Comparison

Aurora Forecast. vs TickZone

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

Head to head
About

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.

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
Read full description

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

About

TickZone

This app provides a daily tick activity score for your town, reflecting current conditions and offering a 7-day outlook. It details factors influencing the score, identifies local tick species, and offers prevention tips. It's built on public data and serves as an awareness tool.

Highlights
  • Live tick activity score (0-100)
  • 7-day outlook
  • Current weather conditions
  • Tick species identification
  • Lyme rate data
  • Morning brief notifications
  • Field guide with prevention tips
Features
Read full description

Ticks are a daily question across the country. TickZone answers it with one honest number: a 0 to 100 tick activity score for your town that reflects conditions right now. WHAT YOU GET • A live tick activity score for your town that moves with current conditions, plus a 7 day outlook • Live conditions right now: temperature, humidity, recent rain, and a plain note on what ticks are likely doing at this hour • What is driving the score: season, weather, habitat, and your county's Lyme rate • Which tick species live in your county (deer tick, dog tick, lone star), from CDC surveillance • Scores for nearby towns, plus any place you save • A morning brief notification with your town's score, around 7 am • Spike alerts when a saved place jumps a risk band • A field guide: prevention that works, what to do when you find a tick, and alpha-gal syndrome basics BUILT ON PUBLIC DATA TickZone covers 32,000 towns across all 50 states, from New England to the West Coast. Every score is built from public, citable sources: CDC tick and disease surveillance, state health department case counts, Open-Meteo weather, ESA WorldCover satellite habitat, and U.S. Census town boundaries. Full methodology at tickzone.app/methodology. HONEST BY DESIGN The score reflects what is actually happening: current weather and the time of day, layered on season, habitat, and your county's Lyme rate. It moves the way risk moves, ticks pull back in the midday heat and pick up toward dusk, and the app always tells you plainly what is behind the number. Where data is missing, it says so instead of guessing. TickZone is an awareness tool, not medical advice. If a tick bite worries you, talk to a clinician. Location is used to find your town and to center you on the map, only while the app is open, and is never linked to your identity. You can also skip location entirely and search for any town. TICKZONE PRO TickZone Pro is an optional auto-renewable subscription that unlocks hour-by-hour forecasts, a 14 day outlook, spike alerts the evening before, unlimited saved places, and the home screen widget. • TickZone Pro Yearly: $39.99 per year, with a 7 day free trial • TickZone Pro Monthly: $9.99 per month Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://tickzone.app/privacy

Screenshots

Aurora Forecast.4 screens
TickZone4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: TickZone at 86% against Aurora Forecast.'s 32%. TickZone also leads on monetization model (freemium vs subscription) and rating (4.9 vs 4.6). Aurora Forecast.'s advantage is ratings volume (4.9K vs 18) and chart position (#104 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Aurora Forecast. sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and TickZone sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

TickZone holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Aurora Forecast. has 4.9K ratings behind it against 18, 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 86% of TickZone's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Aurora Forecast. ships an update weekly, TickZone every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Aurora Forecast. versus TickZone: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAurora Forecast.TickZone
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (4.9K ratings)4.9 (18 ratings) — better
Positive reviews32.0% of reviews85.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4.9K — better18
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFreemium — better
Best chart rank#104 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.618.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB28 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperTINAC Inc.NATHAN LA MAR BURNETT

Customer experience

Aurora Forecast.

All ratings4,875 ratings
Positive89.5%
Neutral5.0%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews331 reviews
Positive32.0%
Neutral13.0%
Negative55.0%

TickZone

All ratings17 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral5.9%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral14.3%
Negative0.0%

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

TickZone

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Aurora Forecast.

Subscriptions4
  • Alerts (Monthly)3 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Aurora Ultimate Pro (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • Aurora Alerts(Yearly)7 Days trial$12.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Aurora Ultimate Pro (Yearly)3 Days trial$19.991 Year
2 purchases

TickZone

Subscriptions2
  • TickZone Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
  • TickZone Pro Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Aurora Forecast. free?
Aurora Forecast. is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TickZone free?
TickZone is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Aurora Forecast. or TickZone?
TickZone is rated higher. Aurora Forecast. averages 4.6 out of 5 from 4.9K ratings, while TickZone averages 4.9 from 18 ratings.
Do Aurora Forecast. or TickZone have ads?
Neither Aurora Forecast. nor TickZone shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Aurora Forecast. or TickZone?
Aurora Forecast. ships an update weekly, and TickZone every 5 days. Most recently, Aurora Forecast. was updated on October 26, 2026 and TickZone on October 25, 2026.

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