Comparison

KATWARN vs PrepAlert

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

Head to head
About

KATWARN

Receive location-based alerts for dangers and disasters across Germany. Get notified about major fires, extreme weather, and other critical events for your current location and up to seven additional chosen areas. The app uses energy-efficient location services to minimize battery drain.

Highlights
  • Location-based alerts for up to 8 locations
  • Zip code precise warnings
  • Color-coded warning levels
  • Energy-efficient battery usage
  • Real-time danger area notifications
  • Feedback function
Features
Read full description

"KATWARN" ist eine Service-App zur Übermittlung von Gefahren- und Katastrophenwarnungen innerhalb Deutschlands. Die App gewährleistet ortsbasierte Benachrichtigungen über Gefahrenmeldungen, wie Großbrände oder Extremwetter, und bietet dabei die Möglichkeit, sich immer für den aktuellen Standort und zusätzlich für sieben weitere, frei wählbare Orte informieren zu lassen. Diese Auswahl kann jeder Zeit aufgehoben, angepasst und bei Bedarf ausgeschaltet werden. Durch Verwendung der energieffizienten Ortung über Basisstationen und WLAN-Zugangspunkte (und nicht über GPS), wird der Akku nur geringfügig belastet. Neben den Deutschlandweiten Warnungen durch den Deutschen Wetterdienst (DWD) setzen immer mehr Landkreise und kreisfreie Städte in Deutschland KATWARN für Ihre kommunalen Warnungen ein. Eine Übersicht finden Sie unter www.katwarn.de Die Benachrichtigungen werden dabei von den jeweiligen Leitstellen der Feuerwehr, des Katastrophenschutzes oder vom Deutschen Wetterdienst ausgelöst. Zusätzlich dazu können auch Warnungen des KATWARN-Systems in Österreich abonniert und empfangen werden. Die App verfügt über folgende Funktionen: • aktive Benachrichtigung (Push-Meldungen) über Gefahren für bis zu acht Orte: neben dem aktuellen Standort (=“Schutzengel“) sieben frei wählbare Orte • postleitzahlgenaue Warnungen für die gewählten Orte mit Warntexten und farbbasierter Klassifikation der Warnstufe • kontinuierliche, anonymisierte Aktualisierung der Ortsinformationen, so dass manuell keine weiteren Eingaben zum Standort nötig sind • sofortige Benachrichtigung bei Betreten eines aktuellen Gefahrenbereichs • Feedback-Funktion für Rückmeldungen an den App-Dienstleister Für Fragen und Fehlermeldungen wenden Sie sich bitte an support@katwarn.de oder http://www.katwarn.de, da wir auf Rezensionen nicht antworten können.

About

PrepAlert

Features
Read full description

PrepAlert shows you official warnings for where you are, and with Pro also for home, family or your holiday address. Severe storm, flood, earthquake, tsunami or wildfire: you get a notification as soon as an official agency issues a warning, an update when it changes, and a message when it is lifted. With travel mode (Pro) you also hear when the travel advice for your destination gets stricter. Why PrepAlert • Official sources, unaltered: you see the agency's own text, with attribution and a link to the original. • Only what affects you: warnings are matched to the warning area and your location (with Pro also your own places), not to the whole country. • Peace when possible: set quiet hours and a minimum severity. Extreme warnings still break through quiet hours. • What to do now: short, practical steps for each type of warning, also offline. Features • Push notifications for new, updated and lifted warnings • Follow my location: warnings for where you are right now • Status card: see at a glance whether anything is going on • Map layers: warning areas, earthquakes and fires • Family check "Are you OK?": ask everyone with one tap, answer with one tap from the notification • Crisis news from public news feeds, with a tension index • Widgets, including the Lock Screen • In English, Dutch, German and Spanish Sources Warnings come from, among others: MeteoAlarm (European weather services, 17 countries), NOAA National Weather Service (US), USGS (earthquakes worldwide), GDACS (global disasters), NOAA's tsunami warning centers (NTWC and PTWC), FMI (Finland), MET Norway, AEMET (Spain), SMHI (Sweden), MetService (New Zealand), PAGASA (Philippines), KMA (South Korea), NCDR (Taiwan), INMET (Brazil) and NSW Rural Fire Service (Australia). Travel advice: UK FCDO, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Germany's Federal Foreign Office. PrepAlert is independent and not affiliated with these organisations. Coverage differs by country. Free: safety for everyone • Official warnings and push notifications for your current location • "What to do now", status card and crisis news • Map layers: warnings, earthquakes and fires • Family check (1 group) and quiet hours • No account, no ads PrepAlert Pro • Daily briefing: a readable summary, optionally as a daily notification at a time you choose • Audio briefing: have the briefing read aloud • Your own places: home, work, parents… up to 10 places and trips together • Travel mode: travel advice per country from the Netherlands, the UK and Germany, warnings at your destination and a notification when the advice gets stricter • Smart alerts: earthquakes and wildfires near your places, frost and strong wind ahead, and a reminder before a warning starts • 3 family groups • AI summary and "Ask PrepAlert", on your own device • Weekly overview and full notification history • Custom tension threshold and notification filters by category • Supplies list Pro is available monthly, yearly (first week free) or as a one-time purchase; prices are shown in the app. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period in your App Store settings. Privacy No account, no ads, no tracking. Your places only go to our alert service if you turn warnings on, and then rounded to about 1 km. AI features run on your device. One button deletes all your data on the server. Important PrepAlert is not an official alert system and does not replace public warning systems, sirens, radio or instructions from emergency services. Notifications can be delayed or missing, for example if a source or the mobile network fails. In an emergency, call your local emergency number. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

KATWARN4 screens
PrepAlert4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: KATWARN at none against PrepAlert's 1. KATWARN also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 17.0). PrepAlert's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 4 months). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PrepAlert sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. KATWARN asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

KATWARN ships an update every 4 months, PrepAlert every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
KATWARN versus PrepAlert: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKATWARNPrepAlert
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.3 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS9.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCombiRisk - Riskmanagement GmbHMichael Stuut

In-app purchases

None

KATWARN

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

PrepAlert

One-time1
  • prepalert Pro$3.99

Questions

Is KATWARN free?
KATWARN is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PrepAlert free?
PrepAlert is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do KATWARN or PrepAlert have ads?
Neither KATWARN nor PrepAlert shows ads.
Which is updated more often, KATWARN or PrepAlert?
KATWARN ships an update every 4 months, and PrepAlert every 2 days. Most recently, KATWARN was updated on October 11, 2026 and PrepAlert on October 1, 2026.

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