Comparison

StormWatch+ vs FOX 17 Code Red Weather

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

Head to head
About

StormWatch+

Get reliable local weather forecasts and critical severe weather alerts that override Do Not Disturb. This app provides current conditions, hourly and extended forecasts, and radar, enhanced by National Weather Service meteorologist expertise.

Highlights
  • Critical Alerts override Do Not Disturb
  • Current conditions, hourly, and extended forecasts
  • Local and regional radar
  • Severe weather push notifications
  • EnRoute alerts for travel
  • Wake-up audio alerts for severe warnings
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Featuring Critical Alerts that override Do Not Disturb settings for the most important alerts, StormWatch+ aspires to be your daily weather app of choice, no matter the weather! Access the most pertinent weather information - like current conditions, hourly and extended forecast, and local or regional radar - quickly then get on with your day. Finally a weather forecast you can trust! Harnessing the local knowledge and dedication of more than 2,000 National Weather Service meteorologists nationwide, our goal is for StormWatch+ to replace the fickle, computer-generated, single-icon forecast found in most weather apps! SW+ ALERTS IN-APP UPGRADE For the ultimate severe weather preparation tool, check out our (also upgraded!) alerting technology, SW+ Alerts. SW+ Alerts is a life-saving service that sends you push notifications whenever hazardous weather threatens your specific location. Once again relying on the expertise of over 2,000 NWS meteorologists nationwide, SW+ Alerts compares multiple specific locations you select with weather watches and warnings issued by your local NWS office. Alerts are sent to the app ONLY if you are in the path of hazardous weather, eliminating the confusion associated with county-wide warning sirens or NOAA Weather Radio alerts. Simply tapping on a push alert will show your location with respect to the warning boundaries on a map, as well as display the full text of the alert. In addition, Critical Alerts “wake-me-up” audio and voice alerts will sound for the most severe warnings.^ In addition to monitoring fixed locations, the “EnRoute” feature allows you to receive severe weather alerts while on the go! Simply enable EnRoute and the app will track your location and alert you if you drive into a warned area, whether you know your exact location or not! Features of StormWatch+ Alerts include: * Your choice of push notifications in the event of: - Tornado Watches and Warnings - Severe Thunderstorm Watches and Warnings - Flash Flood Watches and Warnings - A suite of Tropical weather alerts - A suite of Winter weather alerts * Notifications sent even if the app is not running and your device is not in use * Push notifications accompanied by audio alerts that will wake you up (for Tornado and Severe Thunderstorm Warnings^) * Alerts for up to 5 fixed locations, which can be changed at any time * EnRoute, which uses your device's GPS location to actively monitor for severe weather as you travel * Map showing warned area and your location * Quiet time – to temporarily stop alerts during a specified time of day * Status buttons to disable individual locations StormWatch+ provides personalized weather alerts in the palm of your hand! ^ NOTE: Audio alerts feature Critical Alerts, which will sound wake-me-up audio at full volume and override Do Not Disturb for the most severe warnings, even if your device is silenced. StormWatch+ Terms: https://app.stormwatchplus.com/terms ****************************** For additional information, visit www.stormwatchplus.com or follow us on Twitter @stormwatchplus Questions for our support team can be directed to the "Contact Support" link within the app. Please contact us to resolve any issues before leaving a negative review. Customer service is priority #2, right behind providing an accurate, life-saving service!

About

FOX 17 Code Red Weather

Get hyper-local weather updates with high-resolution radar and future radar to track severe weather. Receive timely forecasts, save favorite locations, and get National Weather Service alerts directly on your device.

Highlights
  • 250 meter radar resolution
  • Future radar tracking
  • High-resolution satellite imagery
  • Hourly forecasts
  • Save favorite locations
  • Severe weather alerts
Features
Read full description

FOX 17 Code Red Weather 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

Screenshots

StormWatch+4 screens
FOX 17 Code Red Weather3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: FOX 17 Code Red Weather at 4.8 against StormWatch+'s 2.8. FOX 17 Code Red Weather also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (4.2K vs 84). StormWatch+'s advantage is chart position (#101 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads 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. StormWatch+ sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.09 per month. FOX 17 Code Red Weather asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

