Comparison

WeatherMax+ vs NWS Weather

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

Head to head
About

WeatherMax+

Get precise, hyperlocal weather forecasts powered by the National Weather Service. Receive instant severe weather alerts, view detailed conditions, and plan your day with a beautiful, animated interface. Track multiple locations and access interactive radar maps.

Highlights
  • Hyperlocal grid-point forecasts
  • Severe weather push alerts
  • Animated weather backgrounds
  • Minute-by-minute precipitation radar
  • Interactive radar map
  • Air quality and pollen index
  • Multiple location support
Features
Read full description

WeatherMax is back completely rebuilt from the ground up with a stunning new design and powerful features that put accurate, hyperlocal weather at your fingertips. WeatherMax+ delivers forecasts for your exact location, not just your city. Whether you're planning your morning commute or tracking an incoming storm, WeatherMax+ gives you the detail you need. Beautiful New Interface A fully redesigned dark interface with animated weather backgrounds, real-time particle effects, and glassmorphism cards that make checking the weather feel as good as it looks. Severe Weather Push Alerts — Always Free Get notified the moment a warning, watch, or advisory is issued for your location — tornado warnings, flash flood watches, freeze advisories, winter storms, and more. Delivered instantly, day or night, even when the app is closed, as Time Sensitive alerts that break through Focus and Do Not Disturb. Choose whether you're notified about everything, or only Severe and Extreme warnings. Hyperlocal Accuracy Forecasts for your precise coordinates. Not a regional average. Not a nearby station. Your exact location. Everything You Need • Current conditions with feels-like, humidity, wind & gusts • Hourly & 10-day forecast • Next-hour precipitation, minute by minute • Air quality index & pollen count • UV index & sun protection guidance • Sunrise & sunset times • Wind direction compass • Interactive radar map with future radar • Live map of active severe weather warnings • "What to Wear" daily recommendation • Apple Watch app Widgets Your Way Home Screen widgets show the next few hours and days at a glance, with the chance of rain and a 5-day forecast with high and low bars. They follow your °F/°C and mph/km/h settings. Ask Siri "WeatherMax will it rain today?", "WeatherMax weather" or "WeatherMax radar". No setup needed. Multiple Locations Save your favorite places and switch between them instantly — home, work, family, anywhere. Up to 3 free, unlimited with WeatherMax+. WEATHERMAX+ ESSENTIAL • Rain alerts — a push before it starts at your location • The full 2-hour future radar timeline (free includes the first 30 minutes) • Lightning on the map • Sky themes, including seasonal designs like Halloween • Lock Screen widgets, plus Details and Hourly chart widget styles • Apple Watch complications • Unlimited saved locations WEATHERMAX+ PRO • Everything in Essential • Pro map layers — storm outlooks, storm reports, wildfire, fire weather • Rain Countdown — a Live Activity on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island • Rearrange your dashboard and choose your Conditions metrics • Alternate app icons, including holiday designs Severe weather warnings are free for everyone, and always will be. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS WeatherMax+ Essential: $1.99/month or $14.99/year WeatherMax+ Pro: $3.99/month or $29.99/year Limited time: yearly plans start with 1 week free. New subscribers only, in select countries, through December 31, 2026. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your Apple ID Account Settings. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when a subscription is purchased. Terms of Use: https://weathermax.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://weathermax.app/privacy Weather data from Apple Weather, the National Weather Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Open-Meteo.

About

NWS Weather

Access local weather radar, forecasts, and live data. Stay informed with up-to-date weather information for your area.

Highlights
  • Local weather radars
  • Forecasts
  • Live data
  • Up-to-date information
Read full description

This app gives access to local weather radars, forecasts, live data, and more!

Screenshots

WeatherMax+4 screens
NWS Weather3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: WeatherMax+ at 4.5 against NWS Weather's 3.0. WeatherMax+ also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.5). NWS Weather's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4). On price, ratings volume, ads and monetization model 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. WeatherMax+ sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. NWS Weather asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

WeatherMax+ holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 4 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
WeatherMax+ versus NWS Weather: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWeatherMax+NWS Weather
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (6 ratings) — better3.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews77.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.5
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChris WilliamsJacob Seastrunk

In-app purchases

4 purchases

WeatherMax+

Subscriptions4
  • WeatherMax+ Essential Monthly$1.991 Month
  • WeatherMax+ Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • WeatherMax+ Essential Yearly$14.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • WeatherMax+ Pro Yearly$29.991 Year
None

NWS Weather

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is WeatherMax+ free?
WeatherMax+ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NWS Weather free?
NWS Weather is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, WeatherMax+ or NWS Weather?
WeatherMax+ is rated higher. WeatherMax+ averages 4.5 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while NWS Weather averages 3.0 from 4 ratings.
Do WeatherMax+ or NWS Weather have ads?
Neither WeatherMax+ nor NWS Weather shows ads.

Other comparisons