# National Weather vs Rain Tracker

The clearest difference is rating: National Weather at 4.5 against Rain Tracker's 3.0. National Weather also leads on ratings volume (7.6K vs 44) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). Rain Tracker's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and review sentiment (46% vs 35%). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. National Weather sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per year. Rain Tracker asks for nothing beyond the download.

National Weather holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: National Weather has 7.6K ratings behind it against 44, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 35% of National Weather's written reviews are positive against 46% of Rain Tracker's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

National Weather ships an update every 4 months, Rain Tracker every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | National Weather | Rain Tracker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (7.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/national-weather/id436760574/reviews)** | [3.0 (44 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rain-tracker/id1595241295/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **7.6K** | 44 |
| Positive reviews | 35.2% of reviews | **46.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 months** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 144 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mende App Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/423474216) | [Callum Hill](https://appshunter.io/developer/1130167139) |

## What reviewers say

### National Weather

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/national-weather/id436760574)

Access highly accurate local weather forecasts, radar, and satellite imagery. Receive rain alerts, view detailed weather charts, and get sunrise/sunset times. This app provides comprehensive weather data for the United States.

**Highlights:** Powerful radar view, Rain alert notifications, Home screen weather widget, Hourly and 7-day forecasts, Satellite imagery, Interactive weather maps, Sunrise/sunset and moon data

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscription to Remove Ads | $2.99 | per year |
| Subscription to Remove Ads | $3.99 | per year |
| Discounted Radar, Maps, Marine and Moon | $0.99 | one-time |
| Purchase Radar and Interactive Maps | $0.99 | one-time |
| Purchase Charts, Marine and Moon Information | $0.99 | one-time |
| Purchase Radar, Maps, Marine and Moon | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Comprehensive weather information
- 👍 Accurate forecasts
- 📊 Detailed charts and graphs
- 🌍 Covers wide range of locations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🔍 Difficulty finding/removing locations
- 📱 Suboptimal layout and font size on mobile
- 💰 Ads even after paid upgrades

**Reported bugs**

- Incorrect wind direction display
- Inconsistent temperature reporting
- Radar functionality not working properly
- Locations not updating in real-time

**Requested features**

- Hourly weather forecast
- Ability to customize location list
- Radar animation for future weather
- Improved accessibility features


### Rain Tracker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rain-tracker/id1595241295)

Manually log your daily rainfall measurements from your home rain gauge. Visualize your data with daily, monthly, and yearly charts. Supports multiple gauges and data export/import.

**Highlights:** Manual rain recording, Daily, monthly, yearly charts, Multiple rain gauge support, Data export to CSV, Data import from CSV, Metric/imperial unit selection

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is National Weather free?

National Weather is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Rain Tracker free?

Rain Tracker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, National Weather or Rain Tracker?

National Weather is rated higher. National Weather averages 4.5 out of 5 from 7.6K ratings, while Rain Tracker averages 3.0 from 44 ratings.

### Do National Weather or Rain Tracker have ads?

Both National Weather and Rain Tracker show ads.

### Which is updated more often, National Weather or Rain Tracker?

National Weather ships an update every 4 months, and Rain Tracker every 6 months. Most recently, National Weather was updated on October 29, 2026 and Rain Tracker on October 27, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*