Aurora Forecast. vs ARMAS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Aurora Forecast.
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.
- 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
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Aurora Forecast answers one question: can you see the aurora tonight, from where you are? It brings together NOAA space weather, the sky above you, and reports from people nearby who are watching it right now. — SEE IT AS IT HAPPENS — When people near you spot the aurora, their reports appear on the map and on the Home tab, showing how many have seen it within 100 km and how close the nearest one is. Seeing it yourself? Share it in one tap. No account needed, and every location is blurred to about 1 km before anyone else sees it. — KNOW BEFORE THE SKY GLOWS — • NOAA OVATION 30-minute aurora forecast on a map and a 3D globe • Aurora probability for your exact location • Kp index history, 3-day forecast and 27-day outlook • Live solar wind: speed, density and magnetic field (Bz) • Cloud cover, moon phase, sunrise and sunset • Live aurora webcams and real-time images of the Sun • Aurora hotspots: well-known viewing spots, including dark-sky parks • Aurora Guide, plus Stories & News from the world of the aurora — AURORA INTELLIGENCE (ULTIMATE) — One clear answer to "Should I go out now?", weighing the forecast, the clouds above you, the moonlight and reports from people nearby. On iPhones with Apple Intelligence it runs on your device; otherwise it uses our cloud AI. — ALERTS, WIDGETS AND APPLE WATCH — • Aurora alerts for your location (Pro) • Apple Watch complications (Pro) • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets (Ultimate) • Detailed cloud cover by altitude (Ultimate) — ON EVERY SCREEN — iPhone, iPad, and iPhone Duo open or folded, in 32 languages. — SUBSCRIPTIONS — The forecast, maps, live data, webcams and community reports are free. • Aurora Pro, monthly or yearly: aurora alerts and Apple Watch complications • Aurora Ultimate Pro, monthly or yearly: everything in Pro, plus Aurora Intelligence, widgets and detailed cloud cover Prices are shown in the app in your local currency. Payment will be charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically 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 before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscriptions in Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions. Privacy Policy: https://www.tinacinc.com/AuroraForecast/privacy_policy.html Terms of Use: https://www.tinacinc.com/AuroraForecast/terms_of_conditions.html
ARMAS
Real-time radiation monitoring for aviation and space weather awareness. Pairs with hardware detectors or provides data from global systems for pilots and travelers.
- Real-time radiation monitoring
- Space weather awareness
- Pairs with ARMAS Flight Modules
- Detects various radiation types
- Global airspace coverage
- Data from ground and space systems
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The Automated Radiation Measurements for Aerospace Safety (ARMAS) program has been developed with NASA funding. It provides accurate, real-time radiation monitoring along with radiation and space weather awareness for the global airspace up to 100 km altitude. The ARMAS app is part of this program and does two tasks: - it pairs with and controls the 7th generation ARMAS Flight Module (FM7) and the 12th generation ARMAS Flight Module (FM12) radiation detector (purchased separately) to provide the highest quality, real-time dose and dose rates in aircraft and suborbital vehicles. It is sensitive to radiation from all sources including heavy ions, alphas, protons, neutrons, electrons, and gamma-rays. - it provides radiation awareness by hosting real-time space weather data coming from dozens of ground- and space-based systems that report all the information relevant to radiation processes without requiring a purchase of the FM7 or FM12. ARMAS is the 'gold-standard' in real-time radiation monitoring and awareness used by professional pilots, business travelers, and commercial space tourists. The ARMAS program is developed and operated by Space Environment Technologies, which specializes in space weather as an official NOAA "Weather Ready Nation" Ambassador.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ARMAS at 100% against Aurora Forecast.'s 32%. ARMAS also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.6). Aurora Forecast.'s advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (4.9K vs 6). 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
Both are free to download. Aurora Forecast. sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and ARMAS sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Aurora Forecast. holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Aurora Forecast. has 4.9K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 32% of Aurora Forecast.'s written reviews are positive against 100% of ARMAS's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Aurora Forecast. ships an update weekly, ARMAS every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Aurora Forecast. | ARMAS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (4.9K ratings) — better | 4.3 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 32.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4.9K — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #103 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 22 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TINAC Inc. | Space Environment Technologies, LLC. |
Customer experience
Aurora Forecast.
ARMAS
Bugs and requests
Aurora Forecast.
Reported bugs
4 issues- Forecast data not updating
- App crashing on startup
- Incorrect location data
- Alerts not working as intended
Requested features
5 requests- 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
ARMAS
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Aurora Forecast.
- Alerts (Monthly)3 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Aurora Ultimate Pro (Monthly)$4.991 Month
- Aurora Alerts(Yearly)7 Days trial$12.991 Year
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- Aurora Ultimate Pro (Yearly)3 Days trial$19.991 Year
ARMAS
- Premier$2.991 Year
- Professional$2.991 Year
- Member$2.99
Questions
Is Aurora Forecast. free?
Is ARMAS free?
Which has better reviews, Aurora Forecast. or ARMAS?
Do Aurora Forecast. or ARMAS have ads?
Which is updated more often, Aurora Forecast. or ARMAS?
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