PredictWind vs Hello Aurora
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PredictWind
Get accurate marine weather forecasts and powerful tools for wind, waves, and currents. Plan your trips with routing and departure planning features, and stay informed with live observations and alerts. Ideal for all marine activities.
- Accurate marine weather forecasts
- Wind, wave, and current data
- Weather routing and departure planning
- High-resolution marine weather maps
- Live wind observations and webcams
- Weather alerts
Read full descriptionHide full description
Accurate marine weather forecasts and powerful tools utilizing wind, wave and currents, save you time, keep you safe and ensure you get the most out of every day on the water. Access the world’s top-ranking forecast models for reliable and accurate wind and weather data, including ECMWF, AIFS, ICON, UKMO, GFS, and more. Our very own PWAi, PWG & PWE models deliver unmatched accuracy in the short-to-medium range. View high resolution marine weather maps for wind, gust, CAPE, wave, rain, cloud, pressure, air temperature, sea temperature, ocean data and solunar. Suitable for sailing yacht, powerboat and any other marine weather activity. In addition to marine forecasts, PredictWind also provides a suite of powerful marine weather tools to save you time and keep you safe at sea using Wind, Wave, Tidal and Ocean currents. Weather Routing takes your start and end points then calculates your route factoring in tides, currents, wind and wave data, depth and your Sailing Yacht or Powerboats unique dimensions to give you the best route for comfort or speed. Departure Planning quickly summarizes the forecast marine weather conditions you’ll encounter along your route if leaving on day 1, 2, 3, or 4. Use this data to select the perfect departure date, every time for your Sailing Yacht or Powerboat. ADDITIONAL FEATURES - Daily Briefing: Powerful marine weather data condensed into a simple text forecast. - Maps: High resolution forecasts maps with animated streamlines, wind barbs or arrows. - Tables: The ultimate dashboard for detailed analysis of Wind, Wave, Rain and more. - Graphs: Compare multiple marine forecasts at the same time. - Live Wind Observations and Webcams: Know what’s happening with the weather right now at your local spot. - Local Knowledge: Hear about the best marine spots, amenities and activities at your destination. - Weather Alerts: Set your preferences then get alerts when conditions are just the way you like them for Wind, wave and other parameters. - Ocean Data: See what’s happening under the waves with ocean and tidal currents, and sea temperature. - GPS Tracking: Get a free customized GPS tracking page for your blog or website showing wind data overlaid. - AIS Data: View over 280,000 vessels worldwide on the AIS network to see marine traffic. Terms and conditions: https://www.predictwind.com/about-us/terms-and-conditions Privacy policy: https://www.predictwind.com/about-us/privacy-policy
Hello Aurora
Track and forecast the Northern Lights with real-time updates and community-shared sightings. Receive instant alerts for aurora activity and view a live map of current displays. Connect with other aurora enthusiasts and share your experiences.
- Real-time aurora forecast
- Instant aurora alerts
- Live Northern Lights map
- Aurora community and photo sharing
- Aurora Passport for tracking sightings
- Customizable alerts and locations
Read full descriptionHide full description
Hello Aurora: the Northern Lights tracker trusted by 330,000+ users. 110,000+ aurora sightings reported since 2020. Get a live Northern Lights forecast and instant aurora alerts, wherever you are. Hello Aurora tells you exactly when to look up. “Best aurora app out there” – App Store user “Good app with lots of data” – App Store user NORTHERN LIGHTS FORECAST FOR YOUR LOCATION - Real-time updates: Live aurora forecast updated every few minutes, sourced from the closest data points to your coordinates. - Local metrics: Track real-time aurora strength, Bz levels, and viewing conditions tailored to you. - Peak hours (Pro): Discover today's best viewing windows at your location powered by community data. INSTANT AURORA ALERTS - Aurora Sighting Alert: Get an instant aurora alert when users spot the lights nearby. - Geomagnetic Storms: Get notified when a geomagnetic storm is predicted (G1 to G5). - Solar Wind Shocks: Receive alerts up to an hour before a shock arrives and the exact second it hits. - Substorm Alert: Trigger a high-priority aurora alert when a substorm starts. - Pro Filters: Customize distance radius, photo-only sightings, intensity levels, and Bz threshold drops. LAST NIGHT’S SUMMARY (PRO) - Local Sightings: See aurora reports from last night. - Countries reach: Discover how many countries witnessed the Northern Lights. - Northern Lights map & photos: View exact aurora locations and top photos with timestamps. - Peak real-time metrics: Check minimum aurora strength and Bz levels. LONG-TERM NORTHERN LIGHTS FORECAST - 27-day guide: Plan ahead with a long-range aurora forecast looking up to 27 days in advance, including the full solar rotation breakdown for Pro users. - 12 months seasonal outlook: Pro users can find the best week to view the Northern Lights over the next 12 months using historical solar cycles and 6+ years of exclusive data. LIVE NORTHERN LIGHTS MAP - Live Aurora Map: See exactly where the Northern Lights are occurring right now. - Aurora Oval & Cloud Tracking: Track the aurora oval expansion and find clear skies with total/low cloud filters. - Community Sightings: View live reports. Pro users can filter pins to the last 30 minutes or last night. - 3D Globe (Pro): Enjoy interactive 3D visualizations. AURORA PASSPORT & COMMUNITY (PRO) - Track Your Journey: Record sightings, countries visited, likes, and points in your personal gallery. - Verified Community: Share and view live, location-verified photos with strict 1-hour reporting rules. EASY TO USE & 100% AD-FREE - One Northern Lights tracker for everything you'll need - Global coverage: Add custom locations worldwide. - Sightings alerts supported in Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Canada, US, UK, Germany, Italy, France, Poland, Austria, and Switzerland. - No Ads: Enjoy a clean experience on both Free and Pro versions. - Multilingual: Available in English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, and Thai. Download Hello Aurora now and be ready when the lights dance. Save money on tours with this ultimate northern lights tracker! Website: hello-aurora.com Support: contact@hello-aurora.com Apple TOS: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ * Data based on Hello Aurora dashboard as of September 2026.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: PredictWind at 84% against Hello Aurora's 45%. PredictWind also leads on ratings volume (33K vs 148) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On price, update cadence, 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. PredictWind sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Hello Aurora sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
