Comparison

Sun n Moon vs Lightning Tracker

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

Head to head
About

Sun n Moon

This app provides precise sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset times for any location on Earth. It features a compass showing celestial body positions, moon phase animations, and detailed astronomical data. Access information for past and future dates, with offline capabilities.

Highlights
  • Sunrise and sunset times
  • Moonrise and moonset times
  • Moon phases animation
  • Compass showing sun and moon positions
  • Location by GPS, city list, lat/lon, or Google Maps
  • Accurate times (NOAA standard) offline
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Sun n Moon accurately calculates data for any location on earth for: - Sunrise/Sunset - Moonrise/Moonset - Moon phases animation - Compass showing sun and moon positions **Now on Apple WATCH *** WATCH a VIDEO demo at our site *** http://www.catalyst4.com/sun_n_moon Key Features • Sunrise and sunset times (no network connection required) • Moonrise and moonset times • Specify location by 4 methods: 1) GPS or location services 2) Choose from a list of cities worldwide 3) Latitude and longitude 4) Google Maps • Phase of the Moon/Percentage Illumination • Compass view for navigation showing position of sun and moon (slider animates the position and elevation for different times of the day) • Save a location (startup to the saved location or automatically find current location) • Select any date. Quickly switch between dates using arrows or return to current date. • Easy to read display (in 24 hour or am/pm format) • Handles time zones and daylight savings time • Shows past/future dates for northern/southern extremes when sun is down/up all day • Accurate times (NOAA standard) calculated right on the device (network connection not required) • Details view - time of solar noon, current altitude and elevation for sun and moon

About

Lightning Tracker

Track lightning strikes in real-time with live maps and receive push notifications before storms arrive. View precipitation radar, storm intensity hotspots, and NOAA's severe weather outlook. Rewind up to 24 hours of storm activity.

Highlights
  • Live lightning strike map
  • Push notifications for lightning alerts
  • 2-hour precipitation radar playback
  • Storm intensity hotspots
  • NOAA severe storm outlook
  • 24-hour storm rewind
Features
Read full description

See every lightning strike as it happens — and get a push before the storm is overhead. Lightning Tracker turns NOAA's GOES weather satellite into your personal storm warning system. Strikes appear on the map within seconds of hitting the ground, updated every 20 seconds, so you can watch storm cells form, move, and fade in real time. LIVE STRIKE MAP • Every strike plotted live from NOAA's GOES lightning sensor • Color-coded by age — instantly see where the storm is right now, not 15 minutes ago • Nearest-strike card shows exactly how far away lightning is and which direction it's moving ALERTS THAT FIND YOU • Set your alert radius and get a push notification the moment lightning strikes inside it • Watch multiple places at once — home, the cabin, the ballpark, grandma's house • Alerts work even when the app is closed KNOW WHAT'S COMING • Radar: 2-hour precipitation playback, frame by frame — see the rain that rides with the storm • Hotspots: live storm zones ranked by intensity and distance from you • Forecast: NOAA's official severe-storm outlook for today, tomorrow, and day 3 REWIND THE STORM • Scrub back through 24 hours of lightning, hour by hour • See exactly where last night's storm tracked — and whether it hit your street BUILT FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED TO KNOW Golfers, boaters, hikers, coaches, event organizers, storm watchers, and anyone who's ever stood on an open field wondering if that rumble was close. If lightning is within your radius, you'll know before you hear the thunder. LIGHTNING TRACKER PRO Go further with Pro: extend your alert radius up to 186 miles, unlock radar playback and the 24-hour storm rewind, and watch unlimited saved locations. Free users get the live strike map and alerts up to 31 miles — forever. Download now and never get caught in the open again. Privacy Policy: https://lightningmap.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Sun n Moon4 screens
Lightning Tracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Lightning Tracker at Free against Sun n Moon's $0.99. Sun n Moon's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and chart position (#80 vs unranked). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Lightning Tracker is free to download; Sun n Moon costs $0.99 up front. Lightning Tracker sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Sun n Moon asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Sun n Moon against 5.0 for Lightning Tracker. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 8 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sun n Moon ships an update every 5 weeks, Lightning Tracker every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Sun n Moon versus Lightning Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSun n MoonLightning Tracker
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (8 ratings)5.0 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews59.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings88
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
Best chart rank#80 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.2 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCatalyst4Kurt Higa

Customer experience

Sun n Moon

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews71 reviews
Positive59.2%
Neutral21.1%
Negative19.7%

Lightning Tracker

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Sun n Moon

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • App crashes after updates
  • Inaccurate time zone data
  • Autolocate bug with time zone offset
  • App not opening after upgrade
  • Location not saving correctly
Show 4 more
  • Crashes with iOS 4
  • Black boxed text in settings
  • Autolocate feature issues
  • Daylight saving not saving

Requested features

10 requests
  • Add Apple Watch compass view
  • Save multiple locations
  • Add civil twilight information
  • Improve interface aesthetics
  • Add AM/PM display options
Show 5 more
  • Display moon phases visually
  • Add zip code entry for location
  • Allow saving date ranges
  • Add place names instead of coordinates
  • Customizable calendar view

Lightning Tracker

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Sun n Moon

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Lightning Tracker

Subscriptions2
  • Lightning Tracker Pro Weekly$2.997 Days
  • Lightning Tracker Pro Annual3 Days trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Sun n Moon free?
Sun n Moon costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Lightning Tracker free?
Lightning Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Sun n Moon or Lightning Tracker?
Sun n Moon and Lightning Tracker are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 8 and 8 ratings respectively.
Do Sun n Moon or Lightning Tracker have ads?
Neither Sun n Moon nor Lightning Tracker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sun n Moon or Lightning Tracker?
Sun n Moon ships an update every 5 weeks, and Lightning Tracker every 4 weeks. Most recently, Sun n Moon was updated on October 21, 2026 and Lightning Tracker on October 22, 2026.

Other comparisons