WeatherMap+ vs US NOAA Radars 3D Lite
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
WeatherMap+
Explore global weather patterns with interactive maps. View current and future weather events with detailed layers for temperature, wind, and precipitation. Forecasts are available for up to five days.
- Interactive world map
- Switchable weather layers
- Detailed weather data (0.25 degrees)
- View weather changes over time
- Up to 5-day forecast
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*** Featured by The New York Times on Nov 22, 2012 (Software That Shows What Your Shiny New iPad Can Do) *** WeatherMap+ is an interactive app, which allows you to pan and zoom around a map of the world, switch various weather layers in order to get a comprehensive view of both current and future weather events. - detail up to 0.25 degrees on land or sea anywhere in the world. - view how weather conditions change over time for your individual area and weather around the world - get basic overview of cloudiness, precipitation, temperature, wind speed and pressure in a singe view - switch between available layers: "all layers", "temperature", "wind speed", "pressure" - see the weather forecast up to 5 days
US NOAA Radars 3D Lite
Visualize weather patterns with real-time radar imagery and 3D city views. Explore national and regional forecasts, and switch between radar stations with ease. This version offers core features and integrates with Apple Watch.
- Real-time NOAA radar imagery
- 3D city views with Flyover mode
- National and regional forecast data
- Apple Watch integration
- Quick radar station switching
- Transparent radar view
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This is a lite version with limited features (local radars, national forecast and national satellites) and Advertisement. Purchase the Pro version for the full features, Mac app and Apple TV for Universal Purchase The Next Generation of Weather Radar app is here. iOS App Quick Started: > Radar images will be loaded when the app is launched and will be refreshed every 10 minutes. And you are ready to see the latest real time radar images on the map. Zoom in and out to see the whether across multiple states. Click on the "Radar" button to enable/disable radar images. Slide the slider to change the transparency of radar images. You can also select any radar from menu, radar stations on the map and right sidebar to switch to a different radar station. > To see the major city 3D View, follow the steps below: 1. Select "Flyover" on the top to enable 3D View 2. Select "Major Cities" from the left sidebar to see the major cities on the map. Click on any major city and you are ready to see 3D City View (use two-fingers gesture to change viewing angles: zoom in/out, rotate, swipe up/down). You can also zoom in to a major city manually. Watch App Quick Started: > Launch the Watch App and the app will communicate with the iOS App to get the nearest Radar information and also notify the iOS App to select and view the Radar. The radar image will also be sent back to Watch App for display. Click on the "Nearest" button if you would like to search the nearest radar again. This app is the Next Generation of Weather Radar app by integrating the following technologies and data together: - The latest Apple MapKit features such as Traffic, Buildings, POI and 3D View - Apple Watch Integration with iPhone. - Apple TV integration (Universal Purchase) - Real Time NOAA Radar - National, Regional and Individual Radar View with the easiest ways to access the radars (right sidebar, menu or map pins) - 3D Radar View - Transparent Radar View - Radar Image - Major cities layer and weather forecast (***Full Version*** Tap a city and the flyover view will be enabled and zoomed into the selected city). - Radar Stations layer and weather forecast (Full Version) - Radar Images (Full Version) - Apple Watch Integration. - Databases with built in information. - Weather Alerts (Under development) This app provides the following features: - The first app integrates the latest national Radar, Regional Radar and Individual Radars together. - The first app provides Radar images in 3D view by selecting Flyover map mode on the top. - Quick access to radars: > One click Radar switch by selecting the right sidebar and click on a radar. > One click Radar switch by selecting an item on the top menu. > One click Radar switch by selecting radar on the map (Full Version) - One click feature/layer switch by selecting the left sidebar and click on a feature/layer > Radar Image based upon the selected state > Radar Stations layer on/off > Major cities layer on/off - One click theme switch by selecting the left sidebar and click on a theme to have the look you want. - This app provides the Apple Watch Integration to control iPhone to select and display the nearest Radar Image. - This app provides Apple TV integration (Universal Purchase)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: WeatherMap+ at 85% against US NOAA Radars 3D Lite's 0%. WeatherMap+ also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.1) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 21 months). US NOAA Radars 3D Lite's advantage is price (Free vs $2.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
US NOAA Radars 3D Lite is free to download; WeatherMap+ costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
WeatherMap+ holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: WeatherMap+ has 538 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of WeatherMap+'s written reviews are positive against 0% of US NOAA Radars 3D Lite's.
WeatherMap+ ships an update every 2 months, US NOAA Radars 3D Lite every 21 months. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | WeatherMap+ | US NOAA Radars 3D Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (538 ratings) — better | 3.1 (12 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 85.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 538 — better | 12 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 21 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #87 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | Michal Frankowski | Jufen Chang |
Customer experience
WeatherMap+
US NOAA Radars 3D Lite
Bugs and requests
WeatherMap+
Reported bugs
3 issues- App crashes on launch with iOS 10 and later
- Current location not detected on startup
- Weather data inaccurate or not updating properly
Requested features
7 requests- Add cloud cover overlay
- Provide wind speed in MPH/KPH instead of wind barbs
- Allow saving favorite locations
- Implement offline caching for maps and data
- Add animation for weather data progression
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- Include humidity data in the graphs
- Provide weather data for additional altitude levels
US NOAA Radars 3D Lite
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
WeatherMap+
No in-app purchases
US NOAA Radars 3D Lite
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is WeatherMap+ free?
Is US NOAA Radars 3D Lite free?
Which has better reviews, WeatherMap+ or US NOAA Radars 3D Lite?
Do WeatherMap+ or US NOAA Radars 3D Lite have ads?
Which is updated more often, WeatherMap+ or US NOAA Radars 3D Lite?
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