Comparison

Northern Lights Tracker vs Aurorapulse

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

Head to head
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

About

Aurorapulse

Share your aurora photos and memories with a community of enthusiasts. Discover past sightings on an interactive map and connect with others who love the aurora borealis.

Highlights
  • Share aurora photos and memories
  • Track aurora sightings on a map
  • Community for aurora enthusiasts
  • Discover past sightings
Features
Read full description

Aurorapulse is a community for anyone interested in the aurora. You can upload all your memories and photos of the aurora and share them with others, and track on the map where your favorite aurora sightings have happened.

Screenshots

Northern Lights Tracker4 screens
Aurorapulse4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Aurorapulse at 100% against Northern Lights Tracker's 62%. Aurorapulse also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Northern Lights Tracker's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (190 vs 5). On price and iOS requirement 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. Northern Lights Tracker sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Aurorapulse asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Aurorapulse holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Northern Lights Tracker has 190 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Northern Lights Tracker's written reviews are positive against 100% of Aurorapulse's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Northern Lights Tracker ships an update every 3 weeks, Aurorapulse every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Northern Lights Tracker versus Aurorapulse: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNorthern Lights TrackerAurorapulse
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (190 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings190 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB49 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMehmet Ali DemirMishMash Technologies Limited Liability Company

Customer experience

Northern Lights Tracker

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

Aurorapulse

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and 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

Aurorapulse

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

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
None

Aurorapulse

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Northern Lights Tracker free?
Northern Lights Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Aurorapulse free?
Aurorapulse is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Northern Lights Tracker or Aurorapulse?
Aurorapulse is rated higher. Northern Lights Tracker averages 4.6 out of 5 from 190 ratings, while Aurorapulse averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Northern Lights Tracker or Aurorapulse have ads?
Aurorapulse shows ads; Northern Lights Tracker does not.
Which is updated more often, Northern Lights Tracker or Aurorapulse?
Northern Lights Tracker ships an update every 3 weeks, and Aurorapulse every 10 days. Most recently, Northern Lights Tracker was updated on October 25, 2026 and Aurorapulse on October 24, 2026.

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