Comparison

Yr.no vs Aurora Forecast.

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Yr.no

Experience weather forecasting like never before with animated skies and detailed hourly breakdowns. Get immediate rainfall alerts and explore air pollution, pollen, and UV forecasts. This app provides comprehensive weather information for your daily planning.

Highlights
  • Animated hourly weather visualization
  • Now-cast rainfall alerts (90 minutes)
  • Detailed day-by-day and hour-by-hour forecasts
  • Graph view for forecast details
  • Air pollution, pollen, and UV forecasts
  • Latest weather observations
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

New Yr on iPhone and iPad is different from anything else you’ve seen in weather forecasting: Scroll through a beautiful and animated sky to see how the weather changes hourly, and get all the need-to-know details at the same time. And if there will be rainfall within the next 90 minutes we'll let you know through our now-cast. The weather visualization makes it a fun experience to check the weather – even when it’s raining! Check details day by day and hour by hour in the long-term forecast, or study the details in the graph. Under "Around you" you get an overview of air pollution, pollen spread and UV forecast, as well as the latest weather observations in your area. Forecasts are delivered by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. ABOUT US: Yr is a weather service jointly produced by NRK and the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. Our primary goals are to secure life and property, while delivering useful and accurate weather forecasts to our users, preparing them for all kinds of weather. This year we are celebrating our ten-year anniversary, and with millions of users every day we are proud of being one of the most popular weather services in the world.

About

Aurora Forecast.

This app acts as an intelligent guide for aurora hunting, leveraging AI and local weather data to provide personalized "Go/No-Go" verdicts. It offers real-time updates, interactive maps, and customizable notifications to help you find the Northern Lights.

Highlights
  • AI Aurora Analyst with personalized Go/No-Go verdicts
  • Real-time Kp-index updates via widgets
  • Apple Watch complications for wrist tracking
  • Interactive aurora probability map
  • 3D globe with real-time aurora visualization
  • Customizable push notifications for storms
Features
Read full description

Aurora Forecast is your intelligent personal aurora hunting guide — space weather science, Apple's native intelligence, and a live community of aurora watchers, all in your pocket. — COMMUNITY SIGHTINGS — See where the aurora is being spotted right now. Live sightings from people near you appear on the map, and "Seen near you" shows how many are watching the lights nearby, updated in real time. Spotted it yourself? Share it with one tap so others know it's happening now. Anonymous by design — no account, and your location is coarsened for privacy. — AI AURORA ANALYST (Apple Intelligence) — Aurora forecasting means decoding solar wind speed, interplanetary magnetic fields, and Kp indices. Now you don't have to. Our AI Aurora Analyst, powered by Apple Intelligence, processes all of that and delivers a clear, personalized "Go/No-Go" verdict based on your exact location and local weather. One glance answers the only question that matters: "Can I see it tonight?" — WIDGETS & APPLE WATCH COMPLICATIONS — Never miss a geomagnetic storm. Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets deliver real-time Kp-index updates at a glance. Apple Watch complications let you track activity right from your wrist — perfect for quick checks when you're already out in the field. — CORE FEATURES — • Live community sightings near you • NOAA OVATION Aurora Forecast Model • Real-time solar wind & geomagnetic activity data • Interactive aurora probability map • 3D globe with real-time aurora visualization • Live aurora webcams & Sun imagery • Multi-day Kp-index forecast charts • Customizable push notifications for geomagnetic storms • Dark sky location finder • Apple Watch app with complications • 30+ languages supported Whether you're a seasoned aurora chaser or hoping to see the Northern Lights for the first time, Aurora Forecast puts real-time space weather and a live community of aurora watchers in your pocket. — Subscription Details • Aurora Pro (Monthly): $2.99/month • Aurora Pro (Yearly): $12.99/year • Aurora Ultimate (Monthly): $4.99/month • Aurora Ultimate (Yearly): $24.99/year Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions. Privacy Policy: https://www.tinacinc.com/AuroraForecast/privacy_policy.html Terms of Use: https://www.tinacinc.com/AuroraForecast/terms_of_conditions.html

