Comparison

QuakeWatch vs FredScanner Pro

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

•• 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.

About

FredScanner Pro

Access live audio streams of police, fire, rescue, and highway communications for Frederick, Maryland. Choose specific feeds for fire, airport, or general police activity with minimal delay. Includes live traffic reports and webcams.

Highlights
  • Live audio streams
  • Fire, Police, Airport feeds
  • Minimal audio delay
  • CarPlay enabled
  • Live traffic reports
  • Frederick County webcams
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

**Frederick Scanner Pro: Your Frederick County Command Center** Stay connected to Frederick County, Maryland, with live public safety radio, local news, traffic conditions, and incident information, all in one app. Frederick Scanner Pro delivers live audio directly from our Frederick Scanner feeds, keeping you connected to what's happening throughout the county. **THREE LIVE AUDIO FEEDS** • Police & Fire: Listen to Frederick County police, fire, and rescue communications. • Fire Only: Follow fire, rescue, and EMS radio traffic. • FDK Airport: Listen to communications from Frederick Municipal Airport. Our audio streams are delivered directly from Frederick Scanner, providing timely access to local radio communications without relying on third-party scanner rebroadcasts. **WHAT'S INCLUDED IN FREDERICK SCANNER PRO** • A completely redesigned scanner player with live channel information. • Apple CarPlay integration for listening while driving. • Automatic audio reconnection when streams are interrupted. • Background audio playback. • Easy switching between all three live audio feeds. • Frederick Watch, your free source for Frederick County news. • Latest fire and rescue incident information. • Live traffic reports, road closures, and map links. • Frederick-area highway traffic cameras. • Local weather and webcam information. • Live listener counts and feed status. • An optimized experience for iPhone and iPad. **FREDERICK WATCH** Catch up on what's happening around Frederick County without leaving the app. Frederick Watch brings together local news, public safety stories, weather, traffic, and community information in one convenient place. **BUILT FOR FREDERICK** Whether you live in Frederick County, commute through the area, or simply want to stay connected to your hometown, Frederick Scanner Pro puts local information at your fingertips. Powered by WaveJam Technologies. **Please note:** This app streams audio over the internet. Check your cellular data plan before using it over a mobile connection. Audio availability and latency may vary depending on network conditions.

Screenshots

QuakeWatch4 screens
FredScanner Pro1 screens

Verdict

The call

QuakeWatch and FredScanner Pro both sit at 4.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 85% of QuakeWatch's written reviews are positive against 52% of FredScanner Pro's. QuakeWatch also leads on ratings volume (78 vs 10) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, 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

QuakeWatch costs $0.99 and FredScanner Pro $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for QuakeWatch against 4.4 for FredScanner Pro. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: QuakeWatch has 78 ratings behind it against 10, 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 52% of FredScanner Pro's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

QuakeWatch ships an update every 3 months, FredScanner Pro every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
QuakeWatch versus FredScanner Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterQuakeWatchFredScanner Pro
Price$0.99$0.99
Rating4.3 (78 ratings)4.4 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews84.5% of reviews — better52.2% of reviews
Number of ratings78 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#12#10 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB2 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperLateNightProjectsWaveJam Technologies LLC

Customer experience

QuakeWatch

All ratings78 ratings
Positive84.6%
Neutral5.1%
Negative10.3%
Written reviews233 reviews
Positive84.5%
Neutral6.9%
Negative8.6%

FredScanner Pro

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive52.2%
Neutral17.4%
Negative30.4%

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

FredScanner Pro

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

QuakeWatch

No in-app purchases

None

FredScanner Pro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is QuakeWatch free?
QuakeWatch costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is FredScanner Pro free?
FredScanner Pro costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, QuakeWatch or FredScanner Pro?
FredScanner Pro is rated higher. QuakeWatch averages 4.3 out of 5 from 78 ratings, while FredScanner Pro averages 4.4 from 10 ratings.
Do QuakeWatch or FredScanner Pro have ads?
Neither QuakeWatch nor FredScanner Pro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, QuakeWatch or FredScanner Pro?
QuakeWatch ships an update every 3 months, and FredScanner Pro every 4 months. Most recently, QuakeWatch was updated on October 13, 2026 and FredScanner Pro on October 8, 2026.
Which is more popular, QuakeWatch or FredScanner Pro?
QuakeWatch currently peaks at #12 in the App Store charts, and FredScanner Pro at #10. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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