Wx for iPhone vs Global Surface Winds
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Wx for iPhone
This app provides detailed U.S. weather information, including current conditions, forecasts, alerts, and radar data. It offers customizable forecasts with extensive meteorological data and the ability to load personal weather maps.
- Current U.S. weather conditions
- 7-day point and pro forecasts
- Detailed forecast graphs (temp, humidity, wind, precipitation)
- NWS observation site data
- NEXRAD radar data
- NWS alerts and warnings
- Customizable weather maps
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The venerable U.S. weather app Wx, named a Mac Gem by Macworld magazine, is now available for iPhone! 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 some 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. Wx is also available for the iPad and OS X. See hrtapps.com for more info. ***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.
Global Surface Winds
Visualize global wind patterns with this interactive mapping application. It transforms data from the USDOC into an easy-to-use mobile tool for understanding wind conditions worldwide.
- Interactive wind mapping
- Global wind data visualization
- USDOC data integration
- Mobile application interface
- Ease of use
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The Global Surface Winds App takes data from the USDOC and turns it into an interactive mobile mapping application for ease of use.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Wx for iPhone at 76% against Global Surface Winds's 0%. Wx for iPhone also leads on rating (4.3 vs 1.0) and ads (none vs shown). Global Surface Winds's advantage is price (Free vs $2.99). On 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
Global Surface Winds is free to download; Wx for iPhone costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Wx for iPhone holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 27 and 6 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Wx for iPhone's written reviews are positive against 0% of Global Surface Winds's.
Wx for iPhone ships an update every 5 months, Global Surface Winds every 20 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Wx for iPhone | Global Surface Winds |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (27 ratings) — better | 1.0 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 76.3% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 27 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months — better | Every 20 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Ad-supported — better |
| Best chart rank | #97 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 11.4 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Craig Hunter | corey hoggard |
Customer experience
Wx for iPhone
Global Surface Winds
In-app purchases
Wx for iPhone
No in-app purchases
Global Surface Winds
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Wx for iPhone free?
Is Global Surface Winds free?
Which has better reviews, Wx for iPhone or Global Surface Winds?
Do Wx for iPhone or Global Surface Winds have ads?
Which is updated more often, Wx for iPhone or Global Surface Winds?
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