# Aurora Alert Realtime vs Aurora Beacon

The clearest difference is update cadence: Aurora Beacon at monthly against Aurora Alert Realtime's every 2 months. Aurora Alert Realtime's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Aurora Alert Realtime sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Aurora Beacon sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Aurora Alert Realtime ships an update every 2 months, Aurora Beacon monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Aurora Alert Realtime | Aurora Beacon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.3 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aurora-alert-realtime/id6443596649/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **6** | — |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 27 MB | 88 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kooditehdas Oy](https://appshunter.io/developer/1440062928) | [Neil Thomas](https://appshunter.io/developer/363455395) |

## What reviewers say

### Aurora Alert Realtime

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aurora-alert-realtime/id6443596649)

Receive real-time alerts for visible Northern Lights with high-quality, automatically updated imagery. Access daily forecasts, detailed knowledge, and stunning photos to enhance your aurora viewing experience.

**Highlights:** Real-time aurora alerts, High-quality sky imagery, Automated image updates, Daily aurora and weather forecasts, 1, 3, and 27-day aurora forecasts, Northern Lights knowledge base

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 day subscription | $5.99 | one-time |
| 2 days subscription | $9.99 | one-time |
| 3 days subscription | $13.99 | one-time |
| 4 days subscription | $17.99 | one-time |
| 5 days subscription | $21.99 | one-time |


### Aurora Beacon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aurora-beacon/id6787973748)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Aurora Beacon Plus Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Aurora Beacon Plus Yearly | $24.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Aurora Alert Realtime free?

Aurora Alert Realtime is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Aurora Beacon free?

Aurora Beacon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Aurora Alert Realtime or Aurora Beacon have ads?

Neither Aurora Alert Realtime nor Aurora Beacon shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Aurora Alert Realtime or Aurora Beacon?

Aurora Alert Realtime ships an update every 2 months, and Aurora Beacon monthly. Most recently, Aurora Alert Realtime was updated on October 30, 2026 and Aurora Beacon on October 29, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*