Comparison

Flash Weather vs ARTstronomy Planner

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

Head to head
About

Flash Weather

This app uses advanced algorithms and deep learning to predict lightning strikes before they happen. It provides real-time and future radar, smart push notifications, and heat stress forecasting for outdoor safety. Get hourly and 7-day forecasts for temperature, precipitation, and more.

Highlights
  • Predictive lightning alerts
  • Live Activities on Lock Screen
  • Future radar up to 18 hours
  • Smart push notifications
  • Heat and WBGT forecasting
  • 7-day hourly and daily forecasts
Features
Read full description

FLASH predicts lightning before the first strike. With a patented algorithm infused with Deep Learning, you'll always know when to head inside, and when it's safe to head back out. Whether you are outdoors for work, training, sports, or recreation, FLASH is your edge against the elements. LIGHTNING PREDICTION LIKE NEVER BEFORE Our patented algorithm, infused with deep learning, forecasts where lightning will be before it hits. - Live Activities let you track the storm from your Lock Screen - FirstStrike tells you when the strike will be in your backyard - All Clear gives a simple yes/no answer to "Can we go back outside?" - 5 Hour Lightning Forecast gives extra time to decide on afternoon & evening plans CURRENT AND FUTURE RADAR High resolution current and future radar with lightning, watches and warnings, plus Flash Weather's FirstStrike, All Clear, and Lightning Probability forecast maps. - Up to the minute current radar and current lightning - 18-hour future radar in 15-minute increments, updating hourly - FirstStrike, All Clear, and Lightning Probability maps updating every 2 minutes SMART PUSH NOTIFICATIONS Get alerted when lightning is detected or forecast near you. - Forecast-based warnings before a strike - Customizable lightning proximity alerts for every saved location NFHS-STANDARD, EXCLUSIVE HEAT AND WBGT FORECASTING Plan your day with real-time WBGT readings, critical for outdoor safety. FLASH also forecasts heat stress 7 days out so you can avoid dangerous conditions before they start. - Live WBGT values for your exact location - Heat risk color coding for easy interpretation - 7-day forward-looking heat stress outlook HOURLY AND 7-DAY FORECASTS High and low temperatures, precipitation chance and amount, wind, dew point, cloud cover, and UV index. - Hourly and daily forecasts out 7 days - Graphical temperature, precipitation, and wind outlooks Developed by Flash Weather. Learn more at flashweather.ai Questions or suggestions: support@flashweather.ai Some features require a Flash Premium subscription. After a 7-day free trial, Premium is $3.99/mo or $39.99/yr. Privacy Policy: https://flashweather.ai/privacy/ Terms of Service: https://flashweather.ai/legal/ Auto-renewable subscriptions are governed by Apple's standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

ARTstronomy Planner

This app provides a clear GO/MAYBE/NO GO verdict for stargazing and astrophotography based on detailed weather and sky conditions. It offers smart forecasts tuned to your specific shooting needs, including cloud cover, moon brightness, and seeing.

Highlights
  • Smart GO/MAYBE/NO GO verdicts
  • Session-tuned forecasts
  • Hourly Sky Timeline
  • Live moon phase tracking
  • ISS pass tracking
  • Narrowband-aware scoring
  • Drive-out comparison
Features
Read full description

