Comparison

Storm Shield vs Hail Recon

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

Head to head
About

Storm Shield

Receive precise, location-based severe weather alerts for tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and more. Get voice and push notifications, view radar maps, and access forecasts. Optional premium features offer advanced radar imagery and lightning alerts.

Highlights
  • Location-based severe weather alerts
  • Voice and push notifications
  • Hi-Def radar map
  • Today screen widget
  • Apple Watch alerts
  • Current conditions and forecasts
  • Save additional locations
Read full description

Named by Time.com's @Techland as one of the best weather apps for your iPhone and Apple Watch. Severe weather alerts for your exact location. Storm Shield gives you storm-based alerts for tornado, hurricane, flood, thunderstorm, winter storms and other life-threatening weather events via voice and push notification. Storm-based alerts help reduce false alarms by alerting you to severe weather based on your exact location within a county. County-based alerts can result in false alarms, warning you when your location in the county is not within the threatened area. What people are saying: • Storm Shield "alerted our family of the Broken Arrow, OK tornado, faster than the TV and tornado sirens." - Robyn • "I was in Oklahoma City during the tornado... we were right in its path. Your app literally was a life saver." - dcalk12 Benefits: • Get voice alerts just like a NOAA weather radio via push notification anywhere in the United States. • With Apple Watch, get a tap on your wrist when alerts are issued for your locations. • Add Storm Shield's widget to your Today screen to get quick access to active alerts for the first location in your app. • Touch Storm Shield's app icon on your 3D-Touch enabled iPhone for widget access. • Hi-Def radar map is your home screen so you can quickly see what's going on at your locations. • Fully supports Dark Mode in iOS 13. • Long-tap on the map to get current conditions, hourly and daily forecasts. • Save additional locations to ensure family members stay safe. View NOAA severe weather alerts on the map to see where dangerous weather is happening: • Tap alerts to view info • Flood watches & warnings • Tornadoes & Thunderstorms • Hurricane & Tropical Storm forecast tracks • Winter storms • Marine & Coastal alerts • Radar & Clouds • Wind Speed • Snow Fall • Water Temperatures • Road Weather • Premium Weather (purchase required) • Lightning Alerts and notifications (purchase required) Enhance your app with auto-renewing monthly subscriptions: • Buy 'Premium Weather' to unlock these features and see predicted imagery for these map layers: 1) Future Radar 2) Future Clouds 3) Future Clouds & Radar together 4) Future Surface Temperature Land 5) Future Surface Temperature Water 6) Future Surface Temperature Land & Water together 7) Future Wind Speeds Map 8) Storm Tracks: See how fast storms are moving & where they're headed. • Buy 'Lightning' to unlock these 2 features: 1) Lightning strike push notifications up to 10 miles away. 2) See lightning on the map within 100 miles of a selected location. Note: • Payment will be charged to your iTunes 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. • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. • Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. • No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. • Privacy Policy: https://www.stormshieldapp.com/privacy_stormshield_wxs.html • Terms of Use: https://www.stormshieldapp.com/terms_stormshield_wxs.html • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Storm Shield is made possible by The E.W. Scripps Company & KNXV Phoenix, WCPO Cincinnati, WEWS Cleveland, WXYZ Detroit, WMAR Baltimore, WFTS Tampa, WPTV West Palm, KSHB Kansas City, KJRH Tulsa, RTV6 Indianapolis, KMGH Denver, KGTV San Diego, KERO Bakersfield, WKBW Buffalo, WTVF Nashville, KMTV Omaha, WSYM Lansing, WFTX Ft. Myers, WTMJ Milwaukee, WGBA Green Bay, KIVI Boise, KTNV Las Vegas, KGUN Tucson, WTXL Tallahassee, KXXV Waco, KRIS Corpus Christi. Note: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

About

Hail Recon

This app provides detailed hail maps with radar accuracy, allowing users to pinpoint hail size and location. It also features tools for marking canvassed areas, noting damage, and receiving push notifications for hail alerts. Integrates with a subscription for historical storm data.

Highlights
  • Forensic level hail maps
  • Location indicator
  • Hail Finder
  • On-the-ground hail reports
  • Address markers for note-taking
  • Push notification hail alerts
  • Integration with subscription
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Hail Recon is the mobile hail reconnaissance companion app for your Interactive Hail Maps subscription. Features include: Forensic Level Hail Maps - Radar accurate hail swaths allow you to pinpoint where the hail fell in ten highly accurate levels, ranging from ½” to over 3” hail in ¼” increments. - Location indicator lets you see exactly where you are in relationship to the hail swath. - Hail Finder allows you to find hail storms based on map location - just zoom to any specific location and tap “Find Hail in Current Map”. - On-the-ground hail reports confirms hail size and intensity with storm spotter measured hail hitting the ground. - View road map, satellite, and hybrid view by tapping the button at the bottom right corner of the map, then select one of the three map modes: Standard; Satellite; and Hybrid. Address Markers - Hail Recon makes it easy to take notes while you are in the field. - View where you’ve already canvassed, and where you’ve not yet been. - Drop a marker at your current location, or press the map for a second and it will drop there. - Indicate damage severity, hail size, wind damage and comments. - Drop a marker at a prospecting location and tap to get driving directions. - Find any address - tap the button at the bottom-right corner of the map screen to enter an address to find, and Hail Recon will drop a marker at that address on the map. - Generate, view, and email a comprehensive hail impact report based on any of your address markers. - Review your address markers on the app or on the full screen maps. - Your address markers are private to your account and cannot be seen by anyone else. Push Notification Hail Alerts - Alerts play different sounds for small, medium, and large hail reports. - Each account may have any number of devices subscribed to your hail alerts - just sign in on the device once, and you’re set! - Pause your alerts anytime with just a tap! - Integrates with your Interactive Hail Maps subscription for access to all historical storm dates (over four years) Keywords: hail, hail map, hail reports, storm reports

