Comparison

Lightning Distance vs Wind Meter+ Anemometer Gust

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

Head to head
About

Lightning Distance

Calculate the distance to lightning by timing the interval between seeing the flash and hearing the thunder. This utility helps you gauge storm proximity and movement.

Highlights
  • Lightning distance calculation
  • Storm proximity estimation
  • Storm movement tracking
  • Simple user interface
Features
Read full description

Lightning Distance turns the old "flash-to-bang" trick into a precise, one-tap tool. Tap when you see the flash, tap again when you hear the thunder — the app calculates how far away the storm is using the real speed of sound, with an optional temperature adjustment for even more accurate results. See it, don't just read it: your estimated distance is drawn live on a map centered on your location, so you can watch the strike radius as you count. FEATURES • One-tap timing — no math, no guessing • Live map visualization of the estimated strike radius • Metric and imperial units, detected automatically or set manually • Optional temperature calibration for more precise readings • Clean, modern design built for quick glances during a storm • No ads, no tracking, no account required Your location is only ever used to center the map — it's never stored, transmitted, or shared. Lightning Distance isn't a substitute for official severe weather warnings, but it's a fast, no-fuss way to get a sense of how close a storm really is — whether you're deciding when to head indoors or just curious after that last strike.

About

Wind Meter+ Anemometer Gust

This app provides real-time wind speed, direction, and gust tracking using weather data based on your GPS location. It displays wind conditions with Beaufort scale classification and offers multiple unit options for your convenience.

Highlights
  • Real-time wind speed
  • Wind direction with compass
  • Beaufort scale classification
  • Wind gust tracking
  • Barometric pressure reading
  • GPS-based location
  • Multiple unit options
Features
Read full description

Wind Meter+ is a wind speed meter and anemometer with a gust alert and a home-screen widget. See the forecast wind, gusts and direction for your place, or measure the wind across the iPhone microphone (beta estimate), then press Stop: once the session is saved to your gust log, a result card shows what you measured. ▶ Wind speed at a glance • Forecast wind, gust and direction for your current location or a city you choose (Open-Meteo) • Radial gauge with the Beaufort scale, sustained speed, peak gust and pressure • Units: km/h, mph, knots and m/s • Start sits right under the gauge; tapping the gauge starts or stops too ▶ Stop and see the result Press Start, then Stop. A session of at least 3 seconds with readings is saved to the gust log (the last 50), and a result card then shows the peak gust, the average speed, the Beaufort class and the duration, with the source marked (forecast or mic estimate). Export the log as CSV; a statistics CSV of all sessions unlocks for 24 hours after a short ad. ▶ Gust alert Set a gust threshold and get a notification when the forecast shows gusts at or above it: "Gusts up to 32 km/h forecast at 3:00 PM". The app checks forecast gusts for the coming hour each time the forecast updates, including periodic refreshes while the app is closed when the system allows it. The threshold moves in 5 km/h steps. ▶ Home-screen widget Add the Wind Meter+ widget in small or medium size. It shows the forecast wind, gusts and direction for your place with the forecast hour and the time it was updated; the medium size also shows the next gust alert. When the stored forecast runs out it asks you to open the app instead of showing old numbers. Microphone readings are never shown on the widget. ▶ Activity advisory and week planner • Drone, sailing/kite, cycling, small craft and outdoor comfort graded Safe, Caution or No-go • This week: every hour from 5:00 to 22:00 for 7 days graded green, amber or red for drone, kite, sailing, cycling or comfort, with the next usable window • In the planner, drone grading uses the forecast wind at 120 m altitude when it is stronger than at ground level • Hourly strip for the next 24 hours with sustained wind and gusts ▶ Microphone mode (beta) Point the mic edge into the wind with no case. The reading is an estimate from wind noise; calibrate the calm-air zero, or scale it to a reference speed from a real anemometer. Handling noise and the case affect it. ▶ Honest limits Forecast values come from the nearest Open-Meteo grid point, not a sensor at your exact spot, and need an internet connection. Background refresh timing is decided by the system, so an alert can arrive late or not at all while the app is closed. For critical decisions use a dedicated anemometer and official weather warnings. The app is available in 30 languages.

Screenshots

Lightning Distance4 screens
Wind Meter+ Anemometer Gust3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Lightning Distance at 100% against Wind Meter+ Anemometer Gust's 50%. Lightning Distance also leads on rating (4.0 vs 3.4) and ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lightning Distance holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 5 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Lightning Distance's written reviews are positive against 50% of Wind Meter+ Anemometer Gust's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Lightning Distance versus Wind Meter+ Anemometer Gust: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLightning DistanceWind Meter+ Anemometer Gust
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (2 ratings) — better3.4 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings25 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB76 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperDaelin CamplemanKyu-Hee Jang

Customer experience

Lightning Distance

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Wind Meter+ Anemometer Gust

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

Lightning Distance

No in-app purchases

None

Wind Meter+ Anemometer Gust

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Lightning Distance free?
Lightning Distance is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Wind Meter+ Anemometer Gust free?
Wind Meter+ Anemometer Gust is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Lightning Distance or Wind Meter+ Anemometer Gust?
Lightning Distance is rated higher. Lightning Distance averages 4.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Wind Meter+ Anemometer Gust averages 3.4 from 5 ratings.
Do Lightning Distance or Wind Meter+ Anemometer Gust have ads?
Wind Meter+ Anemometer Gust shows ads; Lightning Distance does not.
Which is updated more often, Lightning Distance or Wind Meter+ Anemometer Gust?
Lightning Distance ships an update weekly, and Wind Meter+ Anemometer Gust weekly. Most recently, Lightning Distance was updated on October 5, 2026 and Wind Meter+ Anemometer Gust on October 12, 2026.

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