Avalanche Forecasts vs Utah Avalanche Center (UAC)
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Avalanche Forecasts
Access real-time avalanche danger levels across North America with this app. View color-coded danger levels on a map for your chosen timeframe and explore detailed forecasts from over 20 forecasting centers. Stay informed about conditions wherever your adventures take you.
- Real-time avalanche danger levels
- Map view with color-coded danger levels
- Selectable timeframes (Today, Tomorrow, 2 Days Out)
- Detailed forecasts from over 20 centers
- Support for NWAC, CAIC, UAC, and more
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Get real-time updates on avalanche danger levels with Avalanche Forecasts. Our app makes it easy to see current danger levels at-a-glance for every forecast center in North America. Simply select your desired timeframe (Today/Tomorrow/2 Days Out) and view color-coded danger levels on the map. Click on any region to view the detailed avalanche forecast from the source forecasting center. With support for forecasts from over 20 centers, including NWAC (Northwest US), CAIC (Colorado), UAC (Utah), SAC (Central Sierras), ESAC (Eastern Sierras), MSAC (Mount Shasta), BAC (Bridgeport, CA), BTAC (Jackson Hole), GNFAC (Bozeman), WCMAC (Missoula), FAC (Kalispell/Whitefish), SNFAC (Sun Valley), IPAC (Idaho Panhandle), PAC (McCall), MWAC (Mount Washington), KPAC (Flagstaff), TAC (Taos), WAC (NE Oregon), CNFAIC (Chugach), JAC (Juneau), AAC (Anchorage), HAIC (Haines), VAC (Valdez), Cordova, HPAC (Hatcher Pass), Avalanche Canada, Parks Canada, WhistlerBlackcomb, VIAC (Vancouver Island), and Avalanche Quebec (Chic Chocs) forecasting centers, you can stay informed no matter where you are. For feature suggestions, bug reports, or other feedback, please contact us at project-development@sierraavalanchecenter.org.
Utah Avalanche Center (UAC)
This free app provides essential avalanche, weather, and road information for backcountry planning in Utah. It offers daily forecasts, field observations, road cameras, and critical mountain weather data to aid safe decision-making. Features include an inclinometer and the ability to share slope photos with embedded location data.
- Daily avalanche forecasts for 7 Utah regions
- Field observations and avalanche reports
- Road cameras and travel restriction updates
- Mountain weather forecasts and data
- Inclinometer with GPS and slope data
- Photo sharing with GPS watermarks
- Observation submission forms
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This free app from the Utah Avalanche Center provides access to all the information you need to plan your day in the backcountry. The app consolidates the avalanche, weather, road, and slope information you need for critical decision-making to help ensure you come home safely. App features include: - Daily avalanche forecasts for 7 regions across Utah plus access to information for 2 additional regions - Daily field observations and avalanches - Road cameras showing road conditions - Coming soon road closures and road travel restrictions - Critical mountain weather information, including current conditions, weather station links, weather forecasts, satellite loops, radar, and mountain weather cameras - Emergency contacts and your GPS location for a fast rescue response. - An inclinometer using your camera containing your GPS location, steepness, aspect, elevation, time, and date - Ability to photograph a slope watermarked with GPS location, steepness, aspect, elevation, time, and date and share that photo - Forms to quickly share observations and avalanches with the Utah Avalanche Center - A list of contacts for more information
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Utah Avalanche Center (UAC) at weekly against Avalanche Forecasts's every 8 months. Utah Avalanche Center (UAC) also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 76%) and chart position (#202 vs unranked). Avalanche Forecasts's advantage is ratings volume (403 vs 7) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Avalanche Forecasts holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Avalanche Forecasts has 403 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 76% of Avalanche Forecasts's written reviews are positive against 100% of Utah Avalanche Center (UAC)'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Avalanche Forecasts ships an update every 8 months, Utah Avalanche Center (UAC) weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Avalanche Forecasts | Utah Avalanche Center (UAC) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (403 ratings) — better | 4.4 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 75.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 403 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #202 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 37 MB | 94 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sierra Avalanche Center | Utah Avalanche Center |
Customer experience
Avalanche Forecasts
Utah Avalanche Center (UAC)
Bugs and requests
Avalanche Forecasts
Reported bugs
12 issues- App crashes at startup
- Color coding displays as gray for entire regions
- Offline cache not functioning for NWAC zones
- Mt Hood zone not populating data
- Clicking on regions shows all state forecasts instead of specific region
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- 404 errors when clicking on certain zones
- Event map photos not displaying or appearing extremely small
- Requires phone to be turned sideways to view properly
- Clicking zone options produces no response
- Detailed info screens cannot be scrolled
- App formatting suddenly messes up and jumps around
- App hangs and becomes unresponsive
Requested features
10 requests- iPad Pro screen size optimization
- Trip planning tools
- Slope evaluation features
- Checklists for backcountry planning
- Inclinometer tool
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- Restore weather stations and report pins from old version
- Smaller scale region selection
- Support for additional avalanche centers (e.g., CBAC for Crested Butte)
- Event map photo viewing improvements
- Landscape mode support
Utah Avalanche Center (UAC)
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Avalanche Forecasts
No in-app purchases
Utah Avalanche Center (UAC)
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Avalanche Forecasts free?
Is Utah Avalanche Center (UAC) free?
Which has better reviews, Avalanche Forecasts or Utah Avalanche Center (UAC)?
Do Avalanche Forecasts or Utah Avalanche Center (UAC) have ads?
Which is updated more often, Avalanche Forecasts or Utah Avalanche Center (UAC)?
Other comparisons
