ad banner through one-time unlock* to have an ad-free app. * Additional functionality which needs to be unlocked (one-time purchase). These purchases are not transferable between Lite, Pro, and Mac. ** SUBSCRIPTIONS Additional features which generate recurring operation costs for us will be offered within a subscription. The following features are enabled while 'First' subscription is active: - Dedicated METAR/TAF data source - Meteograms - Alert push notifications - D-ATIS (bigger US airports only) - Area Forecast Discussions (currently US only) - RVR data (US and Germany only) - Home Screen Widgets for METAR, Plot, Meteogram - Imagery and Charts (requires 'Captain' subscription) - SIGMETs (requires 'Captain' subscription) - METAR/TAF from ADS-B receiver thru GDL 90 protocol (requires 'Captain' subscription) When using AeroWeather Lite also the following features are enabled: - Remove ad banner The subscription varies in time periods (1 month, 12 months). The subscription is valid in both AeroWeather Lite and Pro. Cross app subscription support is only available if iCloud (with the same Apple ID) is enabled. Previously purchased unlock features are not affected and will work with or without subscription. Auto-renewal may be turned off at any time by going to your account settings. A payment will be charged to your iTunes account at the end of the free trial period. Your iTunes account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. No commitment - you can cancel any time. Pleas read the full “Subscription Terms of Use” at: https://www.lakehorn.com/subscription-terms-of-use/
Windy.com
This app offers advanced weather forecasting with over 50 detailed maps and 15 weather models, including live radar, satellite imagery, and hurricane tracking. It provides customizable alerts for storms, wind, and snow, making it ideal for outdoor activities and aviation.
- Live weather radar & satellite
- Over 50 weather maps
- 15+ weather models
- Hurricane tracker
- Customizable weather alerts
- Aviation-specific forecasts
- Air quality index
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A UNIQUE WEATHER FORECAST VISUALISATION While most weather forecasting apps rely solely on free global models, Windy has gone a step further by investing heavily in the most accurate weather models available, always at the highest possible resolution, to deliver you the most accurate forecasts in the world. LIVE WEATHER APP - WEATHER RADAR & SATELLITE (Now with Precipitation Type & Lightning tracker) Radar is a highly valued tool for weather forecasting. To provide you with the most accurate radar imagery, we constantly expand our resources so that rain, snow, and storms don't catch you by surprise. Trusted radar sources include NOAA, Met Office, Météo France, DWD, JMA, IMD, BoM & more. The global satellite composite is created from NOAA, EUMETSAT & Himawari data. MORE THAN 50 WEATHER MAPS - Rain radar, Satellite and a unique combined layer of Radar & Satellite images (blue, infrared, visible) - Hurricane tracker, Weather warnings & Extreme forecast - Wind forecast: Wind speed, Wind gusts & Accumulation, models comparison, data from live Weather stations - Temperature: Humidity, Pressure, Dew point, live data from Weather stations - Rain: Thunder & storms, Rain accumulation, Thunderstorms, Precipitation type, CAPE-index - Aviation: Clouds, Cloud tops, Cloud base, Visibility (LIFR, IFR, MVFR, VFR), Fog, Icing, Clear air turbulence, Thermals, Freezing altitude - Marine Forecast: Waves, Swell, Wave power, Tide forecast, Currents, Sea temperature - Solar activity: Solar power, UV index, Wet-bulb temperature - Snow: Snow depth, New snow, Snow density - Air Quality: Air Quality Index (AQI) with Pollen (CAMS), NO2, PM 2.5, Aerosol, SO2, Ozone layer, Surface ozone, CO concentration, Dust mass - Soil moisture, Moisture anomaly, Drought intensity, Fire Danger, Fuel moisture MORE THAN 15 WEATHER MODELS Global weather models: - meteoblue - AI forecast - ECMWF - GFS by NOAA - ICON by DWD Local weather models: - HRRR by NOAA - NAM by NOAA - HRDPS by MSC - ICON-EU by DWD - ICON-D2 by DWD - UKV by Met Office - AROME-HD by Météo France - ALADIN by CHMI - NEMS by meteoblue - MSM by JMA - ACCESS-C by BoM LIVE RAIN, STORM ALERTS & CUSTOM WEATHER ALERTS Want to know before the storm hits near you while you hike, bike or spend time outdoors? You can now access live weather alerts or set up your custom weather alert for wind, sunshine, or new snow. HURRICANE TRACKER FOR STORM TRACKING With Windy's hurricane tracker, you can track the past and projected path of a hurricane or a storm. Windy doesn't rely on just one hurricane model, but will give you all the forecasts available for a storm or hurricane. WINDY MADE FOR PILOTS - 16 altitude levels from the surface to 13.5km/FL450 - 50k+ Airports searchable by ICAO and IATA, including runway info, decoded & raw METAR, TAF & NOTAMs - Detailed Airgram and Meteogram: temperature and dew point, wind speed and wind gusts, pressure, precipitation, altitude cloud cover, freezing altitude - Thermals forecast - Route planner WINDY MADE FOR OUTDOOR SPORTS, SURF & BOATING - 67K+ global webcams - Summer & winter outdoor topographic maps by Mapy.com - 4.5K+ Surfing spots - 12.1K+ Paragliding spots - 4.3K+ Kiting spots - Boating tide forecast - Sun & Moon tracker - Plugins with buoy data WINDY AS A WEATHER WIDGET ON YOUR DEVICE Get the weather now on your iPhone, MacOS, iPad, CarPlay & Apple Watch, from forecast, Radar, METAR, Weather stations & Wind, ready for your travels and outdoor sports. WINDY PREMIUM — FORECAST LIKE A PRO - 1-hour & 15-day outlook with 4–6× daily updates - Radar/Satellite 24h loops & 1-year archives - More maps (Tide Forecast) - Model comparison to find the best model Terms of Use: https://account.windy.com/agreements/windy-terms-of-use Privacy Policy: https://account.windy.com/agreements/windy-privacy-policy GET IN TOUCH Join us on social media or at community.windy.com to discuss weather-related topics, report bugs, or suggest a new feature. Contact us directly at info@windy.com.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Windy.com at 4.8 against AeroWeather Lite's 3.5. Windy.com also leads on review sentiment (89% vs 54%) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. AeroWeather Lite sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Windy.com sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Windy.com holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Windy.com has 79K ratings behind it against 159, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of AeroWeather Lite's written reviews are positive against 89% of Windy.com's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AeroWeather Lite | Windy.com |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (159 ratings) | 4.8 (79K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 53.7% of reviews | 89.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 159 | 79K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #174 | #3 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 81 MB | 172 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lakehorn AG | Windyty, SE |
Customer experience
AeroWeather Lite
Windy.com
User reviews
AeroWeather Lite
From 159 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent weather information
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🔍 Helpful weather decoding
- 💻 Great for pilots and aviation enthusiasts
- 🔍 Detailed weather data
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes after updates
- 🚫 Missing data for some locations (especially outside USA)
- 💰 Subscription model for full features
- 🔍 Confusing app versions (Lite, Pro, etc.)
- 🔍 Cluttered UI after recent updates
Windy.com
From 79K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🌊 Accurate weather forecasts
- 🌍 Comprehensive global coverage
- 🔍 Detailed weather data and models
- 🛥️ Useful for marine/sailing activities
- 🛫 Valuable for aviation planning
Room to improve
- 🤯 Overwhelming number of features and options
- 🔍 Small text and cluttered interface on mobile
- 🤖 Occasional app crashes or stability issues
- 💰 Paywall for some advanced features
- 🌐 Lack of offline functionality
Bugs and requests
AeroWeather Lite
Reported bugs
4 issues- Frequent crashes and data loading failures
- Saved airports disappearing after updates
- Inconsistent data refresh and update issues
- Incompatibility with certain mobile networks
Requested features
4 requests- Add more airports, especially in Australia and Canada
- Improve dark mode and overall UI consistency
- Restore old features like METAR history and crosswind calculation
- Provide better customer support and communication
Windy.com
Reported bugs
3 issues- Map dragging issues on newer iPhone models
- Inconsistent temperature display units
- Premium features not always working as expected
Requested features
5 requests- Add weather front data on isobar charts
- Improve font size and layout for better readability
- Provide option to hide webcams or certain layers
- Implement weather warning notifications
- Add support for Apple Watch and other wearables
In-app purchases
AeroWeather Lite
- First (Monthly)14 Days trial$0.991 Month
- Captain (monthly)14 Days trial$1.491 Month
- First (Yearly)14 Days trial$5.491 Year
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- Captain (Yearly)14 Days trial$8.991 Year
- Remove Ad-Banner$2.49
Windy.com
- Donate 3 EUR/USD a month$2.991 Month
- Windy Premium$2.991 Month
- Donate 6 EUR/USD a month$5.491 Month
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Windy Premium2 variants$24.991 Year
- Donate approx 5 EUR/USD$4.99
- Donate approx 10 EUR/USD$9.99
- Donate approx 20 EUR/USD$19.99
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Windy Premium$29.99
- Donate approx 50 EUR/USD$49.99
Questions
Is AeroWeather Lite free?
Is Windy.com free?
Which has better reviews, AeroWeather Lite or Windy.com?
Do AeroWeather Lite or Windy.com have ads?
Which is updated more often, AeroWeather Lite or Windy.com?
Which is more popular, AeroWeather Lite or Windy.com?
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