Comparison

RadarScope vs Tempest Weather

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

Head to head
About

RadarScope

Visualize professional-grade weather radar data with detailed severe weather products. Track storms, view radar loops, and access essential meteorological information. Offers optional subscriptions for advanced features and data archives.

Highlights
  • Single-site radar data visualization
  • Severe weather product display
  • Automatic radar updates
  • Optional subscription tiers
  • CarPlay and Apple Watch support
  • Storm and location reporting integration
Features
Read full description

RadarScope is an AMS-award-winning weather visualization tool that empowers meteorologists, public safety officials, storm spotters, and weather enthusiasts to view a full suite of single-site radar data and related severe weather products. Your initial purchase provides professional radar visualization in a fully native app, free from distracting and invasive practices, with optional subscription packages to add even more capabilities. Whether you’re scanning for a mesocyclone’s tell-tale hook echo, pinpointing the landfall of a hurricane’s eye wall, or identifying velocity couplet, hail spike, or debris ball signatures, RadarScope displays native radar data in its original radial format. You see what the radar sees almost as soon as the radar sees it, with automatic updates every two to ten minutes depending on the radar’s scanning strategy. Your initial app purchase includes the following: • Full suite of single-site radar products for the US, Canada, Guam, Denmark, Finland, and Germany • 10-frame radar loops • Two built-in providers for radar data • Tornado, thunderstorm, flash flood, marine, snow squall, extreme wind, tropical, and other warnings in the US • Selected severe weather warnings in Canada and Australia • Severe weather watches in the US and Canada • NWS-generated storm tracks with hail, TVS, and mesocyclone attributes • Inspector and distance tools • Color palette options for radar data • Weather Pulse data plan integration • Spotter Network integration for storm and location reporting • mPING integration for submitting weather reports to NSSL • Bundled maps with political borders, water bodies, and highways, optimized for low-bandwidth use • Support for widgets and complications • Universal app for Apple platforms, including Apple Watch, and Apple TV • CarPlay support • Family Sharing support RadarScope Pro Tier One is an optional annual subscription that adds more features for tracking severe weather: • 30-frame radar loops • Cloud-to-ground lightning strikes • Special weather statements in the US and Canada • Mesoscale convective and precipitation discussions • SPC convective, tornado, hail, wind, and fire outlooks • WPC excessive rainfall outlooks in the US • Local storm reports in the US • Custom color palette support • Multi-pane display (2 on phones; 4 on larger devices) • Family Sharing support RadarScope Pro Tier Two is an optional annual or monthly subscription that transforms RadarScope into a more complete visualization tool for a larger suite of weather products, including: • Everything in Pro Tier One • 50-frame radar loops • A third provider for US radar data • 30-year archive of NEXRAD Level II radar data • 6-year archive of NEXRAD Level III data • 30-day archive of super-res and non-US radar data • 20-year archive of NWS bulletins • GOES satellite data • Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor (MRMS) data • Real-Time Mesoscale Assimilation (RTMA) data • GFS, ECMWF, HRRR, HRW, NAM, and RRFS model data • Surface observations • ProbSevere layer • Atmospheric soundings in the US • Hail size, hail probability, and azimuthal shear contours with a 30-day archive • More detailed transportation and satellite imagery maps • Custom color palette support for GOES, MRMS, RTMA, and forecast products • Server-sent events for radar and warning updates • Cross-platform subscription sharing on up to 5 devices If you choose to buy a RadarScope Pro subscription, it will be charged to your App Store account. The subscription will be auto-renewed within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period at the same price you originally paid. Subscriptions may be managed and auto-renewal disabled via your App Store account settings after the purchase. Once purchased, the subscription cannot be canceled during the active subscription period. DTN is committed to safeguarding your privacy online. Our privacy policy is available for review at https://www.dtn.com/privacy-policy/ Please visit our web site for more information.

About

Tempest Weather

This app requires a separate sensor device to provide real-time weather conditions, lightning and rain alerts, and accurate forecasts. It integrates with smart home services to optimize energy, water usage, and alert you to approaching storms.

Highlights
  • Real-time weather conditions
  • Lightning and rain alerts
  • Accurate 10-day forecast
  • Smart home integration
  • Historical weather data
  • Customizable data sharing
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