PredictWind holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PredictWind has 33K ratings behind it against 148, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of PredictWind's written reviews are positive against 45% of Hello Aurora's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PredictWind | Hello Aurora |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (33K ratings) — better | 4.5 (148 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 84.4% of reviews — better | 44.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 33K — better | 148 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Every 9 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #24 — better | #88 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 40 MB | 99 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | PredictWind Limited | Jeremy Barbet |
Customer experience
PredictWind
Hello Aurora
User reviews
PredictWind
From 33K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Accurate weather forecasts
- 🚀 Comprehensive data and features
- 💡 Useful for sailing, fishing, and other outdoor activities
- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 🚀 Reliable and dependable
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional inaccuracies in weather predictions
- 💰 Expensive subscription costs
- 🔒 Difficult to cancel subscription
- 🔒 Locked into using proprietary hardware and services
- 🔒 Limited free features
Hello Aurora
From 148 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ✨ Best aurora app
- 🚀 Helps find northern lights
- 👍 Excellent for novices and experienced
- 🗺️ Great map with community sightings
- 💡 Informative and useful
Room to improve
- 🐛 Features removed from free version
- ❌ No location detection
- ❌ Constant alarms from Norway
- ❌ Cannot be used without account
- ❌ Registration mandatory
Bugs and requests
PredictWind
Reported bugs
3 issues- App crashes or freezes on some devices
- Inconsistent performance across different locations
- Subscription issues and billing problems
Requested features
5 requests- Improved integration with other apps and charts
- More frequent weather model updates
- Earlier weather forecast updates
- Ability to customize alert settings
- Improved offline functionality
Hello Aurora
Reported bugs
25 issues- No images, no location detection
- Constantly getting alarms from Norway, not from direct surroundings
- App won't get past email verification screen
- App would NOT allow reporting or sharing photos stating none could be visible
- Map view: cannot click to see photos taken in the same location
Show 20 moreShow fewer
- App crashes every second startup
- App is stuck at opening screen
- App crashes right after it starts up
- Paid for the app and yet it would never upload any of my photos
- Cannot add my photos in app
- App won't load, just stays on the black screen with the logo
- It says Houston we have a problem. And you do. It’s not working after you said you fixed bugs but might have broken other things
- Unable to create an account, receiving 'Network request failed.'
- App didn’t let me share a moment saying that it’s impossible to spot northern lights in my location
- The app may simply tell you “aurora are rarely seen at your location,” and won’t show any data.
- Last update crashed the app, makes it unusable
- Network error during signup
- An unexpected error happened… please restart the app. Repeatedly.
- App doesn’t show the Pro Account after subscription confirmation.
- App caching, not getting new data for up to 20 minutes.
- App doesn’t start up and constantly crashes.
- It crashes in few seconds on iPhones.
- Crashing on start up after creating an account.
- Lagging, got kicked out of the app, cannot open it again.
- App doesn’t work, cannot open it.
Requested features
12 requests- Allow users to use the app without an account with just reading access.
- Allow uploading photos after the fact and specifying date, time, location.
- Add option to pick notifications for various parts of USA.
- Add Spanish language option.
- Show percentage of seeing Aurora even if it's zero.
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Show Aurora strength even if it's zero.
- Provide detailed information when clicking for more details.
- Allow users to personalize the app to change location for monitoring.
- Add an option to sign in/up with Apple.
- Show location in the corner of moments on the map view.
- Rejig app to accommodate Aurora Australis.
- Graph on homepage could be reversed (negative on top).
In-app purchases
PredictWind
- Basic - Monthly7 Days trial$6.991 Month
- Basic - 3 Monthly$12.003 Months
- Basic - 3 Monthly7 Days trial$12.003 Months
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- Basic - Annual7 Days trial$29.001 Year
- Standard - Monthly7 Days trial$49.001 Month
- Standard - 3 Monthly$99.003 Months
- Professional - Monthly7 Days trial$99.001 Month
- Standard - 3 Monthly7 Days trial$99.003 Months
- Standard - Annual7 Days trial$249.001 Year
- Professional - 3 Monthly7 Days trial$249.003 Months
- Professional - Annual7 Days trial$499.001 Year
- Basic Subscription, 1 Month$3.99
- Basic Subscription, 3 Months$11.99
- Basic Subscription, 12 Months$28.99
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Standard Subscription, 1 Month$48.99
- Professional Subscription, 1 Month$99.99
Hello Aurora
- Pro Account$1.991 Month
- Hello Aurora Pro$2.991 Month
- Hello Aurora Pro4 variants$3.997 Days
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Hello Aurora Pro2 variants$4.591 Month
- Hello Aurora Pro$4.691 Month
- hello aurora pro$4.697 Days
- hello aurora Pro$4.691 Month
- Hello Aurora Pro1 Year trial$36.901 Year
- hello aurora Pro$42.901 Year
- Hello Aurora Pro$46.901 Year
- Beginner$1.99
- Supporter$3.99
- Sponsor$7.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Premium$11.99
