Comparison

EF Scale vs Spotter Location

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

Head to head
About

EF Scale

Assess tornado and wind damage with this tool that simplifies the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale. Follow on-screen prompts to select damage indicators and degrees of damage, then adjust for construction variability to estimate wind speeds.

Highlights
  • Simplified EF Scale assessment
  • Damage indicator selection
  • Degree of damage input
  • Construction variability adjustment
  • Visual damage examples
  • About and share functions
Features
Read full description

Rate tornado damage the way surveyors do. EF Scale puts the complete Enhanced Fujita scale on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac — all 28 damage indicators, every degree of damage, and the expected wind speeds behind each rating. Browse structure types from small barns and family residences to high-rise buildings, transmission lines, and trees. Compare what you see against reference photos and construction details, then pick a degree of damage and tune the wind speed estimate between its bounds to account for construction quality. • All 28 damage indicators of the Enhanced Fujita scale • Reference photos and construction details for every indicator • Degrees of damage with expected wind speeds and EF ratings • Interactive wind speed estimator with adjustable bounds • EF0–EF5 rating reference, always a tap away • Everything stored on device — works fully offline in the field Built for storm spotters, damage surveyors, emergency managers, students, and weather enthusiasts. *** PLEASE REMEMBER: This app is for reference purposes only. Doing a real damage survey takes knowledge and experience you can't build into an app! Official damage assessments are the business of the National Weather Service and their delegates! ***

About

Spotter Location

This app enables storm spotters and chasers to track their field location and upload coordinates to the Spotter Network API. It also allows for direct submission of Severe Storm Reports.

Highlights
  • Location tracking for storm spotters
  • Integrates with Spotter Network API
  • Upload location coordinates
  • Submit Severe Storm Reports
  • Field use for chasers
Currently charting
Read full description

Spotter Location allows storm spotters and storm chasers out in the field to track their location. Spotter Location integrates with the Spotter Network API. This integration allows location coordinates to be uploaded to Spotter Network, and for storm spotters or storm chasers to submit Severe Storm Reports directly from the Spotter Location.

Screenshots

EF Scale4 screens
Spotter Location4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: EF Scale at Free against Spotter Location's $1.99. Spotter Location's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 20 months). On review sentiment, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

EF Scale is free to download; Spotter Location costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Spotter Location holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of EF Scale's written reviews are positive against 71% of Spotter Location's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

EF Scale ships an update every 20 months, Spotter Location every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 8, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
EF Scale versus Spotter Location: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEF ScaleSpotter Location
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.5 (4 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews71.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings44
Update frequencyEvery 20 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#194 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWeatherWary LLCRandal Jennings

Customer experience

EF Scale

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral22.2%
Negative11.1%

Spotter Location

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative28.6%

In-app purchases

None

EF Scale

No in-app purchases

None

Spotter Location

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is EF Scale free?
EF Scale is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Spotter Location free?
Spotter Location costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, EF Scale or Spotter Location?
Spotter Location is rated higher. EF Scale averages 4.5 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Spotter Location averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do EF Scale or Spotter Location have ads?
Neither EF Scale nor Spotter Location shows ads.
Which is updated more often, EF Scale or Spotter Location?
EF Scale ships an update every 20 months, and Spotter Location every 2 months. Most recently, EF Scale was updated on August 8, 2026 and Spotter Location on September 14, 2026.

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