Comparison

WRAL Weather vs RaysWeather.Com Mobile

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

Head to head
About

WRAL Weather

Get accurate local weather forecasts and real-time severe weather alerts for central and eastern North Carolina. Features include interactive radar maps, daily video forecasts, and hurricane tracking. Stay informed about storms, floods, and more with insights from local meteorologists.

Highlights
  • Live local forecasts
  • Real-time weather alerts
  • Interactive radar map
  • DualDoppler5000 radar
  • Hurricane Center
  • Closings & delays
Features
Read full description

Stay safe and ahead of the storm with the WRAL Weather app. Get the most accurate, local weather forecasts for Raleigh, Durham and across central and eastern North Carolina straight from the WRAL Severe Weather Center. The app features real-time radar, custom alerts and daily forecasts from trusted local meteorologists. Key Features: Live local forecasts · Get accurate hourly and 7-day forecasts for your current location and favorite saved locations. · Access in-depth weather updates, handwritten with insights from six local meteorologists, not generated by computer models. · Watch WRAL News+ for live updates. · View daily video forecasts available on demand. Real-time weather alerts · Get push notifications based on your location for dangerous weather conditions, including storms, hurricanes, floods and more. · Add locations to Warnings based on your location. Interactive radar map · Track rain and severe weather with high-resolution radar. · Change views to see conditional layers including lighting strikes, wind speed, air quality index and more. · Use DualDoppler5000, the only dual-pol radar covering Wake County, for unmatched storm tracking speed and accuracy. · See future weather patterns with Futurecast. Other special features · View live cams across the region. · Share weather photos and reports directly with WRAL. · Use the Hurricane Center to track tropical storms and hurricanes. · Access closings & delays from schools and local businesses. Download the WRAL Weather app now for the most trusted local weather in North Carolina. Whether you’re checking today’s forecast or tracking an approaching storm, stay informed wherever you are.

About

RaysWeather.Com Mobile

Access detailed weather forecasts and real-time conditions for Western North Carolina and Southwest Virginia. This app provides over 60 weather stations, 30 webcams, and custom radar loops, along with unique weather tools.

Highlights
  • Detailed weather forecasts
  • Over 60 weather stations
  • 30 webcams
  • 10 custom radar loops
  • Golf-o-Meter
  • Snowman-O-Mometer
Read full description

RaysWeather.Com has been the go-to weather source for Western North Carolina and Southwest Virginia for 22 years. The re-release of the App puts Ray's Forecast, over 60 weather stations, 30 webcams, and 10 custom radar loops in your pocket. And don't forget the Golf-o-Meter, Snowman-O-Mometer, and Photo of the Day. It's all there.

Screenshots

WRAL Weather4 screens
RaysWeather.Com Mobile4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: RaysWeather.Com Mobile at 4.9 against WRAL Weather's 4.2. RaysWeather.Com Mobile also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (41% vs 22%). WRAL Weather's advantage is ratings volume (3.6K vs 303). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RaysWeather.Com Mobile holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: WRAL Weather has 3.6K ratings behind it against 303, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of WRAL Weather's written reviews are positive against 41% of RaysWeather.Com Mobile's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WRAL Weather ships an update every 2 months, RaysWeather.Com Mobile every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
WRAL Weather versus RaysWeather.Com Mobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWRAL WeatherRaysWeather.Com Mobile
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (3.6K ratings)4.9 (303 ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.0% of reviews40.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3.6K — better303
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.613.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB20 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperCapitol Broadcasting CompanyBooneWeather.Com, Inc.

Customer experience

WRAL Weather

All ratings3,245 ratings
Positive76.2%
Neutral6.3%
Negative17.5%
Written reviews200 reviews
Positive22.0%
Neutral21.5%
Negative56.5%

RaysWeather.Com Mobile

All ratings228 ratings
Positive99.6%
Neutral0.4%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive40.9%
Neutral9.1%
Negative50.0%

User reviews

WRAL Weather

From 3.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Accurate local weather forecasts
  • 🔍 Detailed radar and storm tracking
  • 🗣️ Useful voice alerts from meteorologists
  • 💻 Smooth and responsive app experience
  • 🗺️ Ability to track weather in multiple locations

Room to improve

  • 🐞 Buggy radar and loading issues
  • 📢 Excessive and intrusive advertisements
  • 🔍 Difficulty navigating and finding information
  • 🕰️ Delayed weather alerts and notifications
  • 🔧 Lack of customization and settings options

RaysWeather.Com Mobile

From 303 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Accurate local weather forecasts
  • 👍 Free service is good
  • 👍 Phenomenal new app compared to old
  • 👍 Fabulous app, Ray is accurate
  • 👍 Great addition to website

Room to improve

  • 😞 App is garbage
  • 😞 Horrible app, dashboard won't load favorites
  • 😞 Never worked, no premium content
  • 😞 Doesn't show Asheville weather easily
  • 😞 Clunky and awkward UX, slow to load, crashes

Bugs and requests

WRAL Weather

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Radar not loading or freezing
  • Incorrect temperature and weather data
  • Saved locations not updating properly
  • Notifications not working as expected
  • App crashes or becomes unresponsive

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add dark mode option
  • Improve radar animation and controls
  • Provide more detailed weather data and forecasts
  • Allow users to customize alert preferences
  • Integrate with smart home devices and services

RaysWeather.Com Mobile

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Dashboard won't load favorites
  • App never worked, no premium content
  • App keeps showing same forecast for days
  • App freezes up almost every time it is opened
  • App takes me to a page for Peak Insurance
Show 1 more
  • App defaults to Boone weather, requires many taps for Asheville

Requested features

4 requests
  • Wish for darker font
  • Option to increase font size
  • Change app icon back to puffy clouds
  • Add option to increase font size

In-app purchases

None

WRAL Weather

No in-app purchases

None

RaysWeather.Com Mobile

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is WRAL Weather free?
WRAL Weather is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RaysWeather.Com Mobile free?
RaysWeather.Com Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, WRAL Weather or RaysWeather.Com Mobile?
RaysWeather.Com Mobile is rated higher. WRAL Weather averages 4.2 out of 5 from 3.6K ratings, while RaysWeather.Com Mobile averages 4.9 from 303 ratings.
Do WRAL Weather or RaysWeather.Com Mobile have ads?
WRAL Weather shows ads; RaysWeather.Com Mobile does not.
Which is updated more often, WRAL Weather or RaysWeather.Com Mobile?
WRAL Weather ships an update every 2 months, and RaysWeather.Com Mobile every 6 weeks. Most recently, WRAL Weather was updated on November 1, 2026 and RaysWeather.Com Mobile on October 30, 2026.

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