# Aurora Forecast. vs Astrospheric

Aurora Forecast. and Astrospheric both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 87% of Astrospheric's written reviews are positive against 32% of Aurora Forecast.'s. Astrospheric also leads on monetization model (freemium vs subscription) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.6). Aurora Forecast.'s advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks) and ratings volume (4.9K vs 483). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Aurora Forecast. sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Astrospheric sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Astrospheric holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Aurora Forecast. has 4.9K ratings behind it against 483, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of Aurora Forecast.'s written reviews are positive against 87% of Astrospheric's.

Aurora Forecast. ships an update weekly, Astrospheric every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Aurora Forecast. | Astrospheric |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (4.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aurora-forecast/id539875792/reviews) | **[4.8 (483 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astrospheric/id1166046863/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **4.9K** | 483 |
| Positive reviews | 32.0% of reviews | **86.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Freemium** |
| Best chart rank | #104 | **#75** |
| Size | 22 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [TINAC Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/539875795) | [Daniel Fiordalis](https://appshunter.io/developer/1166046862) |

## What reviewers say

### Aurora Forecast.

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aurora-forecast/id539875792)

**Currently charting:** #104 Top Grossing · Weather, #132 Top Free · Weather (US App Store)

This app acts as an intelligent guide for aurora hunting, leveraging AI and local weather data to provide personalized "Go/No-Go" verdicts. It offers real-time updates, interactive maps, and customizable notifications to help you find the Northern Lights.

**Highlights:** AI Aurora Analyst with personalized Go/No-Go verdicts, Real-time Kp-index updates via widgets, Apple Watch complications for wrist tracking, Interactive aurora probability map, 3D globe with real-time aurora visualization, Customizable push notifications for storms

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Alerts (Monthly) | $2.99 | per month |
| Aurora Ultimate Pro (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| Aurora Alerts(Yearly) | $12.99 | per year |
| Aurora Ultimate Pro (Yearly) | $19.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Excellent app with nice graphs
- 🌟 Accurate with current solar activity and short-term forecast
- 🌟 Fantastic amount of information about the sun and aurora
- 🌟 Alerts help plan for aurora viewing
- 🌟 Comprehensive data and visuals

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes or freezes
- ⚠️ Inaccurate forecasts and predictions
- ⚠️ Notifications not working as expected
- ⚠️ Difficult to interpret data and graphs
- ⚠️ Biased towards Northern Hemisphere

**Reported bugs**

- Forecast data not updating
- App crashing on startup
- Incorrect location data
- Alerts not working as intended

**Requested features**

- Add support for Southern Hemisphere aurora
- Improve location-based forecasting and alerts
- Provide more user-friendly explanations of data and graphs
- Allow customization of notification settings
- Expand coverage to include more regions


### Astrospheric

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astrospheric/id1166046863)

**Currently charting:** #75 Top Grossing · Weather, #152 Top Free · Weather (US App Store)

This app offers advanced weather forecasting and astronomical data for stargazers and astrophotographers. It provides detailed hourly forecasts, cloud and sky transparency reports, and alerts for celestial events. It also includes tools for astronomical societies and offline site setup.

**Highlights:** 84-hour hourly weather forecast, Ensemble cloud forecast, Kp index for Aurora, ISS flyover paths, Integrated smoke forecast, Sky and ground data, Rise and set times, Solar and Lunar eclipse data

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Astrospheric Pro Subscription | $2.99 | per month |
| Astrospheric Pro Subscription | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Precision tool for astrophotography
- 🔍 Detailed weather forecasts
- ⭐ Accurate and reliable
- 💻 Comprehensive data and features
- 📊 Helpful for planning observing sessions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional inaccurate forecasts
- 🔍 Missing some weather data (e.g. wind)
- 💰 Subscription required for full functionality
- 🔌 Compatibility issues on some devices

**Reported bugs**

- App crashing or not loading on some devices
- Inconsistent temperature and wind data

**Requested features**

- Notification system for clear skies
- Widgets for quick access to data
- More detailed transparency and seeing data
- Ability to flip east and west in the app


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Aurora Forecast. free?

Aurora Forecast. is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Astrospheric free?

Astrospheric is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Aurora Forecast. or Astrospheric?

Astrospheric is rated higher. Aurora Forecast. averages 4.6 out of 5 from 4.9K ratings, while Astrospheric averages 4.8 from 483 ratings.

### Do Aurora Forecast. or Astrospheric have ads?

Neither Aurora Forecast. nor Astrospheric shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Aurora Forecast. or Astrospheric?

Aurora Forecast. ships an update weekly, and Astrospheric every 2 weeks. Most recently, Aurora Forecast. was updated on October 29, 2026 and Astrospheric on October 29, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Aurora Forecast. or Astrospheric?

Aurora Forecast. currently peaks at #104 in the App Store charts, and Astrospheric at #75. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*