Screenshots

Yr.no4 screens
Aurora Forecast.4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Yr.no at none against Aurora Forecast.'s 4. Yr.no also leads on review sentiment (61% vs 32%) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.6). Aurora Forecast.'s advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (4.8K vs 204). On price, ads, chart position 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Aurora Forecast. sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Yr.no asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Aurora Forecast. holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Aurora Forecast. has 4.8K ratings behind it against 204, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 61% of Yr.no's written reviews are positive against 32% of Aurora Forecast.'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Yr.no ships an update every 2 weeks, Aurora Forecast. weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Yr.no versus Aurora Forecast.: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterYr.noAurora Forecast.
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (204 ratings)4.6 (4.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.9% of reviews — better32.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2044.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
Best chart rank#108#68 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS16.4 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size129 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNRKTINAC Inc.

Customer experience

Yr.no

All ratings204 ratings
Positive78.4%
Neutral9.3%
Negative12.3%
Written reviews350 reviews
Positive60.9%
Neutral13.4%
Negative25.7%

Aurora Forecast.

All ratings4,808 ratings
Positive89.4%
Neutral5.1%
Negative5.5%
Written reviews331 reviews
Positive32.0%
Neutral13.0%
Negative55.0%

User reviews

Yr.no

From 204 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🔍 Accurate forecasts
  • 📊 Detailed weather information
  • 🌄 Intuitive and visually appealing interface
  • 🌎 Reliable for various locations (UK, Norway, Australia, etc.)
  • ⏱️ Helpful hourly/daily breakdown

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
  • 🔄 Inconsistent or inaccurate weather data
  • 🔍 Difficulty finding or changing locations
  • 🔧 Lack of customization options (units, layout, etc.)
  • 🗺️ Limited coverage in some regions

Aurora Forecast.

From 4.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Excellent app with nice graphs
  • 🌟 Accurate with current solar activity and short-term forecast
  • 🌟 Fantastic amount of information about the sun and aurora
  • 🌟 Alerts help plan for aurora viewing
  • 🌟 Comprehensive data and visuals

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes or freezes
  • ⚠️ Inaccurate forecasts and predictions
  • ⚠️ Notifications not working as expected
  • ⚠️ Difficult to interpret data and graphs
  • ⚠️ Biased towards Northern Hemisphere

Bugs and requests

Yr.no

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes on iOS 11 and newer
  • Location tracking issues
  • Widget not working as expected
  • Inability to delete or reorder saved locations

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add humidity data
  • Provide offline caching of weather data
  • Implement Apple Watch support
  • Allow changing between Celsius and Fahrenheit
  • Bring back previous graph/chart layouts

Aurora Forecast.

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Forecast data not updating
  • App crashing on startup
  • Incorrect location data
  • Alerts not working as intended

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for Southern Hemisphere aurora
  • Improve location-based forecasting and alerts
  • Provide more user-friendly explanations of data and graphs
  • Allow customization of notification settings
  • Expand coverage to include more regions

In-app purchases

None

Yr.no

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Aurora Forecast.

Subscriptions4
  • Alerts (Monthly)3 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Aurora Ultimate Pro (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • Aurora Alerts(Yearly)7 Days trial$12.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Aurora Ultimate Pro (Yearly)3 Days trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Yr.no free?
Yr.no is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Aurora Forecast. free?
Aurora Forecast. is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Yr.no or Aurora Forecast.?
Aurora Forecast. is rated higher. Yr.no averages 4.3 out of 5 from 204 ratings, while Aurora Forecast. averages 4.6 from 4.8K ratings.
Do Yr.no or Aurora Forecast. have ads?
Neither Yr.no nor Aurora Forecast. shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Yr.no or Aurora Forecast.?
Yr.no ships an update every 2 weeks, and Aurora Forecast. weekly. Most recently, Yr.no was updated on October 15, 2026 and Aurora Forecast. on October 14, 2026.
Which is more popular, Yr.no or Aurora Forecast.?
Yr.no currently peaks at #108 in the App Store charts, and Aurora Forecast. at #68. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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