Comparison

Northern Lights Tracker vs Borealis

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

Borealis

Features
Read full description

See the northern lights at the right time and place with Borealis, your personal aurora tracker and forecast. