Comparison

TornadoSpy vs Tornado Vision

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

Head to head
About

TornadoSpy

Instantly report and view tornado sightings worldwide with real-time radar snapshots. This app provides valuable lead time for users to escape storms, featuring user-submitted and official reports filtered for accuracy.

Highlights
  • Track tornado movement worldwide
  • Report nearby tornadoes
  • Radar snapshot of sightings
  • Official National Weather Service reports
  • Share and view tornado photos
  • Filter sightings by spotter ratings
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

TornadoSpy with AccuSpy™ technology gives you the power to report and view official and user spotted tornadoes instantly which includes a radar snapshot of the sighting. On 5/10/10, a TornadoSpy user spotted the Oklahoma City tornado 20 MINUTES before the NOAA report, which gave other TornadoSpy users valuable lead time to escape the storm. This is a frequent occurrence since user reports are submitted and viewable immediately. - Featured on the front page of USAToday on 5/31/11. - Over 150,000 confirmed alerts sent out - Over 40,000 TornadoSpy spotters in addition to professional spotters from the national weather service. Sightings are filtered through state-of-the art AccuSpy™ technology to prevent false alerts and only send you the most accurate sightings. Features: - Track tornado movement worldwide on the built-in map - Report nearby tornadoes with a simple touch - Includes radar snapshot of sightings - Includes official reports from National Weather Service storm spotters - Share and view tornado photos in seconds - Filter sightings by spotter ratings - View previous tornadoes - Write storm report notes - Users can rate sightings submitted by other users - Landscape or portrait orientations - AccuSpy™ state-of-the art storm spotting Download now, and become a part of the fastest and largest worldwide storm spotting network. Demo video can be seen at justintimeapps.com/ts.html Check out these other apps from justintimeapps: HailSpy TornadoSpy+ TornadoSpy+HD (For the iPad) CoordCalc For every tornado outbreak this year in the US, there have been corresponding reports in TornadoSpy. You can verify this by using the history feature in the app. There is also NOT a subscription fee, and the app currently has a large enough user base such that it has provided alerts up to 30 minutes before the standard NOAA sightings are issued. Also, the Missouri tornado mentioned in the comments was published (picture and all) well before the NOAA sighting. Add alerts@justintimeapps.com to your address book to assure that you receive alerts.

About

Tornado Vision

Visualize severe weather phenomena using augmented reality. This app overlays crucial storm data, including tornado and hail probabilities, directly onto your phone's camera view. It features specialized filters and night mode to detect hidden storms, aiding in safety and observation.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality storm data overlay
  • Tornado and hail probability display
  • Tornado and severe thunderstorm warning alerts
  • Specialized camera filters for rain
  • Night mode for hidden tornado detection
  • Storm characteristic data (rotation, hail size)
Features
Read full description

See severe weather with augmented reality! Tornado Vision can help you see tornadoes hiding in the rain or at night. Simply point your phone at any severe storm and you'll get a heads up display on what is happening inside the storm. Groundbreaking weather technology. - Augmented Reality displays chance of tornado, hail (and size) and wind when looking at any storm within 400 miles. - Augmented Reality displays if you are in tornado or severe thunderstorm warning. - Augmented reality displays any Tornado or Hail reports. - Four specially designed camera filters help bring out tornadoes hiding in the rain. - Night mode automatically captures hidden night tornadoes. - Bring up data on storm characteristics, including rotation, maximum hail size and lightning flash rate. - Bring up environmental data like storm relative helicity, CAPE and bulk wind. Perfect for emergency responders, storm spotters, storm chasers, weather enthusiasts and anyone wanting to keep a better eye on approaching storms. Terms of Use: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13FhhPp-3bVxwhQjccGLXBox-HEB9wXH-fjEKfv9aOKg/edit?usp=sharing Privacy Policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1suVpdrUYj4LKoZ5kkVgH1ZmJLe8Si-jAETLkATdc2XE/edit?usp=sharing

Screenshots

TornadoSpy3 screens
Tornado Vision4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Tornado Vision at Free against TornadoSpy's $1.99. Tornado Vision also leads on ratings volume (156 vs 11) and iOS requirement (11.2 vs 15.6). TornadoSpy's advantage is rating (3.6 vs 3.1) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 11 months). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Tornado Vision is free to download; TornadoSpy costs $1.99 up front. TornadoSpy sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Tornado Vision sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

TornadoSpy holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tornado Vision has 156 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of TornadoSpy's written reviews are positive against 43% of Tornado Vision's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TornadoSpy ships an update every 2 months, Tornado Vision every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
TornadoSpy versus Tornado Vision: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTornadoSpyTornado Vision
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating3.6 (11 ratings) — better3.1 (156 ratings)
Positive reviews68.6% of reviews — better42.9% of reviews
Number of ratings11156 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 11 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#95 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.611.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size301 MB74 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJustin TimeCollective Innovation, INC

Customer experience

TornadoSpy

All ratings11 ratings
Positive54.5%
Neutral18.2%
Negative27.3%
Written reviews35 reviews
Positive68.6%
Neutral8.6%
Negative22.9%

Tornado Vision

All ratings156 ratings
Positive49.4%
Neutral7.1%
Negative43.6%
Written reviews63 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral9.5%
Negative47.6%

Bugs and requests

TornadoSpy

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Tornado Vision

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Black screen on launch
  • App doesn't show tornadoes
  • App doesn't work in all areas

Requested features

7 requests
  • Make the app free
  • Add a filter for simulated storms
  • Allow control of wind speeds and size
  • Add short descriptions for each filter
  • Provide instructions on how to use filters
Show 2 more
  • Make tornado simulation available without real supercells
  • Add more free features

In-app purchases

2 purchases

TornadoSpy

One-time2
  • Fast Animated Radar (US)$0.99
  • Extreme Weather Radio$0.99
2 purchases

Tornado Vision

Subscriptions2
  • Tornado Vision Pro$9.991 Month
  • Tornado Vision Pro$29.991 Year

Questions

Is TornadoSpy free?
TornadoSpy costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Tornado Vision free?
Tornado Vision is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, TornadoSpy or Tornado Vision?
TornadoSpy is rated higher. TornadoSpy averages 3.6 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Tornado Vision averages 3.1 from 156 ratings.
Do TornadoSpy or Tornado Vision have ads?
Neither TornadoSpy nor Tornado Vision shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TornadoSpy or Tornado Vision?
TornadoSpy ships an update every 2 months, and Tornado Vision every 11 months. Most recently, TornadoSpy was updated on September 26, 2026 and Tornado Vision on September 24, 2026.

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