One honest GO/MAYBE/NO GO verdict for tonight's sky — tuned to what you're shooting. ARTstronomy Planner tells you — honestly — whether tonight is worth setting up the telescope or driving out to your dark site. No more juggling five weather apps, squinting at cloud maps, and guessing when the moon's too bright to bother. Pick what you're shooting — deep-sky, Moon & planets, or a mixed night out — and get one clear verdict: GO, MAYBE, or NO GO. WHAT YOU GET • Smart verdicts, tuned to your session — cloud cover, moon brightness, seeing, sky darkness, and dark-window length are weighed differently for long-exposure imaging than for a casual night at the eyepiece. • Sky Timeline — an hourly, color-coded forecast strip you slide through like a dial. Total cloud, seeing, precipitation, and humidity for the next two weeks, with sunset, sunrise, and astronomical twilight marked right on the grid. • Live moon phase — a real moon-phase icon and illumination percentage that updates as you drag through time, so you can see exactly how the moon will look at 11pm versus 3am. • ISS pass tracking — visible International Space Station passes appear right on your timeline. Tap one for rise, peak, and set times, direction, altitude, and estimated brightness. • Narrowband-aware scoring — tell it you shoot narrowband, and the app stops marking down nights for a bright moon your filters can cut right through. • Drive-out comparison — see at a glance whether your dark site is actually worth the drive tonight, or if home is just as good. • Bortle sky-quality estimates for any site, home or away, pulled from real light-pollution data. • Ranked target suggestions — the best deep-sky objects or Moon/planet targets for tonight, scored for your gear and your sky. ARTSTRONOMY PLANNER PRO Free, forever: • Tonight's GO / MAYBE / NO GO verdict for your location, for deep-sky, Moon & planets, or mixed sessions • Score and "why" breakdown, live moon phase, and Bortle estimate for your location • Sky Timeline for the next 24 hours Pro unlocks: • The full 14-day hourly Sky Timeline • Drive-out comparison with your saved dark sites • Ranked target suggestions for any night • ISS pass tracking • Narrowband-aware scoring Try Pro free for 7 days. After the free trial, Pro is $1.99/week or $4.99/month (US prices; prices vary by country and are shown in the app before you buy). Payment is charged to your Apple Account. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and you can manage or cancel them anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://rentry.co/artstronomy-planner-privacy Built by an astrophotographer tired of guessing.

Screenshots

Flash Weather4 screens
ARTstronomy Planner3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ARTstronomy Planner at 5.0 against Flash Weather's 4.4. ARTstronomy Planner also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2). Flash Weather's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (105 vs 2). On price, ads 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. Flash Weather sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. ARTstronomy Planner asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ARTstronomy Planner holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Flash Weather has 105 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flash Weather ships an update fortnightly, ARTstronomy Planner every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Flash Weather versus ARTstronomy Planner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlash WeatherARTstronomy Planner
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (105 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings105 — better2
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#89 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size73 MB8 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperFlash Scientific TechnologyNOAH HAMILTON RASHKIND

Customer experience

Flash Weather

All ratings105 ratings
Positive83.8%
Neutral3.8%
Negative12.4%
Written reviews48 reviews
Positive64.6%
Neutral6.3%
Negative29.2%

ARTstronomy Planner

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Flash Weather

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • App doesn't always load quickly or at all
  • Lightning feature won't load during storms
  • Metrics (humidity, UV) never appear
  • Radar not working
  • Radar and lightning maps not working
Show 6 more
  • Location shows incorrect state
  • App crashes every time it's opened
  • App won't open all the way then closes
  • Lightning distance less precise after upgrade
  • No alerts during severe thunderstorms
  • Account creation fails

Requested features

9 requests
  • Add notifications for advisories/warnings
  • Include a lightning counter with trend rate
  • Show UV rating, rain possibility, air quality in radar section
  • Make more features available without premium
  • Fix app crashing issues
Show 4 more
  • Improve location accuracy
  • Ensure radar and lightning maps are consistently working
  • Provide a way to sign up for premium on all devices
  • Offer ads instead of premium for basic features

ARTstronomy Planner

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Flash Weather

Subscriptions2
  • Flash Premium Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Flash Premium Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
None

ARTstronomy Planner

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Flash Weather free?
Flash Weather is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ARTstronomy Planner free?
ARTstronomy Planner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Flash Weather or ARTstronomy Planner?
ARTstronomy Planner is rated higher. Flash Weather averages 4.4 out of 5 from 105 ratings, while ARTstronomy Planner averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Flash Weather or ARTstronomy Planner have ads?
Neither Flash Weather nor ARTstronomy Planner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flash Weather or ARTstronomy Planner?
Flash Weather ships an update fortnightly, and ARTstronomy Planner every 2 months. Most recently, Flash Weather was updated on November 7, 2026 and ARTstronomy Planner on October 31, 2026.

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