FOX 17 Code Red Weather holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FOX 17 Code Red Weather has 4.2K ratings behind it against 84, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 27% of StormWatch+'s written reviews are positive against 46% of FOX 17 Code Red Weather's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StormWatch+ ships an update every 2 months, FOX 17 Code Red Weather every 3 months. Both last shipped on September 30, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
StormWatch+ versus FOX 17 Code Red Weather: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStormWatch+FOX 17 Code Red Weather
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.8 (84 ratings)4.8 (4.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews27.1% of reviews46.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings844.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#101 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size86 MB242 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCirrus Weather Solutions, LLCSinclair Broadcast Group, Inc

Customer experience

StormWatch+

All ratings84 ratings
Positive38.1%
Neutral10.7%
Negative51.2%
Written reviews70 reviews
Positive27.1%
Neutral10.0%
Negative62.9%

FOX 17 Code Red Weather

All ratings4,225 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral2.6%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews52 reviews
Positive46.2%
Neutral13.5%
Negative40.4%

User reviews

StormWatch+

From 84 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📢 Loud and timely alerts
  • 📍 Accurate GPS alerts
  • ⚡ Fast radar loading
  • 👍 Works as advertised (when functional)
  • 💡 Provides safety tips

Room to improve

  • ❌ Alerts not working
  • 💸 Subscription issues
  • 🚫 App not loading/unresponsive
  • ⏳ Delayed alerts
  • 🗑️ Useless/waste of money

FOX 17 Code Red Weather

From 4.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate to the minute
  • 🚀 Follows you wherever you go
  • 🚀 Fantastic radar maps
  • 👍 Great weather alerts
  • 👍 Up to date weather reports

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Radar issues - not accurate or not showing up
  • 🐛 Alerts for light rain/weather when none present
  • 🐛 Forecasts and videos not updated often enough
  • 🐛 Radar data lagging behind actual weather
  • 🐛 App freezing or crashing

Bugs and requests

StormWatch+

Reported bugs

38 issues
  • Subscription not recognized
  • App stuck on welcome screen
  • Alerts not received
  • Map not loading
  • Radar not loading
Show 33 more
  • App crashes
  • App freezes
  • Settings not saved
  • Alerts not turning off
  • Local info not loading
  • Risk zones not showing color
  • Cannot create password
  • Blank password keyboard
  • Hybrid map only
  • Options bunched up on iPhone
  • No radar data
  • Precipitation layer never loads
  • No radar showing up
  • Constant bugs
  • No response from support
  • No ability to exit overlay choices
  • Inability to change zoom level
  • Inability to swipe down overlay menu
  • No transparency option
  • Radar covered up by overlay
  • Cannot access radar to zoom out
  • Stopped loading local info
  • App crashes when going to radar
  • Constantly freezes and crashes
  • Only radar usable
  • Alerts not working
  • Severe weather alert doesn't work
  • App crashes before map downloaded
  • Radar is the worst
  • No alert sound for watches
  • App crashes unless paid
  • Not free
  • Misleading pricing

Requested features

12 requests
  • Widget support
  • Dark mode
  • Ability to save layer choices
  • Ability to tap alerts for details
  • Transparency option for overlays
Show 7 more
  • Ability to change zoom level
  • Ability to swipe down overlay menu
  • Future radar
  • Standard maps
  • Light or dark menu
  • More robust free version
  • Separate premium app

FOX 17 Code Red Weather

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Radar not showing storms/precipitation
  • Radar not loading without logging out/in
  • App freezing on loading screen

Requested features

2 requests
  • Add iPhone widget
  • Reduce unnecessary weather alerts

In-app purchases

2 purchases

StormWatch+

Subscriptions2
  • SW+ Alerts (1 Month)$1.091 Month
  • SW+ Alerts (1 Year)$9.991 Year
None

FOX 17 Code Red Weather

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is StormWatch+ free?
StormWatch+ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is FOX 17 Code Red Weather free?
FOX 17 Code Red Weather is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, StormWatch+ or FOX 17 Code Red Weather?
FOX 17 Code Red Weather is rated higher. StormWatch+ averages 2.8 out of 5 from 84 ratings, while FOX 17 Code Red Weather averages 4.8 from 4.2K ratings.
Do StormWatch+ or FOX 17 Code Red Weather have ads?
Neither StormWatch+ nor FOX 17 Code Red Weather shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StormWatch+ or FOX 17 Code Red Weather?
StormWatch+ ships an update every 2 months, and FOX 17 Code Red Weather every 3 months. Most recently, StormWatch+ was updated on September 30, 2026 and FOX 17 Code Red Weather on September 30, 2026.

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