Comparison

First Alert 7 vs RipCurrent

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

Head to head
About

First Alert 7

Get hyper-local weather updates with high-resolution radar and satellite imagery. Receive severe weather alerts and detailed forecasts for your favorite locations or current position.

Highlights
  • 250 meter radar
  • Future radar
  • High resolution satellite imagery
  • Current weather updates
  • Daily and hourly forecasts
  • Favorite locations
  • Severe weather alerts
Features
Read full description

CBS 7 is proud to announce a full featured weather app for the iPhone and iPad platforms. Features • Access to station content specifically for our mobile users • 250 meter radar, the highest resolution available • Future radar to see where severe weather is headed • High resolution satellite cloud imagery • Current weather updated multiple times per hour • Daily and Hourly forecasts updated hourly from our computer models • Ability to add and save your favorite locations • A fully integrated GPS for current location awareness • Severe weather alerts from the National Weather Service • Opt-in push alerts to keep you safe in severe weather

About

RipCurrent

Features
Read full description

Know before you go in. RipCurrent shows the official rip current risk for any US beach — plus the actual warning flags lifeguards are flying at 50+ beaches — in one clean, fast app. RIP CURRENT RISK, STRAIGHT FROM THE NWS • Today's official LOW / MODERATE / HIGH rip current risk for any US beach • A multi-day outlook so you can plan the whole trip • Live Rip Current Statements and Beach Hazards Statements as they're issued REAL BEACH FLAGS • The actual flag flying right now — green, yellow, red, double red, purple — at 50+ beaches that publish it (the Florida Panhandle, Gulf Coast, Miami Beach, Galveston, and more) • Reported by the lifeguard agencies themselves, with the report time ALERTS FOR YOUR BEACH • Watch a beach and get a notification when the NWS issues a Rip Current Statement or Beach Hazards Statement for it MADE FOR BEACH DAYS • A US map with every saved beach color-coded by today's risk • Add any beach by name — comes with favorites from Miami to Waikiki • Learn what the risk levels mean and what to do if you're ever caught in a rip Rip currents are the #1 killer at US surf beaches — about 100 people drown in them every year, and most victims never saw a warning. RipCurrent puts the official forecast and the real flags in your pocket. Data sources: rip current risk, outlooks, and alerts come from the NOAA / National Weather Service Surf Zone Forecasts and alert feeds, available at https://www.weather.gov — beach flag statuses come from the local lifeguard agencies that publish them (South Walton Fire District, Escambia County Public Safety, PCB Beach & Surf Patrol, Galveston Island Beach Patrol, Mote Marine's Beach Conditions Reporting System, and more). RipCurrent is an independent app. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or representative of NOAA, the National Weather Service, any government agency, or any lifeguard organization. Awareness only — not for emergency decisions. Conditions vary along a beach and change quickly. Always heed lifeguards and posted flags.

Screenshots

First Alert 74 screens
RipCurrent4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: RipCurrent at every 2 weeks against First Alert 7's every 2 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

First Alert 7 ships an update every 2 months, RipCurrent every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
First Alert 7 versus RipCurrent: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFirst Alert 7RipCurrent
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.1K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.1K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size242 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGray Television Group, Inc.Qvyshift LLC

Bugs and requests

First Alert 7

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Can't get app to show direction of rain clouds
  • Was great until two days ago when I updated- now can get nothing???

Requested features

2 requests
  • White background for radar map
  • Weather almanac with historic highs and lows

RipCurrent

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

First Alert 7

No in-app purchases

None

RipCurrent

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is First Alert 7 free?
First Alert 7 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RipCurrent free?
RipCurrent is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do First Alert 7 or RipCurrent have ads?
Both First Alert 7 and RipCurrent show ads.
Which is updated more often, First Alert 7 or RipCurrent?
First Alert 7 ships an update every 2 months, and RipCurrent every 2 weeks. Most recently, First Alert 7 was updated on October 22, 2026 and RipCurrent on October 7, 2026.

Other comparisons