Avalanche Forecasts vs CAIC
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.
CAIC
Access up-to-date avalanche forecasts for Colorado's mountains. View summaries, discussions, current problems, and mountain weather. Submit observations directly to the center from your device.
- Up-to-date avalanche forecasts
- Forecast summary and discussion
- Current avalanche problems
- Mountain weather forecast
- Submit observations
- Colorado-specific forecasts
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The Colorado Avalanche Information Center avalanche forecast on the go! View up-to-date avalanche forecasts for the mountains across Colorado, including the forecast summary, forecast discussion, current avalanche problems, and the mountain weather forecast. You can also submit observations directly to the CAIC from your mobile device! For more information about CAIC: https://colorado.gov/avalanche To help support CAIC: https://friendsofcaic.org
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Avalanche Forecasts at 4.7 against CAIC's 4.3. Avalanche Forecasts also leads on ratings volume (402 vs 15). CAIC's advantage is iOS requirement (12.4 vs 15.6). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Avalanche Forecasts has 402 ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Avalanche Forecasts's written reviews are positive against 70% of CAIC's.
Avalanche Forecasts ships an update every 8 months, CAIC every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on July 10, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Avalanche Forecasts | CAIC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (402 ratings) — better | 4.3 (15 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 75.7% of reviews — better | 70.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 402 — better | 15 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 6 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 12.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 32 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sierra Avalanche Center | FRIENDS OF COLORADO AVALANCHE INFORMATION CENTER |
Customer experience
Avalanche Forecasts
CAIC
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
CAIC
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Avalanche Forecasts
No in-app purchases
CAIC
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Avalanche Forecasts free?
Is CAIC free?
Which has better reviews, Avalanche Forecasts or CAIC?
Do Avalanche Forecasts or CAIC have ads?
Which is updated more often, Avalanche Forecasts or CAIC?
Other comparisons
