Flash Boom vs Storm Distance Tracker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Flash Boom
This app estimates the distance to lightning strikes by timing the interval between seeing the flash and hearing the thunder. It provides a simple, quick way to gauge your proximity to a storm and advises taking cover if you are within 5 miles.
- Lightning distance estimation
- Flash and thunder timing
- Distance in miles and kilometers
- Safety advisory for close lightning
- Simple tap interface
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Definition: The purpose of Flash Boom is simple. It will give you an estimate of how far away lightning is. The rule of thumb says to allow about 5 seconds for each mile (3 seconds for each kilometer). In reality it is more like 4.72 seconds per mile and 2.99 seconds per kilometer. For more details, please visit http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-the-Distance-from-Lightning Control: Tap the FLASH button when you see the lightning. The button will change to BOOM. Tap the BOOM button when you hear the thunder. Thunder will usually not travel more than 15 miles (24 kilometers). Note: If you are less than 5 miles from the lightning, please take cover. Credit: The original Flash Boom program I knew of was writen by Kim Moelgaard for the Palm OS. I adapted the concept (without access to the code) to the iPhone. Enjoy!
Storm Distance Tracker
Measure the distance to a storm by timing the interval between seeing lightning and hearing thunder. This tool uses the difference in the speed of light and sound to provide an estimated distance.
- Calculate storm distance
- Uses lightning and thunder timing
- Calculates based on speed of light and sound
- Simple tap interface
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Calculate the distance of lightning and find out how far away the storm is. This app calculates distance using the difference between the speed of light and sound. Tap a button when you see the lightning and then again when you hear the thunder and the app will tell you how far away it is using a time difference between the two.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Flash Boom at 5.0 against Storm Distance Tracker's 3.7. Flash Boom also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). Storm Distance Tracker's advantage is ratings volume (101 vs 1). On price 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
Both are free to download. Storm Distance Tracker sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Flash Boom asks for nothing beyond the download.
Flash Boom holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Storm Distance Tracker has 101 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Flash Boom's written reviews are positive against 33% of Storm Distance Tracker's.
Flash Boom ships an update every 6 weeks, Storm Distance Tracker every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Flash Boom | Storm Distance Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 3.7 (101 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews — better | 33.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 101 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.3 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 17 MB | 31 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Edward Danley | DOUBLE U s.r.o. |
Customer experience
Flash Boom
Storm Distance Tracker
In-app purchases
Flash Boom
No in-app purchases
Storm Distance Tracker
- Remove ads$1.99
- Remove Ads$2.99
- Remove Ads$4.99
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- Remove Ads$9.99
Questions
Is Flash Boom free?
Is Storm Distance Tracker free?
Which has better reviews, Flash Boom or Storm Distance Tracker?
Do Flash Boom or Storm Distance Tracker have ads?
Which is updated more often, Flash Boom or Storm Distance Tracker?
Other comparisons
