Comparison

Banner vs Thunderstorm Simulator

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

Head to head
About

Banner

Create custom LED-matrix-style displays for messages, time, date, tweets, and music information. Personalize your display with adjustable speeds, orientations, and element styles. Ideal for unique visual notifications and information sharing.

Highlights
  • Customizable messages
  • Display time and date
  • Show tweet feeds
  • Display music info
  • Adjustable scroll/blink speed
  • Customizable LED appearance
Features
Read full description

Banner is an LED-matrix-like display with which you can show custom messages. The following items can be shown: - 5 user-defined messages - 35 types of symbol characters - Date (3 formats) - Time (3 formats) - Bluesky (3 defined feeds based on user's timeline or keyword search) - Music (Artist, Song, Album) The application has the following settings: - Scroll speed - Blink speed - Landscape-only mode - Upside-down display - Mirror display - Double-tap editing - Sleep disable - Character size (3 sizes) - Element (LED) size (3 sizes) - Element (LED) shape (6 shapes) - Element (LED) color (Hue, Saturation) - Element (LED) color randomization Note - Bluesky posts will be updated every minutes or every posts displayed. - "Banner Basic" is a free version with ads; "Banner" and "Banner Extreme" are paid versions with no ad. - "Banner Extreme" has a little bit different from the others on the style and the speed.

About

Thunderstorm Simulator

Create a personalized thunderstorm experience with adjustable rain, thunder, and lightning effects. Customize sound volumes, lightning occurrences, and light colors to relax or fall asleep. Includes a sleep timer and options for background nature sounds.

Highlights
  • Adjustable rain sounds and volume
  • Customizable thunder and lightning occurrences
  • Screen or camera flash lightning effects
  • Background nature sounds
  • Sleep timer with fade-out
  • Keep Awake mode
  • Lightning on Demand control
Read full description

Summon a thunderstorm on your smart device. Relax and fall fast asleep to the sounds of rain and thunder. The screen or camera flashes when lightning strikes.* *Defaults to screen for lightning light effects if camera flash is not available. THUNDERSTORMS • Strong Thunderstorm — Heavy rain with frequent lightning and thunder nearby • Normal Thunderstorm — Steady rain with a full range of lightning and thunder • Weak Thunderstorm — Light rain with occasional lightning and thunder far off • Passing Thunderstorms — Rain and lightning intensity changes as the storms pass SETTINGS Rain • Toggle rain sound effects • Change rain audio: Default, Heavy, Steady, Light, On Tin Roof • Change rain volume Lightning/Thunder • Toggle thunder sound effects • Change thunder volume • Change delay lightning (Wireless audio delay offset) • Toggle delay thunder • Toggle lightning light effects • Change lightning output: Camera Flash, Screen • Change lightning transition effects • Change lightning/thunder occurrence: Default, Occasional, Normal, Frequent • Change color and max brightness of lightning light effects (Screen only) Passing Thunderstorms • Change starting storm for Passing Thunderstorms: Weak, Normal, Strong • Change cycle time for Passing Thunderstorms: 15m, 30m, 60m Background Sounds • Toggle background sounds: Birds, Cicadas, Crickets, Frogs • Change background sounds volume General • Keep Awake to prevent your device from going to sleep so lightning effects remain visible • Hide Status Bar to maximize screen space for lightning effects • Select a mode to automatically start when the app opens • Choose a time to automatically stop the selected mode • Choose a time to automatically restart the selected mode when the sleep timer ends, enabling a recurring cycle ADDITIONAL FEATURES • Sleep Timer — Set a timer with a gradual audio fade-out. • Turn Screen Black — Adds a black overlay and sets the device to minimum brightness. Use the Screen Brightness Delay setting to compensate for brightness ramp-up on some devices. Set to 0.25–1 second if lightning effects do not reach peak brightness when thunder is loudest. • Lightning on Demand — Start a storm and use the lightning buttons at the bottom of the screen for manual control. • Bluetooth Support — Connect to Bluetooth speakers. Adjust the Delay Lightning setting to offset wireless audio delay. Please contact me at support@thunderstorm.scottdodson.dev if you experience any issues. I'd love to hear your thoughts and appreciate you taking the time to rate and review the app. I want to continue to improve Thunderstorm Simulator and create a great experience for you and future users. Thank you! —Scott Ad-supported version: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/thunderstorm-simulator-w-ads/id1482707561

Screenshots

Banner4 screens
Thunderstorm Simulator3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Thunderstorm Simulator at 4.5 against Banner's 3.0. Thunderstorm Simulator also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 69%) and iOS requirement (13.0.0 vs 15.0). Banner's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 5 months) and price ($0.99 vs $1.99). On ratings volume, ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Banner costs $0.99 and Thunderstorm Simulator $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Thunderstorm Simulator holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Banner's written reviews are positive against 100% of Thunderstorm Simulator's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Banner ships an update every 3 months, Thunderstorm Simulator every 5 months. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Banner versus Thunderstorm Simulator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBannerThunderstorm Simulator
Price$0.99 — better$1.99
Rating3.0 (2 ratings)4.5 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings22
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB72 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperMasayuki AkamatsuScott Dodson

Customer experience

Banner

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews293 reviews
Positive68.9%
Neutral13.7%
Negative17.4%

Thunderstorm Simulator

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Banner

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Text editing cursor issues
  • Orientation-related bugs
  • Freezing or crashing

Requested features

5 requests
  • More color and font options
  • Ability to add symbols like heart
  • Vertical scrolling or screen saver mode
  • Random message playback
  • Ability to manipulate individual pixels

Thunderstorm Simulator

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Banner

No in-app purchases

None

Thunderstorm Simulator

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Banner free?
Banner costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Thunderstorm Simulator free?
Thunderstorm Simulator costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Banner or Thunderstorm Simulator?
Thunderstorm Simulator is rated higher. Banner averages 3.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Thunderstorm Simulator averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.
Do Banner or Thunderstorm Simulator have ads?
Neither Banner nor Thunderstorm Simulator shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Banner or Thunderstorm Simulator?
Banner ships an update every 3 months, and Thunderstorm Simulator every 5 months. Most recently, Banner was updated on September 23, 2026 and Thunderstorm Simulator on September 23, 2026.

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