MyObservatory vs SG Weather
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MyObservatory
Access real-time weather data, including temperature, humidity, and wind conditions. View weather photos from nearby stations and receive timely updates on rainfall. Get alerts for weather warnings and special tips.
- Current weather conditions
- Weather photos from stations
- Rainfall data updates
- Weather warning notifications
- Location-based rain forecast
- Customizable location settings
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The “MyObservatory” is a highly popular weather app providing personalized weather services. The app provides current weather including temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, wind direction and speed, as well as weather photograph collected from nearby weather stations at user's location, specified location, or selected weather stations. Weather photos and rainfall data will be updated at 5-minute and 15-minute intervals respectively. Other data will be updated in 10-minute interval and the update time will be displayed at the bottom of the front page. Points to note: 1. The notification service of weather warnings, Special Weather Tips, and Location-based Rain Forecast is provided through the Apple Push Notification service (APNs). The Hong Kong Observatory cannot guarantee the reception of the above notifications by users. Users should not rely on the mobile app as the only means for reception of important weather information. Depending on factors such as network usage and quality of user's mobile phone connection, it may take 5 to 20 minutes or even longer for the app to receive the notification after it is issued by the Hong Kong Observatory. 2. Use of Location-based Rain Forecast notification will increase the battery usage and data download slightly. Users who wish to save battery usage of the app may enable the notification function in rainy days and before outdoor activities, and disable the function in sunny days and after finishing the outdoor activities. Meanwhile, selecting options of less frequent update and lower position accuracy in the advanced settings of the notification function may also save battery usage. 3. Although the “MyObservatory” is a free app, user will be charged by their mobile network service provider on the use of data service. These charges can become very expensive on roaming. Please ensure that the option of “Data Roaming” have been disabled in the settings of your mobile devices. 4. In the "My Location Settings", users can opt for using the automatic location service provided by the smartphone, or designating "My Location" on the map themselves. This location will be displayed on the main page and in "My Weather Report". If your location cannot be found, "My Location" will show the last location which was successfully found or "Hong Kong Observatory". The meteorological data displayed on "My Location" or the station you added is provided by meteorological stations nearby, and is not necessarily from a station in the same region. In case meteorological data is not available from nearby stations, data from other meteorological stations at headquarter of the Observatory, King's Park, and Star Ferry will be used instead. If this is the case, the symbol ▲ will appear to the left of the updated time. 5. The location displayed in the function of "My Weather Report" is provided by third party provider. 6. Because of the variation in both the terrian and height of where the weather stations located, and the variation of your location estimated by the mobile phone, users be noted that there would be difference between the actual situation and the weather information shown on "MyObservatory." 7. The clock on the main page of the app is displayed with HKT synchronizing automatically to the Observatory's Internet Time Server, and may not be the same as the time displayed on the smartphone. 8. The app provides link for users to browse the Observatory's Facebook Page. Users may choose to log in his/her own Facebook account. More features of Facebook can be used after logging in. Please be reminded to pay attention to the notes of the Facebook Page, and the privacy policies of the Facebook platform.
SG Weather
Get real-time weather alerts for rain, heavy rain, and haze. Access detailed forecasts, radar maps, and historical weather data. Customize your interface and share weather information easily.
- Rain start & stop alerts
- Detailed weather info (temp, UV, PSI, PM2.5)
- 7-day forecast
- Animated radar maps
- 2-hour nowcast
- Customizable UI and background
- Offline map access
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Features: - Rain start & stop + Heavy Rain + PSI (hazy day only, psi > 90) + Sumatra hotspot(>120) alert - Weather info like temperature, UV, PSI, PM2.5 - 7 days forecast - 1 Radar Map - Raining cloud radar map in animation - raining cloud movement prediction - Full screen map display - Hotspot Chart - 2 hours nowcast, temperature, wind direction, rainfall readings, visibility - last 24hrs hotspot on map, wind direction and satellite. - forecast data hourly - bookmark landmarks/locations - Weather Today, additional weather info like humidity, wind, sunrise and sunset, moon phase and tide. - text to speech for weather highlight - SimsPass Account - Customisable UI Layout - offline map - customisable background image - background color changing base on Temperature/UV/PSI index - Marquee text (Running text) - Share on social network - Weather Camera and Photos In-App Purchase: - Remove Advertisement service (yearly US$1.99 only)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SG Weather at 3.5 against MyObservatory's 3.0. SG Weather also leads on review sentiment (72% vs 40%). MyObservatory's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement 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. SG Weather sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. MyObservatory asks for nothing beyond the download.
SG Weather holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MyObservatory has 30 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of MyObservatory's written reviews are positive against 72% of SG Weather's.
MyObservatory ships an update monthly, SG Weather every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on September 22, 2026.
| Parameter | MyObservatory | SG Weather |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (30 ratings) | 3.5 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 39.5% of reviews | 72.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 30 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 325 MB | 31 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hong Kong Observatory | Sim Ruenn Kang |
Customer experience
MyObservatory
SG Weather
In-app purchases
MyObservatory
No in-app purchases
SG Weather
- Rain Alert Extend 1 Year$0.99
- Remove Banner for 1 year$1.99
- Rain Alert Locations +3$1.99
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- Device Allowed +3$1.99








