Comparison

MetService vs Aurora Watch Global

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

Head to head
About

MetService

Get detailed weather forecasts and real-time updates for your location. Plan your day with hourly icons, severe weather alerts, and interactive maps. Customize your dashboard and access useful indexes like UV and fire ratings.

Highlights
  • Hourly weather icons
  • Severe weather warnings
  • Customizable dashboard
  • Real-time rain radar
  • 48-hour forecast graphs
  • Interactive temperature map
  • Specialized weather indexes
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

MetService NZ Weather Features include: - Morning, afternoon, evening and overnight icons, set by our meteorologists, to help you plan your day - Severe Weather Warnings and Watches for your location - Automatically see the forecast and observations that are most relevant to you, by enabling location services or choosing your suburb, town or city - Customise your weather dashboard, your shortcuts bar, and the order of forecast modules - Real-time, zoomable Rain Radar for your area, with quick link - 48 hour forecast graphs - Interactive national temperature map - Handy ratings and indexes, such as the laundry drying forecast, UV index, fire rating and pet walking forecasts - MetService TV updates - 3 day, zoomable Rain Forecast maps - Live Traffic Cameras for urban locations - Home screen, lock screen and notification centre widgets available Please see the EULA here: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Aurora Watch Global

Track auroras worldwide with forecasts, real-time space weather, and local conditions. Plan your viewing or learn about celestial events with interactive maps and detailed data.

Highlights
  • Global aurora forecasts and interactive maps
  • Real-time KP index and space weather data
  • Solar imagery and flare probabilities
  • Local weather conditions and forecasts
  • Offline dashboard with cached data
  • Educational guides on auroras and space weather
Features
Read full description

Track the Northern and Southern Lights in real time - wherever you are. AuroraWatch is a free, ad-free app that brings together NOAA's OVATION aurora model, real-time KP index readings, live solar wind data from NOAA SWPC, and your local cloud cover into one clear view. No clutter, no ads, no guesswork - just the data you need to know when the sky might put on a show. WHY AURORAWATCH Most aurora apps only cover the Northern Hemisphere. AuroraWatch tracks both the Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis, so whether you're chasing lights in Norway, Alaska, Tasmania, or New Zealand, you get the same real-time data. FREE FOR EVERYONE • Interactive aurora activity map using NOAA's OVATION model • Real-time KP index • Live solar wind data from NOAA SWPC (density, speed, Bz) • Local cloud cover and moon illumination, so you know if you'll actually see anything • Substorm Monitor (Beta) - live USGS magnetometer readings for aurora burst timing • Solar flare probabilities • Live SDO solar imagery • Ask Siri about tonight's aurora chances • Customizable push notifications GO PRO Upgrade for deeper data and always-on visibility: • AI summaries on the KP and Solar Wind screens - written privately on your iPhone with Apple Intelligence where available • Live Activity on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island - KP, solar wind, Bz, and cloud cover at a glance • Home Screen widgets for KP, cloud cover, solar wind, and a short forecast • Apple Watch dashboard with KP, weather, upcoming changes, and solar wind • Aurora Now alerts when aurora may be visible in your area • Minute-resolution KP charts, a 45-day Ap outlook, GOES X-ray history, and a full solar event log • 48-hour solar wind history with interactive charts and date scrubbing • Three premium themes - Northern Lights, Eclipse, and Storm Pro is available as a weekly, monthly, or annual auto-renewing subscription. Cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. BUILT ON REAL DATA AuroraWatch pulls directly from NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, and USGS magnetometers - the same sources space weather scientists use - and refreshes automatically so you're always looking at current conditions, not stale forecasts. Download AuroraWatch and never miss a night the sky lights up. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS - AuroraWatch Pro Pricing: AuroraWatch Pro (Weekly): $2.99/week (or your local price) AuroraWatch Pro (Monthly) $4.99/month (or your local price) AuroraWatch Pro (Yearly) $29.99/year (or your local price) 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 > [your name] > Subscriptions. Privacy Policy: https://aurorawatch.app/privacy Terms of Use (Apple): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms of Use: (AuroraWatch): https://aurorawatch.app/terms/

Screenshots

MetService4 screens
Aurora Watch Global4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Aurora Watch Global at 5.0 against MetService's 3.4. Aurora Watch Global also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). MetService's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (13 vs 1). 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. MetService sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Aurora Watch Global sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Aurora Watch Global holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MetService has 13 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MetService ships an update fortnightly, Aurora Watch Global every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
MetService versus Aurora Watch Global: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMetServiceAurora Watch Global
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (13 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews20.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings13 — better1
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#146 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size151 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMetServiceGILBY SHEPHERD

Customer experience

MetService

All ratings13 ratings
Positive46.2%
Neutral30.8%
Negative23.1%
Written reviews184 reviews
Positive20.1%
Neutral12.5%
Negative67.4%

Aurora Watch Global

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

MetService

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Widgets not working correctly
  • Crashes and freezes
  • Location services not working properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Option to remove ads for paid users
  • More detailed and localized weather data
  • Improved widget functionality
  • Apple Watch support

Aurora Watch Global

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

MetService

Subscriptions2
  • Choose Ad Free - Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Choose Ad Free - Annual$12.991 Year
3 purchases

Aurora Watch Global

Subscriptions3
  • Pro Weekly$2.997 Days
  • Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is MetService free?
MetService is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Aurora Watch Global free?
Aurora Watch Global is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MetService or Aurora Watch Global?
Aurora Watch Global is rated higher. MetService averages 3.4 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Aurora Watch Global averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do MetService or Aurora Watch Global have ads?
Neither MetService nor Aurora Watch Global shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MetService or Aurora Watch Global?
MetService ships an update fortnightly, and Aurora Watch Global every 6 weeks. Most recently, MetService was updated on October 26, 2026 and Aurora Watch Global on October 28, 2026.

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