Comparison

RadarScope vs Storm Shield

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 advanced tools for meteorologists, storm spotters, and enthusiasts. Access real-time radar information, severe weather alerts, and historical data with optional subscription tiers for enhanced capabilities.

Highlights
  • Single-site radar data visualization
  • Severe weather alerts and warnings
  • NWS-generated storm tracks
  • Historical radar data archive
  • GOES satellite products
  • Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor products
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

Storm Shield

Receive precise, location-based severe weather alerts for tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and more. Get voice and push notifications, view radar maps, and access forecasts. Optional premium features offer advanced radar imagery and lightning alerts.

Highlights
  • Location-based severe weather alerts
  • Voice and push notifications
  • Hi-Def radar map
  • Today screen widget
  • Apple Watch alerts
  • Current conditions and forecasts
  • Save additional locations
Read full description

Named by Time.com's @Techland as one of the best weather apps for your iPhone and Apple Watch. Severe weather alerts for your exact location. Storm Shield gives you storm-based alerts for tornado, hurricane, flood, thunderstorm, winter storms and other life-threatening weather events via voice and push notification. Storm-based alerts help reduce false alarms by alerting you to severe weather based on your exact location within a county. County-based alerts can result in false alarms, warning you when your location in the county is not within the threatened area. What people are saying: • Storm Shield "alerted our family of the Broken Arrow, OK tornado, faster than the TV and tornado sirens." - Robyn • "I was in Oklahoma City during the tornado... we were right in its path. Your app literally was a life saver." - dcalk12 Benefits: • Get voice alerts just like a NOAA weather radio via push notification anywhere in the United States. • With Apple Watch, get a tap on your wrist when alerts are issued for your locations. • Add Storm Shield's widget to your Today screen to get quick access to active alerts for the first location in your app. • Touch Storm Shield's app icon on your 3D-Touch enabled iPhone for widget access. • Hi-Def radar map is your home screen so you can quickly see what's going on at your locations. • Fully supports Dark Mode in iOS 13. • Long-tap on the map to get current conditions, hourly and daily forecasts. • Save additional locations to ensure family members stay safe. View NOAA severe weather alerts on the map to see where dangerous weather is happening: • Tap alerts to view info • Flood watches & warnings • Tornadoes & Thunderstorms • Hurricane & Tropical Storm forecast tracks • Winter storms • Marine & Coastal alerts • Radar & Clouds • Wind Speed • Snow Fall • Water Temperatures • Road Weather • Premium Weather (purchase required) • Lightning Alerts and notifications (purchase required) Enhance your app with auto-renewing monthly subscriptions: • Buy 'Premium Weather' to unlock these features and see predicted imagery for these map layers: 1) Future Radar 2) Future Clouds 3) Future Clouds & Radar together 4) Future Surface Temperature Land 5) Future Surface Temperature Water 6) Future Surface Temperature Land & Water together 7) Future Wind Speeds Map 8) Storm Tracks: See how fast storms are moving & where they're headed. • Buy 'Lightning' to unlock these 2 features: 1) Lightning strike push notifications up to 10 miles away. 2) See lightning on the map within 100 miles of a selected location. Note: • Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. • Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. • No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. • Privacy Policy: https://www.stormshieldapp.com/privacy_stormshield_wxs.html • Terms of Use: https://www.stormshieldapp.com/terms_stormshield_wxs.html • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Storm Shield is made possible by The E.W. Scripps Company & KNXV Phoenix, WCPO Cincinnati, WEWS Cleveland, WXYZ Detroit, WMAR Baltimore, WFTS Tampa, WPTV West Palm, KSHB Kansas City, KJRH Tulsa, RTV6 Indianapolis, KMGH Denver, KGTV San Diego, KERO Bakersfield, WKBW Buffalo, WTVF Nashville, KMTV Omaha, WSYM Lansing, WFTX Ft. Myers, WTMJ Milwaukee, WGBA Green Bay, KIVI Boise, KTNV Las Vegas, KGUN Tucson, WTXL Tallahassee, KXXV Waco, KRIS Corpus Christi. Note: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

Screenshots

RadarScope4 screens
Storm Shield4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Storm Shield at Free against RadarScope's $9.99. Storm Shield also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.2) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). RadarScope's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (51% vs 38%). On in-app purchases, monetization model, 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

Storm Shield is free to download; RadarScope costs $9.99 up front. RadarScope sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year and Storm Shield sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Storm Shield holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Storm Shield has 111K ratings behind it against 2.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 51% of RadarScope's written reviews are positive against 38% of Storm Shield'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, Storm Shield weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
RadarScope versus Storm Shield: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRadarScopeStorm Shield
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.2 (2.7K ratings)4.8 (111K ratings) — better
Positive reviews51.0% of reviews — better37.6% of reviews
Number of ratings2.7K111K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#1 — better#20
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch
Requires iOS16.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size310 MB91 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBase Velocity, LLCMosaic S.r.l.

Customer experience

RadarScope

All ratings2,748 ratings
Positive77.7%
Neutral4.4%
Negative17.9%
Written reviews396 reviews
Positive51.0%
Neutral8.8%
Negative40.2%

Storm Shield

All ratings110,836 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral2.6%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews274 reviews
Positive37.6%
Neutral9.9%
Negative52.6%

User reviews

RadarScope

From 2.7K 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

Storm Shield

From 111K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fastest weather alerts
  • 📡 Accurate radar and forecasts
  • 🔔 Customizable alerts and notifications
  • 💻 Simple and easy to use interface
  • 🗺️ Tracking multiple locations

Room to improve

  • 💰 Subscription model for advanced features
  • 🔇 Loud and disruptive alerts
  • 🕰️ Delayed alerts compared to other apps
  • 🔍 Difficulty customizing alert locations
  • 🔋 High battery consumption

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

Storm Shield

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inconsistent alert delivery
  • Radar map not always showing correct location
  • Subscription features not working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to read alert details in notifications
  • Option to silence alerts during certain times
  • More customization for alert types and locations
  • Horizontal radar view with manual scrolling
  • Integration with smart home devices for alerts

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
7 purchases

Storm Shield

Subscriptions7
  • Weekly Subscription$1.997 Days
  • Weekly with Free Trial7 Days trial$1.997 Days
  • Premium Weather$10.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • Lightning Strikes$10.991 Month
  • 30-Day Limited Offer Upgrade1 Month trial$11.491 Month
  • Yearly with Free Trial7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Yearly Subscription$29.991 Year

Questions

Is RadarScope free?
RadarScope costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Storm Shield free?
Storm Shield is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, RadarScope or Storm Shield?
Storm Shield is rated higher. RadarScope averages 4.2 out of 5 from 2.7K ratings, while Storm Shield averages 4.8 from 111K ratings.
Do RadarScope or Storm Shield have ads?
Storm Shield shows ads; RadarScope does not.
Which is updated more often, RadarScope or Storm Shield?
RadarScope ships an update monthly, and Storm Shield weekly. Most recently, RadarScope was updated on September 22, 2026 and Storm Shield on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, RadarScope or Storm Shield?
RadarScope currently peaks at #1 in the App Store charts, and Storm Shield at #20. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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