Comparison

EF Scale vs Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath

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

Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath

Receive instant alerts for tornado warnings and severe weather. Access detailed tornado data, interactive maps with various layers, and a historical archive. Learn about weather safety and understand alerts with educational guides.

Highlights
  • Instant tornado warning alerts
  • Interactive maps with radar and layers
  • Detailed tornado data and historical archive
  • Severe weather alerts (watches, thunderstorms)
  • Educational weather guides
  • Customizable alert preferences
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Never miss a tornado warning - I'm looking at you, tornado alley! Get instant alerts via phone call, SMS, and email when severe weather threatens your saved locations - plus the most detailed tornado data available anywhere. KEY FEATURES: NEW: LOCAL TAB — PERSONALIZED TO YOUR ADDRESS - See if active warnings impact your exact address - Tornado warnings, watches, severe thunderstorm & marine alerts (US & Canada) - Upcoming risk — today, tomorrow, and day 3 - Local conditions: high/low, feels like, humidity, and wind - NEW: Tornado history near you — past paths within 50 miles - NEW: Tornado warning history near you — past warnings within 50 miles - Search any US/Canada address, or use GPS - Pro: track up to 5 saved addresses LIVE TORNADO WARNINGS - Real-time tracking across all 50 states and Canada - Active warnings with polygon boundaries on maps - Affected population and county data - US and Canada population breakdowns - Broadcast audio playback for Canadian alerts - Daily activity summaries SEVERE WEATHER ALERTS - Tornado Watch monitoring - Severe Thunderstorm Warnings - Special Marine Warnings - Filter by type, state, country, and time INTERACTIVE MAPS - Live radar overlay - Precise warning polygons - Auto-zoom to warnings - Toggle active/expired alerts - Optional location display - 4 map styles: Standard, Minimal, Dark, Terrain MAP LAYERS -HD Radar (MRMS high-resolution) -Forecast Radar (predictive modeling) -Echo Tops (storm height data) -Satellite imagery (real-time) -Precipitation overlay -Storm Cells (tornado rotation & hail detection) -Base Reflectivity (raw NEXRAD radar returns) -Velocity (auto selects nearest radar, or pick any site manually) TORNADO ARCHIVE - 85,000+ historical US records since 1680 - 3,100+ historical Canadian records since 1980 - NEW: Path maps — tap any tornado to see its exact start & end - NEW: Filter by intensity, decade, deaths & path length - Event narratives with deaths & injuries - Browse by state, county, province and territory - Deadliest, longest, widest tornado stats - Monthly and time-of-day charts - EF0-EF5 intensity distribution WEATHER OUTLOOKS -Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 tornado outlooks -Categorical risk levels -Tornado, wind, and hail probability maps -NEW: Fire Weather outlooks with wind/humidity zones -NEW: Excessive Rainfall (flash flood risk) outlooks -NEW: Snow probability outlooks -Convective Outlook and CIG support LEARN -8 guides written in plain English -Watch vs. Warning, Reading the Map, Understanding Outlooks -Understanding Radar Types, The EF Scale, Tornado Safety, How Alerts Work -NEW: The Local Tab — alerts for your exact address -No meteorology degree required CUSTOMIZATION & FEATURES - Full dark mode (Light/Dark/System) - 4 map styles to choose from - Warning details with countdown timers - Filter by state, country, and time period - iPad optimized - In-app support and sharing DATA SOURCES: - National Weather Service (NWS) - Storm Prediction Center (SPC) - Weather Prediction Center (WPC) - NOAA Storm Events Database - Apple Weather GO PRO ($39.99/year, or $149.99 lifetime) (US ONLY) -Phone calls when tornado warnings, watches and severe thunderstorms are issued -NEW: Year-round coverage — flash flood, snow squall, winter storm, blizzard, ice storm & high wind warnings -SMS texts with warning details -Email bulletins with full NWS statements -Monitor up to 5 locations -Alert 2 phone numbers -Turn each alert type on or off anytime 3-DAY RISK ALERTS — Only on Tornado Path! -Text & email up to 3 days before tornado or severe storm risk hits your area -Personalized to your saved addresses — no risk, no message -Know before the storm so you can prepare PERFECT FOR: Storm chasers, weather enthusiasts, researchers, emergency professionals, and anyone in tornado-prone areas. (Complements, not replaces, primary warning systems. Use NOAA Weather Radio for backup) Terms: https://www.tornadopath.com/terms Privacy: https://www.tornadopath.com/privacy

Screenshots

EF Scale4 screens
Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: EF Scale at none against Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath's 5. Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 20 months) and rating (4.9 vs 4.5). On price, ads 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

Both are free to download. Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. EF Scale asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath has 1.4K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of EF Scale's written reviews are positive against 91% of Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

EF Scale ships an update every 20 months, Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
EF Scale versus Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEF ScaleTornado Tracker by TornadoPath
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (4 ratings)4.9 (1.4K ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews90.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings41.4K — better
Update frequencyEvery 20 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#182 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS26.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWeatherWary LLCRidge Labs LLC

Customer experience

EF Scale

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

Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath

All ratings1,362 ratings
Positive97.7%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews153 reviews
Positive90.8%
Neutral2.0%
Negative7.2%

In-app purchases

None

EF Scale

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath

Subscriptions4
  • Premium Alerts$9.991 Month
  • Tornado Path Pro (Annual) No Trial$39.991 Year
  • Tornado Path Pro (Annual) Intro1 Year trial$39.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Tornado Path Pro (Annual)3 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Tornado Path Pro (Lifetime)$149.99

Questions

Is EF Scale free?
EF Scale is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath free?
Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, EF Scale or Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath?
Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath is rated higher. EF Scale averages 4.5 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath averages 4.9 from 1.4K ratings.
Do EF Scale or Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath have ads?
Neither EF Scale nor Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath shows ads.
Which is updated more often, EF Scale or Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath?
EF Scale ships an update every 20 months, and Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath every 2 days. Most recently, EF Scale was updated on October 4, 2026 and Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath on October 18, 2026.

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