Aurora Forecast. vs Tide Charts
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
Tide Charts
Access worldwide tidal estimates, lunar data, and weather forecasts. Plan outdoor adventures with ease using current radar and offline predictions. Supports Apple Watch and includes a Today Extension for quick access.
- Worldwide tidal estimates
- Lunar data
- Weather forecast
- Current radar
- Offline predictions
- Favorite station management
- Apple Watch support
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Finally a beautiful and simple way to view tides on your mobile device! In addition to worldwide tidal estimates at tide stations, you can see the lunar data, weather forecast, and current radar making your next outdoor adventure as easy to plan as possible. By default, the application will pick the closest tide station to you, but picking a different tide or weather station is as easy as viewing a map of your current location. You can also setup and quickly switch between many stored favorite stations if you need to. No internet access while outdoors? No problem. This app has been designed to give you tidal and lunar predictions without internet access! Tides at a glance • A clear chart of the whole day, with the current height marked and daylight hours shaded (lunar rise and set is the small gray bar on the bottom) • The times and heights of every high and low tide • Swipe left or right to move through the days, or pick a date on the calendar • Swipe down to see sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset and the phase of the moon • Subscribe for tide alerts that notify you before a chosen high or low tide • Home Screen widgets with today's tides and the next tide Worldwide Tidal Stations • Nearly 8,000 stations, from the coasts of the United States and Canada to Europe, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South America and the Pacific islands • Find the nearest station with one tap, search by name, or browse the map, with satellite imagery when you want it • Keep your favorites one tap away Adjustable Height to Match Your Local Tide Table • Heights use the datum your local charts and tables use: MLLW in the United States, chart datum in Canada, Japan and Korea, LAT in Europe and Australia, MLWS in Peru and Ecuador (or you can choose your own from Mean Sea Level, MLLW, MLW, MLWS or LAT) Weather and Radar • Weather forecast is included for the station's location, with wind, temp, precipitation, and the day's high and low • Animated rain radar with a scrubber, so you can see what is coming Apple Watch • A full-screen tide chart on Apple Watch: turn the Digital Crown to step through highs, lows, sunrise, sunset and moon times, or drag to scrub through the next 30 days • Complications for every watch face, from a tide gauge to a chart of the next 24 hours, in the color you choose • Your favorite and nearby stations, with the current height and the next tide Tides is free with ads, however we do offer a one-time purchase to remove them if you would rather a clean distraction free experience.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Tide Charts at free with in-app purchases against Aurora Forecast.'s subscription. Tide Charts also leads on review sentiment (69% vs 32%) and ratings volume (114K vs 4.9K). Aurora Forecast.'s advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, 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 Tide Charts sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Tide Charts holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tide Charts has 114K ratings behind it against 4.9K, 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 69% of Tide Charts's.
Aurora Forecast. ships an update weekly, Tide Charts every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Aurora Forecast. | Tide Charts |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (4.9K ratings) | 4.8 (114K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 32.0% of reviews | 68.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4.9K | 114K — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #110 | #31 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 22 MB | 104 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TINAC Inc. | 7th Gear |
Customer experience
Aurora Forecast.
Tide Charts
User reviews
Aurora Forecast.
From 4.9K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🌟 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
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes or freezes
- ⚠️ Inaccurate forecasts and predictions
- ⚠️ Notifications not working as expected
- ⚠️ Difficult to interpret data and graphs
- ⚠️ Biased towards Northern Hemisphere
Tide Charts
From 114K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Clear tide information
- 👍 Useful for planning activities
- 💡 Comprehensive data including weather and moon phases
- 🤖 Accurate and reliable
- 🌟 Great app for Apple Watch
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inaccurate tide data in some locations
- 🙈 Intrusive and unskippable ads
- 🤯 Ads crashing the app
- 🤔 Confusing UI and navigation
- 🤖 Unreliable Apple Watch complications
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
Tide Charts
Reported bugs
4 issues- Tide data off by several hours
- Tide graph not displaying correctly
- App crashing on ad dismissal
- Apple Watch complications freezing
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to set custom locations
- Improved accuracy and data sources
- Option to purchase ad-free version
- Landscape mode support
- More detailed tide height information
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
Tide Charts
- Remove Ads$1.99
Questions
Is Aurora Forecast. free?
Is Tide Charts free?
Which has better reviews, Aurora Forecast. or Tide Charts?
Do Aurora Forecast. or Tide Charts have ads?
Which is updated more often, Aurora Forecast. or Tide Charts?
Which is more popular, Aurora Forecast. or Tide Charts?
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