QuakeWatch vs Downcast
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
QuakeWatch
This app provides real-time information on earthquakes worldwide. It features an interactive map, detailed reports, and customizable alerts. Stay informed about seismic activity near you or loved ones.
- Interactive world map with tectonic plates
- Sortable earthquake listings (recent, largest, closest)
- Tsunami information access
- Customizable minimum magnitude filter
- Share earthquake data via email, social media, SMS
- Detailed earthquake reports with live maps
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•• The top paid earthquake app for 10 years. •• A #1 News app in 60 countries so far including the US, UK, and Canada. •• An App Store Top 100 app in 40 countries so far including the US and Canada. •• Written-up in USA Today. •• Shown and discussed on CNN Newsroom. QuakeWatch has been the most popular paid earthquake app in the App Store for over 10 years now -- used by schools, relief agencies, media outlets, and thousands of people around the world curious about earthquakes near to them, family, or friends. It has reached the App Store Top 100, and #1 in News, multiple times. It is a feature-rich reference guide, free of ads, of the latest magnitude 1.0 and larger earthquakes from around the world as provided by ten worldwide sources including the US Geological Survey and the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre. Find out when they happened, where they happened, how big they were, and more. All in an easy-to-use interface without losing space to banner ads! The key features of QuakeWatch include: • An interactive world map view with tectonic plates showing reported earthquakes over the past week. Pan and zoom the map to focus on hot spots and click the details button to see the quake report. Also the ability to replay the earthquakes in order. • Sort the listing by the most recent earthquakes. • Sort by the largest earthquakes over the past week. • Sort by the closest earthquakes to your location and see the distance and direction from your position. • Sort by earthquakes nearest to a place anywhere on the earth that you easily specify. Great for tracking quakes near family members. Shows the distance and bearing from them. • Choose from reporting services in the US, Europe, Canada, Mexico, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Iceland, and Italy. • Select the tsunami icon in the toolbar for quick access to the latest tsunami information for the Pacific, US West Coast & Alaska, Australia, and Japan. • Send earthquake information to yourself or others through email, Twitter, Facebook, or SMS text messaging. • Filter out smaller earthquakes from the list by setting the minimum shown to be between 1.0 and 6.0. • Select an earthquake from the list to view more information along with a live map of its location and the ability to show nearby earthquakes. • Selecting the blue additional details button will take you to the reporting web site integrated into the application for more information about the earthquake which may include distances from cities, historical maps, shake maps, etc., and then easily return to the list. • Universal app - supports the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. • Supports quick view multitasking on the iPad on iOS 10 and newer. • iPod touch and iPad WiFi users can manually specify their current location if greater accuracy is needed. • The ability to define local earthquakes within a radius of your location. Then sort by "Closest" to see all local earthquakes sorted by distance or the most recent. • Earthquakes within the last 2 hours and within your local range are colored blue for quick identification. • All times are shown in your time zone. • No banner ads.
Downcast
Manage and listen to podcasts with a powerful, feature-rich player. Offers extensive download and playback options, including variable speed and CarPlay support. Syncs across devices via iCloud.
- Search, subscribe, and download podcasts
- Manual subscription via URL
- Automatic downloads and background downloading
- Variable playback speed
- AirPlay and Google Cast support
- iCloud syncing for subscriptions and settings
- Smart playlist creation
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A powerful, complete, and easy to use podcast player that will help you manage and listen to podcasts the way you want to. Now with CarPlay support! "Downcast: Probably The Best Podcast Downloader for iPad and iPhone" - Wired Gadget Lab Subscription Features • Search, subscribe to and download audio and video podcasts of any size • Manually subscribe to podcasts via URL • Download podcasts automatically • Continue podcast downloads in the background* • Browse and download older podcast episodes • Auto-refresh podcast feeds • Settings for auto-download and episode retention • Import and export podcast feeds via OPML • Import supported audio/video media files • Support for password-protected podcasts • Create and edit "smart" playlists • View podcast details and episode show notes • Rename podcast titles iCloud Syncing with other iOS devices or Macs** • Podcast subscriptions • Playlists • Settings • Episode information Playback Features • Video and audio AirPlay support • .5x, 1x, 1.25x, 1.5x, 2x, 2.25x, 2.5x and 3x speed playback • Chapters support for enhanced podcasts • Stream episodes without downloading • Playback control from external devices • Bluetooth devices • Headphone remote controls • Devices connected via Lightning/dock connector • View embedded images in podcast episodes • Gesture support • Sleep timer • Google Cast™ Ready ----------------------------------------- For support, please search our support site at http://support.downcastapp.com or email us at support@downcastapp.com! For the latest information about Downcast, please follow @downcastapp on Twitter! * Per iOS restrictions ** iCloud syncing with Macs requires Downcast for Mac, which is a separate purchase from the Mac App Store
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: QuakeWatch at none against Downcast's 4. QuakeWatch also leads on review sentiment (85% vs 71%) and price ($0.99 vs $2.99). Downcast's advantage is ratings volume (2.7K vs 78) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On rating, ads and device support 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
QuakeWatch costs $0.99 and Downcast $2.99 up front. Downcast sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. QuakeWatch asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for QuakeWatch against 4.3 for Downcast. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Downcast has 2.7K ratings behind it against 78, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 85% of QuakeWatch's written reviews are positive against 71% of Downcast's.
QuakeWatch ships an update every 3 months, Downcast monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | QuakeWatch | Downcast |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | 4.3 (78 ratings) | 4.3 (2.7K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 84.5% of reviews — better | 70.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 78 | 2.7K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #13 | #2 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 14.7 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 45 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | LateNightProjects | Jamawkinaw Enterprises LLC |
Customer experience
QuakeWatch
Downcast
User reviews
QuakeWatch
From 78 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent, comprehensive, and detailed information
- 🗺️ Great maps and ways of sorting information
- ⏱️ Updates information quickly
- 📊 Provides lots of useful data and statistics
- 🔍 Allows customization of parameters
Room to improve
- 🔔 Lacks push notification functionality
- 🔗 Some broken/outdated links
- 🗺️ Limited map scrolling and zooming capabilities
- 🕰️ Delayed or slow updates in some cases
- 🤖 Concerns about the app being abandoned or not maintained
Downcast
From 2.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Powerful features
- 👍 Highly customizable
- 💡 Granular podcast management
- 🚀 Reliable performance
- 👍 Great organization and playlists
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🔋 Battery drain issues
- 🔍 Subpar search functionality
- 👎 Outdated user interface
- 👎 Syncing problems
Bugs and requests
QuakeWatch
Reported bugs
3 issues- Occasional crashes or app not loading properly
- Inaccuracies in earthquake location and magnitude reporting
- Issues with specific data feeds (e.g., USGS, GeoNet NZ)
Requested features
5 requests- Add push notification alerts for earthquakes near user's location
- Improve map functionality to allow better scrolling and zooming
- Provide more historical earthquake data and analysis
- Add support for more data sources beyond just USGS
- Integrate with other earthquake/disaster preparedness resources
Downcast
Reported bugs
5 issues- Podcast downloads failing
- Playback position not saved correctly
- Podcast artwork and information mix-ups
- Continuous play issues
- Crashing on startup
Requested features
5 requests- Bookmark feature
- Playback speed of 1.75x
- Podcast triage/management tools
- Improved CarPlay integration
- Apple Watch app with volume control
In-app purchases
QuakeWatch
No in-app purchases
Downcast
- Encouraging Tip$2.99
- Motivating Tip$5.99
- Galvanizing Tip$8.99
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- Inspiring Tip$11.99









