# Forecast Now vs NOAA Weather Elite

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NOAA Weather Elite at none against Forecast Now's 1. NOAA Weather Elite also leads on review sentiment (89% vs 55%). Forecast Now's advantage is ratings volume (1.5K vs 12) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Forecast Now sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month. NOAA Weather Elite asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Forecast Now against 4.4 for NOAA Weather Elite. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Forecast Now has 1.5K ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 55% of Forecast Now's written reviews are positive against 89% of NOAA Weather Elite's.

Forecast Now ships an update every 3 weeks, NOAA Weather Elite every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Forecast Now | NOAA Weather Elite |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/forecast-now/id452087262/reviews)** | [4.4 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noaa-weather-elite/id6478229603/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.5K** | 12 |
| Positive reviews | 55.2% of reviews | **88.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 82 MB | 56 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Kelly Technology Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/393931941) | [Pennsylvania Weather Action LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1220910821) |

## What reviewers say

### Forecast Now

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/forecast-now/id452087262)

Get detailed local weather forecasts for any US town, including daily and hourly predictions, animated radar, and hazardous weather alerts. Track air quality, UV index, and snowfall with data from official US sources. An optional subscription removes ads and unlocks advanced satellite imagery.

**Highlights:** 7-day daily weather forecast, 24-hour hourly forecast, Animated radar and satellite views, Hazardous weather warnings, Predicted snowfall totals, Air quality index, Ultraviolet index

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $0.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Favorite weather app
- 🚀 Accurate and dependable forecasts
- 💡 Detailed weather information
- 👍 Easy to use and navigate

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Ads disrupt user experience
- 🐛 Forecast information not always available
- 🐛 Slow app performance and crashes
- 🐛 Difficult to read small text

**Reported bugs**

- Radar and local weather information not working
- Forecast details disappearing after updates
- Inability to access more than one location

**Requested features**

- Add day of week to forecast
- Improve radar and map functionality
- Provide more location-specific details
- Offer a paid ad-free version


### NOAA Weather Elite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noaa-weather-elite/id6478229603)

Access detailed weather data with 14 vector map layers, including past and future radar frames, severe weather outlooks, and precipitation forecasts. View global weather radar and satellite imagery, with NWS alerts available.

**Highlights:** 14 vector weather map layers, Past and future radar frames, Severe weather outlooks, Accumulated precipitation forecasts, Global weather radar and satellite imagery, NWS alerts with full text

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Forecast Now free?

Forecast Now is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is NOAA Weather Elite free?

NOAA Weather Elite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Forecast Now or NOAA Weather Elite?

Forecast Now is rated higher. Forecast Now averages 4.4 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while NOAA Weather Elite averages 4.4 from 12 ratings.

### Do Forecast Now or NOAA Weather Elite have ads?

Both Forecast Now and NOAA Weather Elite show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Forecast Now or NOAA Weather Elite?

Forecast Now ships an update every 3 weeks, and NOAA Weather Elite every 2 months. Most recently, Forecast Now was updated on November 1, 2026 and NOAA Weather Elite on November 8, 2026.

---

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