Comparison

Aurora Compass vs Northern Lights Tracker

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

Head to head
About

Aurora Compass

This app provides aurora forecasts and alerts, helping users find the best conditions to see the northern or southern lights. It offers detailed space weather data, real-time geomagnetic activity, and a cloudiness filter for accurate predictions.

Highlights
  • Aurora alert notifications
  • Geomagnetic activity tracking
  • Aurora forecast map
  • Real-time aurora probability
  • Solar image animation
  • Cloudiness forecast
  • Darkness tool
Features
Read full description

Aurora Compass is a free aurora and space weather forecast app with no ads or paywalls. With it, you'll get all the data you need to catch the northern or southern lights in a layout that’s simple for beginners, yet detailed for experienced aurora chasers. The main features include: • Aurora alert notifications with cloudiness filter • Near real-time geomagnetic activity from over 110 magnetometers • Aurora forecast map with observation sharing tool • Current and forecasted aurora probability in your location • Solar image animation with x-ray chart and solar regions • WSA-Enlil solar wind forecast animation • Darkness tool to see when it'll be dark • Moon rise, set and phase information • Cloudiness forecast • Solar wind charts • Kp forecasts • Color theme for people with red-green colorblindness

About

Northern Lights Tracker

This app provides real-time predictions and forecasts for the aurora borealis using NOAA space weather data. It helps users find the best viewing locations and times, offering smart alerts and interactive maps for an optimal aurora hunting experience.

Highlights
  • Real-time aurora probability
  • NOAA-powered KP index
  • Interactive global aurora maps
  • Best viewing location recommendations
  • Space weather data monitoring
  • Smart aurora alerts
  • Apple Watch integration
Features
Read full description

Never miss the northern lights again. Northern Lights Tracker tells you whether tonight is worth going out, when to look and where to go. It turns live NOAA space weather data into one clear aurora chance for your exact location. Tonight at a Glance • Aurora chance for your location, updated live • A clear verdict, from "Go look now" to "Not tonight", with activity, solar wind, moon and cloud factors • Best viewing time and the best 2-hour window • Current Kp index and a 3-day Kp outlook • Search any place and save your favorite spots • Share tonight's forecast with friends Aurora Alerts Get notified when the aurora is likely where you are. Choose a chance alert, a Kp alert, a storm early warning up to 24 hours ahead, or a solar wind (Bz) alert with your own threshold. Chance and solar wind alerts wait until it is dark, and quiet hours keep your nights undisturbed. Storm and solar wind alerts can arrive as time-sensitive notifications, with your choice of sound or vibration. You decide how often the app checks: every 15, 30, 60 or 180 minutes. Lock Screen, Widgets and Apple Watch • Home Screen widgets with chance, Kp, peak time and a 12-hour chart • Lock Screen widgets • Live Activity: follow tonight's chance on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island • Apple Watch app with your chance and Kp at a glance, plus watch face complications • Ask Siri for tonight's aurora chance without opening the app Space Weather in Detail • Hour-by-hour aurora chance for the next 24 hours • Tonight's Sky: sunset, dark hours, sunrise and moon phase, including polar night and midnight sun • Cloud cover from Apple Weather • Solar wind: Bz, total field, speed and density, with charts for the last 3 hours • 27-day Kp outlook to plan trips weeks ahead Map and Best Places • Live map of the NOAA aurora oval. Long-press anywhere to check the chance there • 15 top aurora destinations ranked by tonight's chance, with distance from you: Tromsø, Svalbard, Rovaniemi, Inari, Sodankylä, Reykjavik, Kiruna, Abisko, Jokkmokk, Fairbanks, Anchorage, Yellowknife, Churchill, Murmansk and Nuuk • Open any spot in Apple Maps or Google Maps for directions Aurora AI Ask in your own words, like "Should I go out tonight?" Aurora AI answers from the live forecast, privately on your device. Requires Apple Intelligence on a supported device. More • Personalized setup: a short quiz tunes your alerts to the way you watch the sky • Forecast history • 11 aurora wallpapers • Works offline with your last forecast • Available in 46 languages Northern Lights Tracker Pro unlocks all alerts, detailed sky and space weather data, and unlimited use of every feature. Privacy: https://sites.google.com/view/aurora-forecast-tracker/main Terms: https://sites.google.com/view/aurora-forecast-tracker-terms/main

Screenshots

Aurora Compass4 screens
Northern Lights Tracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Aurora Compass at free against Northern Lights Tracker's freemium. Aurora Compass also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 62%) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). Northern Lights Tracker's advantage is ratings volume (187 vs 9) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Aurora Compass sells 8 one-off in-app purchases and Northern Lights Tracker sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Aurora Compass holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Northern Lights Tracker has 187 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Aurora Compass's written reviews are positive against 62% of Northern Lights Tracker's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Aurora Compass ships an update every 5 weeks, Northern Lights Tracker every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Aurora Compass versus Northern Lights Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAurora CompassNorthern Lights Tracker
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (9 ratings) — better4.6 (187 ratings)
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews — better62.0% of reviews
Number of ratings9187 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size67 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOtto Ranta-OjalaMehmet Ali Demir

Customer experience

Aurora Compass

All ratings9 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral11.1%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

Northern Lights Tracker

All ratings187 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral3.7%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews50 reviews
Positive62.0%
Neutral8.0%
Negative30.0%

Bugs and requests

Aurora Compass

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Northern Lights Tracker

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes out of nowhere
  • Phone part of app shows 0%
  • Enable Notifications continuously shuts itself OFF
  • Data seems outdated and freezes
  • App crashes in Norway

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add widgets
  • Correlate probability to times
  • Show probability over time (next 24 hours)
  • Allow setting threshold for 'good chance' notifications
  • Show readings for around the world

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Aurora Compass

One-time8
  • Pastel Color Palette$1.99
  • Black and White Palette$1.99
  • Pink Color Palette$1.99
Show 5 more
  • Purple Color Palette$1.99
  • IBM Color Palette$1.99
  • Mint Color Palette$4.99
  • Gold Color Palette$9.99
  • Diamond Color Palette$29.99
5 purchases

Northern Lights Tracker

Subscriptions4
  • Weekly3 Days trial$3.997 Days
  • week$3.997 Days
  • month3 Days trial$5.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • year$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$49.99

Questions

Is Aurora Compass free?
Aurora Compass is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Northern Lights Tracker free?
Northern Lights Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Aurora Compass or Northern Lights Tracker?
Aurora Compass is rated higher. Aurora Compass averages 4.8 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Northern Lights Tracker averages 4.6 from 187 ratings.
Do Aurora Compass or Northern Lights Tracker have ads?
Neither Aurora Compass nor Northern Lights Tracker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Aurora Compass or Northern Lights Tracker?
Aurora Compass ships an update every 5 weeks, and Northern Lights Tracker every 3 weeks. Most recently, Aurora Compass was updated on October 15, 2026 and Northern Lights Tracker on October 16, 2026.

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