This app requires the Tempest sensor device, which is available to buy separately. Need to set up and configure your Tempest Weather System? The Tempest app will walk you through a few simple steps, including connecting your home’s WiFi network. Once you’re up and running the app will quickly become your go-to for real-time weather conditions, lightning and rain alerts, and the most accurate forecast for your location - guaranteed. Data available in the Tempest app includes: Temp, humidity, dew point, feels like, heat index Barometric pressure, sea-level pressure, trends Lightning detection and alerts up to 40 km Wind, UV, solar irradiance Rain rate, accumulation, rain onset alerts 10-day forecast Historical weather data graphs Smart Home Ready: Use this app to save time, energy, and water by integrating with popular smart home and irrigation services. Use your weather data to optimize heating and cooling, adjust your irrigation schedule, and alert your family when lightning storms approach. Tempest is compatible with Google Assistant, Rachio, IFTTT, Siri, Alexa, Homey, and many more. Weather Geek Worthy: The Tempest device features an all-in-one sensor and long-range wireless connectivity (1000ft), sonic anemometer, and haptic rain sensor, but it is far more than just a cutting-edge piece of hardware. Each Tempest leverages WeatherFlow-Tempest’s patented Nearcast Technology™, which feeds real-time observed weather data from your backyard into a machine learning system to dramatically improve forecast accuracy where it matters most. Completely Customizable: Tempest’s open API and shareable data enable third-party use, with built-in publication to desktop software and online services.

Screenshots

RadarScope4 screens
Tempest Weather4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Tempest Weather at Free against RadarScope's $9.99. Tempest Weather also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (every 8 days vs monthly). RadarScope's advantage is rating (4.2 vs 3.9) and chart position (#1 vs #127). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Tempest Weather is free to download; RadarScope costs $9.99 up front. RadarScope sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. Tempest Weather asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RadarScope holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RadarScope has 2.8K ratings behind it against 504, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 51% of RadarScope's written reviews are positive against 60% of Tempest Weather's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RadarScope ships an update monthly, Tempest Weather every 8 days. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
RadarScope versus Tempest Weather: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRadarScopeTempest Weather
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.2 (2.8K ratings) — better3.9 (504 ratings)
Positive reviews51.3% of reviews60.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.8K — better504
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#1 — better#127
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch
Requires iOS16.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size310 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBase Velocity, LLCWeatherFlow

Customer experience

RadarScope

All ratings2,812 ratings
Positive77.6%
Neutral4.3%
Negative18.1%
Written reviews415 reviews
Positive51.3%
Neutral8.4%
Negative40.2%

Tempest Weather

All ratings504 ratings
Positive72.0%
Neutral11.5%
Negative16.5%
Written reviews197 reviews
Positive60.4%
Neutral15.7%
Negative23.9%

User reviews

RadarScope

From 2.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent radar app
  • 🔍 Detailed radar data and features
  • ⚡ Lightning detection
  • 📍 Accurate location tracking
  • 🌪️ Helpful for storm tracking and chasing

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive with additional subscription fees
  • 🗺️ Limited map details without subscription
  • 🕰️ Radar data can be delayed
  • 🇨🇦 Limited support for Canadian users
  • 🤔 Steep learning curve for novice users

Tempest Weather

From 504 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy setup
  • 🚀 Responsive app
  • 🚀 Accurate weather data
  • 🚀 Integrates with other apps
  • 🚀 Detailed historical data

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connectivity issues
  • 🐛 Inaccurate rain/wind measurements
  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes
  • 🐛 Unreliable forecasts
  • 🐛 Buggy Apple Watch app

Bugs and requests

RadarScope

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Subscription issues and failed purchases
  • Inconsistent radar updates and connectivity problems
  • Apple Watch app limitations and bugs

Requested features

5 requests
  • Winter weather advisories and precipitation coloring
  • Ability to view multiple radars simultaneously
  • More detailed road maps
  • Archived radar data access
  • Customizable alert colors and notifications

Tempest Weather

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App freezes on launch
  • Widgets stop working after updates
  • Complications not updating on Apple Watch
  • Location detection issues

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add dark mode
  • Improve graph visualization
  • Integrate with smart home platforms
  • Add more weather data points
  • Improve notification settings
Show 2 more
  • Add Apple TV app
  • Provide more localization options

In-app purchases

4 purchases

RadarScope

Subscriptions3
  • Pro Tier 1$9.991 Year
  • Pro Tier 2$14.991 Month
  • Pro Tier 2$99.991 Year
One-time1
  • RadarScope Pro Subscription$9.99
None

Tempest Weather

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RadarScope free?
RadarScope costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Tempest Weather free?
Tempest Weather is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RadarScope or Tempest Weather?
RadarScope is rated higher. RadarScope averages 4.2 out of 5 from 2.8K ratings, while Tempest Weather averages 3.9 from 504 ratings.
Do RadarScope or Tempest Weather have ads?
Neither RadarScope nor Tempest Weather shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RadarScope or Tempest Weather?
RadarScope ships an update monthly, and Tempest Weather every 8 days. Most recently, RadarScope was updated on November 6, 2026 and Tempest Weather on November 6, 2026.
Which is more popular, RadarScope or Tempest Weather?
RadarScope currently peaks at #1 in the App Store charts, and Tempest Weather at #127. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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