AfricaWeather vs Lightning Alarm
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AfricaWeather
Get accurate daily weather forecasts, observations, and storm tracking for Africa. Make informed decisions with detailed local conditions, including temperature, wind, and precipitation. Explore interactive maps and receive push notifications for weather alerts.
- Hundreds of weather station observations
- 7-day weather forecasts
- Sunrise, sunset, and moon information
- Hourly temperature, rain, and wind forecasts
- Automated video maps
- Storm tracker with lightning and satellite layers
- Push notifications
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AfricaWeather smarter weather insights, built for Africa. The all new AfricaWeather app gives you accurate, easy-to-read weather for your location and anywhere else you care about. Check the conditions before you head out, plan your week around the 10 day outlook, or dig into the hourly detail. No account, no subscription just download it and go. KEY FEATURES Current conditions with feels like temperature, daily high and low 10 day forecast with daily highs, lows and conditions at a glance 24 hour forecast with hourly temperature and chance of rain Wind speed and direction on a live compass Humidity and dew point Visibility with hourly trends Atmospheric pressure Sunrise, sunset and total daylight hours Moon phase, illumination, moonrise and moonset Tap any metric for a full breakdown with hourly charts Save multiple locations and switch between them instantly DATA SOURCES Data used within the AfricaWeather app comes from a range of sources, including observations from automated weather stations and airports, and forecasts generated by industry-leading ensembles that draw on all major global weather models to produce the most accurate forecast available. ABOUT AFRICAWEATHER AfricaWeather is Africa's leading commercial weather information provider, serving the agriculture, mining, construction, education and consumer markets. We serve over a million Africans through our website and mobile applications, interpreting weather information and making it relevant to your day. Visit www.africaweather.com for more information. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Lightning Alarm
Receive timely notifications about approaching thunderstorms and lightning strikes in your vicinity. This app provides accurate lightning detection and displays real-time information on a map, ensuring safety during outdoor activities.
- Real-time lightning detection
- Approaching storm notifications
- Lightning distance display
- Map view of lightning strikes
- Textual storm information
- Push message alerts
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Always safe with Lightning Alarm. You will be notified if a thunderstorm is in your area. The lightning detection is very accurate and the (automated) notifications are essential for safe outdoor activities. At a glance you can see the nearest lightning. Displayed on the map and in text, you see the current distance from the thunderstorm to your location. You can even set up a push message, notifying you for approaching storms. This App is unique and a must for your safety during outdoor activities. The information is based on the detection network of Meteoplaza.com. With this network 98% of all lightning discharges are detected, resulting in a high quality of the warnings! Lightning Alarm, you have been warned! Lightning Alarm Premium can be purchased through iTunes for € 3.49 per year. € 3.49 will be charged within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Subscriptions are user-managed and auto-renewal can be turned off by going to Apple ID settings. By purchasing Lightning Alarm Premium you agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Privacy statement: https://www.infoplaza.nl/en/about-us/disclaimer-privacy/ Terms of Service: https://www.infoplaza.nl/en/about-us/terms-of-use-lightning-alarm/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Lightning Alarm at every 2 months against AfricaWeather's every 6 months. Lightning Alarm also leads on review sentiment (80% vs 67%) and ratings volume (890 vs 257). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. AfricaWeather sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per year and Lightning Alarm sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for AfricaWeather against 4.5 for Lightning Alarm. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 257 and 890 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of AfricaWeather's written reviews are positive against 80% of Lightning Alarm's.
AfricaWeather ships an update every 6 months, Lightning Alarm every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | AfricaWeather | Lightning Alarm |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (257 ratings) — better | 4.5 (890 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 67.5% of reviews | 80.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 257 | 890 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 31 MB | 79 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | AfricaWeather.com | Infoplaza BV |
Customer experience
AfricaWeather
Lightning Alarm
User reviews
AfricaWeather
From 257 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Accurate weather forecasts
- 📊 Detailed weather information
- 🔔 Useful notifications and alerts
- 🗺️ Comprehensive coverage of South African locations
- 👍 User-friendly interface
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inconsistent or inaccurate weather data
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🔍 Limited free features
- 🌐 Lack of integration with other weather services
- 🕰️ Outdated or slow updates
Lightning Alarm
From 890 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ⭐️ Excellent app
- 👍 Works great
- 🚀 Accurate and precise
- 🔔 Helpful notifications
- 🌩️ Tracks lightning effectively
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes or freezes
- ⚠️ Inaccurate or unreliable
- 🔍 Difficult to set location
- 🔢 Metric units not preferred
Bugs and requests
AfricaWeather
Reported bugs
5 issues- App crashes or freezes
- Incorrect location data
- Delayed or missing notifications
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Syncing problems between devices
Requested features
5 requests- Hourly weather forecasts
- Live weather radar
- GPS-based location tracking
- Customizable widgets and home screen integration
- Improved storm and severe weather warnings
Lightning Alarm
Reported bugs
3 issues- Notifications not working
- Map tiles not loading properly
- App crashing on launch
Requested features
4 requests- Option to switch between miles and kilometers
- Add multiple locations to track
- Improve map visuals and details
- Customizable alert radius
In-app purchases
AfricaWeather
- Ad-free Subscription1 Month trial$2.491 Year
- AfricaWeather Pro Subscription1 Month trial$2.991 Month
- Ad-free Subscription1 Month trial$2.991 Year
Lightning Alarm
- Lightning Alarm Premium$2.991 Year
- 1 month ad free$0.99
- 3 months ad free$1.99
- 1 year ad free$2.99
Questions
Is AfricaWeather free?
Is Lightning Alarm free?
Which has better reviews, AfricaWeather or Lightning Alarm?
Do AfricaWeather or Lightning Alarm have ads?
Which is updated more often, AfricaWeather or Lightning Alarm?
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