Comparison

Wx for iPad vs Solar Time

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

Head to head
About

Wx for iPad

This app provides detailed U.S. weather information, including current conditions, forecasts, alerts, and radar data. It offers customizable forecasts with graphical data for temperature, precipitation, and more, ideal for planning outdoor activities.

Highlights
  • Current U.S. weather conditions
  • 7-day point and pro forecasts
  • Graphical forecast data
  • NWS observation site data
  • NEXRAD radar data
  • Weather alerts and warnings
  • Customizable map bookmarks
Features
Read full description

The venerable U.S. weather app Wx, named a Mac Gem by Macworld magazine, is now available for iPad! Wx displays current conditions, forecasts, alerts, and radar for U.S. locations using high fidelity XML data from the U.S. National Weather Service. The app is designed for two specific types of customers: serious weather watchers who want detailed information and facts with no fuss, and casual users who want a fast, clean, and functional weather app that has low memory overhead and low CPU/battery usage. Wx lets you choose your location on an embedded map, and uses that to setup custom forecasts based on the latitude and longitude of the location. Forecasts include a 7-day summary "point" forecast, and a 7-day “pro” forecast that graphs temperature (actual and apparent), dew point, relative humidity, cloud cover, wind speed, wind direction, gust speed, 12-hour probability of precipitation, 6-hour liquid precipitation amount, and 6-hour snow amount. These forecasts are about as good as it gets if you need to plan work, sports, hobbies, and outdoor activities based on upcoming weather. With their high spatial resolution, the point and pro forecasts are especially useful in coastal and mountainous regions, where typical zone forecasts can be inaccurate. Wx also lets you receive current conditions data from nearby NWS observation sites (over 1700 available in the U.S. and its territories), get radar data from nearby NEXRAD radar sites, and receive warnings from nearby city- and county-based alert zones. Wx lets you bookmark and setup weather maps for quick reference. Choose from many default NWS maps and images, or provide the URL for any map of your choice and load it right in the app! If you have preferred weather providers, you can load your favorite maps and images right in Wx and keep them handy. Wx is crafted with attention to detail by a professional software developer with 29 years of experience, 15 years focused on developing weather software for OS X and 12 years writing apps for iOS devices. Wx has multiple levels of redundancy to handle severe weather events that can strain NWS servers, and even offers network settings for both Wi-Fi and cellular operation so that you can fine tune the app’s performance and bandwidth needs. Mac users, be sure to check out Wx for OS X on the Mac App Store. iPhone users, check out Wx for iPhone here on iTunes. ***NOTE*** If you need support or help, or have feedback, suggestions, or feature requests, please contact us via the support link (above) or on our website at hrtapps.com.

About

Solar Time

Displays the apparent solar time, reflecting what a sundial would show based on your location and the sun's position. It accounts for longitude, the solar equation, and daylight saving time, with a visually dynamic background.

Highlights
  • Apparent solar time display
  • Accounts for solar equation
  • Optional daylight saving toggle
  • Automatic location updates
  • Customizable seconds display
  • 12/24 hour format toggle
  • Dynamic background color
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

This application shows the apparent solar time, the time you would see on a sundial at your current location. It is the combination of the mean solar time (which depends on the longitude at your current position), the time difference from the solar equation which changes over the year because of the ecliptic path of the earth around the sun and optional daylight saving in the summer. That means the solar time at 12:00pm (noon) is the time of the highest sun position. Features: - see the time difference in detail - toggle the display of the seconds - toggle between 12 and 24 hours - the background color changes according to the time difference from the solar equation - the location is automatically updated when you move - supports all iPhones and all iPads - supports the iPad multitasking (split view, ...)

Screenshots

Solar Time4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Solar Time at 3.8 against Wx for iPad's 3.2. Solar Time also leads on review sentiment (73% vs 56%) and price ($0.99 vs $3.99). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Wx for iPad costs $3.99 and Solar Time $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Solar Time holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 9 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Wx for iPad's written reviews are positive against 73% of Solar Time's.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Wx for iPad versus Solar Time: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWx for iPadSolar Time
Price$3.99$0.99 — better
Rating3.2 (5 ratings)3.8 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews56.1% of reviews72.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings59 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#53 — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS11.46.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCraig HunterPiet Jonas

Customer experience

Wx for iPad

All ratings5 ratings
Positive40.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews66 reviews
Positive56.1%
Neutral10.6%
Negative33.3%

Solar Time

All ratings9 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive72.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative27.3%

Bugs and requests

Wx for iPad

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Download error on non-image links
  • App crashes when opening
  • App stopped downloading written forecast
  • App doesn't fetch data
  • Upgrade to iOS 10 broke landscape mode
Show 3 more
  • New iOS versions cause issues
  • Cannot add locations
  • Duplicate deduction fee for bundle purchase

Requested features

21 requests
  • Restore landscape mode on iPad
  • Update for iOS 10+
  • Allow editing of links
  • Link to non-image sites
  • Change units (e.g., metric)
Show 16 more
  • Hide/reorder graphs in Pro section
  • User selectable option for wind arrow direction
  • Add refresh button
  • Red display option
  • Zoom on maps (satellite, radar)
  • Looping on satellite maps
  • Request TAF/METAR data
  • More international locations
  • Add pressure rising/falling indicator
  • Zoom in/out on NOAA maps (pinch)
  • Dark mode option
  • Hourly forecast
  • Local radar for specific city
  • Default location setting
  • More detailed forecasts
  • Web clip images for custom maps

Solar Time

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Wx for iPad

No in-app purchases

None

Solar Time

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Wx for iPad free?
Wx for iPad costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Solar Time free?
Solar Time costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Wx for iPad or Solar Time?
Solar Time is rated higher. Wx for iPad averages 3.2 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Solar Time averages 3.8 from 9 ratings.
Do Wx for iPad or Solar Time have ads?
Neither Wx for iPad nor Solar Time shows ads.

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