Screenshots

Storm Shield4 screens
Hail Recon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Storm Shield at 4.8 against Hail Recon's 3.1. Storm Shield also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (111K vs 94). Hail Recon's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and ads (none vs shown). On price 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. Storm Shield sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Hail Recon asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Storm Shield holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Storm Shield has 111K ratings behind it against 94, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 38% of Storm Shield's written reviews are positive against 48% of Hail Recon's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Storm Shield ships an update weekly, Hail Recon every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard10 real differences · 1 level
Storm Shield versus Hail Recon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStorm ShieldHail Recon
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (111K ratings) — better3.1 (94 ratings)
Positive reviews37.6% of reviews47.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings111K — better94
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#18 — better#194
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size91 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMosaic S.r.l.Interactive Hail Maps, LLC

Customer experience

Storm Shield

All ratings110,836 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral2.6%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews274 reviews
Positive37.6%
Neutral9.9%
Negative52.6%

Hail Recon

All ratings94 ratings
Positive51.1%
Neutral5.3%
Negative43.6%
Written reviews63 reviews
Positive47.6%
Neutral1.6%
Negative50.8%

User reviews

Storm Shield

From 111K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fastest weather alerts
  • 📡 Accurate radar and forecasts
  • 🔔 Customizable alerts and notifications
  • 💻 Simple and easy to use interface
  • 🗺️ Tracking multiple locations

Room to improve

  • 💰 Subscription model for advanced features
  • 🔇 Loud and disruptive alerts
  • 🕰️ Delayed alerts compared to other apps
  • 🔍 Difficulty customizing alert locations
  • 🔋 High battery consumption

Hail Recon

From 94 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great product and team
  • 🗺️ Accurate hail mapping
  • 📊 Helpful reports for insurance
  • ✅ Easy to use interface
  • 💡 Common sense solutions provided

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Too many bugs
  • 🐌 Slow report generation
  • ❌ Horrible customer service
  • 🗑️ App is junk
  • 🚫 Cannot sign up

Bugs and requests

Storm Shield

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inconsistent alert delivery
  • Radar map not always showing correct location
  • Subscription features not working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to read alert details in notifications
  • Option to silence alerts during certain times
  • More customization for alert types and locations
  • Horizontal radar view with manual scrolling
  • Integration with smart home devices for alerts

Hail Recon

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Cannot mark houses correctly when canvassing
  • Login issues (password not accepted, stuck in loop)
  • No sign-up option available
  • App requires sign-in but no sign-up link
Show 5 more
  • Confusing registration process
  • Email for password reset not received
  • Data not updated frequently (e.g., hail maps from years ago)
  • App not marking houses correctly
  • Slow report generation times

Requested features

8 requests
  • Improve app polish and user experience
  • Fix bugs and glitches
  • Provide a clear sign-up option
  • Make notifications customizable
  • Update data more frequently
Show 3 more
  • Offer more affordable pricing plans
  • Improve password reset functionality
  • Address privacy concerns regarding data collection

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Storm Shield

Subscriptions7
  • Weekly Subscription$1.997 Days
  • Weekly with Free Trial7 Days trial$1.997 Days
  • Premium Weather$10.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • Lightning Strikes$10.991 Month
  • 30-Day Limited Offer Upgrade1 Month trial$11.491 Month
  • Yearly with Free Trial7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Yearly Subscription$29.991 Year
None

Hail Recon

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Storm Shield free?
Storm Shield is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hail Recon free?
Hail Recon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Storm Shield or Hail Recon?
Storm Shield is rated higher. Storm Shield averages 4.8 out of 5 from 111K ratings, while Hail Recon averages 3.1 from 94 ratings.
Do Storm Shield or Hail Recon have ads?
Storm Shield shows ads; Hail Recon does not.
Which is updated more often, Storm Shield or Hail Recon?
Storm Shield ships an update weekly, and Hail Recon every 3 months. Most recently, Storm Shield was updated on September 27, 2026 and Hail Recon on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, Storm Shield or Hail Recon?
Storm Shield currently peaks at #18 in the App Store charts, and Hail Recon at #194. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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