Comparison

PocketRadar vs Rain Maps

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

Head to head
About

PocketRadar

Get real-time weather updates and animated radar images on your phone. Monitor rain, storms, and weather fronts with a zoomable map. Provides precise forecasts for any location worldwide, keeping you informed effortlessly.

Highlights
  • Animated radar images
  • Up-to-the-minute weather conditions
  • Zoomable rain radar
  • Precise forecasts worldwide
  • Real-time weather updates
  • Emerging weather patterns
Features
Read full description

Track moving rain, explore wind and cloud maps, and check the forecast for any point you choose. Plan the next few hours or the week ahead with PocketRadar. RAIN AND SNOW IN MOTION Follow precipitation on an animated map. Play the timeline, pause on a frame and zoom into the places that matter to you. The weather icon and temperature above the player follow the selected map time for your chosen place. CHOOSE A PLACE. SEE ITS FORECAST. Select a point on the map to open its local weather. Check current conditions and feels-like temperature, explore up to 48 hours of hourly weather and look ahead with a 7-day forecast. See sunrise and sunset times, plus charts for humidity, pressure and cloud cover. WIND AND CLOUDS AT A GLANCE Explore the animated wind map to see changing speed and direction across a region. Switch the local forecast between Weather and Wind for hourly speed, direction and available gusts. Add the cloud forecast layer to follow cloud cover alongside precipitation. FOLLOW ACTIVE CYCLONES See cyclone positions, tracks and forecast cones where available. Open storm details and use the separate cards button to show or hide cyclone information while you explore the map. AIR QUALITY, HOTSPOTS AND THUNDERSTORMS • Explore modeled air quality with US and European AQI scales and clear geographic boundaries. • See NASA FIRMS satellite thermal hotspots that may indicate fire activity. • View the thunderstorm outlook alongside precipitation. • Use AR to view the direction and estimated arrival of nearby precipitation. MAKE THE MAP YOURS Choose Apple Maps or OpenFreeMap, street or satellite views, light or dark appearance, four radar palettes and adjustable layer opacity. WEATHER ACROSS YOUR DEVICES Use PocketRadar on iPhone and iPad, add Home Screen widgets and check animated precipitation radar on Apple Watch. Choose a place and see what the weather has in store. Coverage and forecast availability vary by location and source. Cyclone forecasts, modeled AQI and thunderstorm outlooks are indicative. A thermal hotspot is not confirmation of a wildfire. PocketRadar does not provide official emergency alerts; follow local authorities for severe-weather, air-quality and fire instructions.

About

Rain Maps

Visualize live rain radar, cloud cover, dust, fog, and lightning directly on a map. Get detailed precipitation, temperature, and wind forecasts from multiple global models. Explore weather phenomena and plan your activities with up-to-date information.

Highlights
  • Live rain radar
  • Satellite cloud maps
  • Dust and fog tracking
  • Lightning detection
  • Precipitation forecasts
  • Temperature forecasts
  • Wind forecasts
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Rain Maps shows you where it is raining right now, where the rain is heading and what your weather will do next, on a live map built for following rain. LIVE RAIN RADAR • Live radar from several sources, including Doppler radar, refreshed every few minutes • A short-term radar forecast for the minutes ahead • Play the last hours as an animation and share it as a video or GIF • Lightning strikes, storm cells and the direction storms are moving EVERY WEATHER MAP • Satellite clouds, dust and fog • Weather fronts and wind • Rain, temperature and wind forecasts on the map from several global models (some need a subscription) A NEW WEATHER PAGE • A living sky that shows the clouds, rain, thunder and moon you see outside • Rain in the next hour, minute by minute • Hour-by-hour and daily forecasts • Official weather warnings and a clear summary of what is coming • The moon, sunrise and sunset, UV, wind and more ALERTS BEFORE THE RAIN • A notification shortly before rain starts at your location or your saved places • Alerts for lightning nearby ON YOUR SCREEN AND YOUR WRIST • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets • A Live Activity that follows approaching rain • An Apple Watch app with complications MORE • Turn-by-turn navigation with the weather on your map • Report the weather where you are and see what people nearby report Rain Maps is developed by Yanbu Weather. Terms of Use: https://www.yanbuweather.com/terms/Apps/rainMaps/termsofuse.html Privacy Policy: https://www.yanbuweather.com/terms/Apps/rainMaps/privacypolicy.html Website: https://www.yanbuweather.com/

Screenshots

PocketRadar4 screens
Rain Maps4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: PocketRadar at none against Rain Maps's shown. PocketRadar also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.1) and ratings volume (1.6K vs 82). Rain Maps's advantage is chart position (#33 vs unranked) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 8 days). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases 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. PocketRadar sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Rain Maps sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PocketRadar holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PocketRadar has 1.6K ratings behind it against 82, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of PocketRadar's written reviews are positive against 70% of Rain Maps's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PocketRadar ships an update every 8 days, Rain Maps every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
PocketRadar versus Rain Maps: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPocketRadarRain Maps
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (1.6K ratings) — better4.1 (82 ratings)
Positive reviews74.9% of reviews — better70.4% of reviews
Number of ratings1.6K — better82
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#33 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS16.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size73 MB155 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDmitry Alaevziad aljohani

Customer experience

PocketRadar

All ratings1,609 ratings
Positive91.2%
Neutral5.7%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews411 reviews
Positive74.9%
Neutral3.2%
Negative21.9%

Rain Maps

All ratings82 ratings
Positive76.8%
Neutral8.5%
Negative14.6%
Written reviews27 reviews
Positive70.4%
Neutral18.5%
Negative11.1%

Bugs and requests

PocketRadar

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes on launch
  • Incorrect weather forecasts
  • Location services not working properly

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to customize widget
  • Option to display temperature in Celsius and Fahrenheit
  • More detailed weather information (wind, pressure, etc.)

Rain Maps

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PocketRadar

One-time1
  • Weather Widget$4.95
1 purchases

Rain Maps

Subscriptions1
  • Yearly subscription$9.991 Year

Questions

Is PocketRadar free?
PocketRadar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Rain Maps free?
Rain Maps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PocketRadar or Rain Maps?
PocketRadar is rated higher. PocketRadar averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.6K ratings, while Rain Maps averages 4.1 from 82 ratings.
Do PocketRadar or Rain Maps have ads?
Rain Maps shows ads; PocketRadar does not.
Which is updated more often, PocketRadar or Rain Maps?
PocketRadar ships an update every 8 days, and Rain Maps every 4 days. Most recently, PocketRadar was updated on October 26, 2026 and Rain Maps on October 25, 2026.

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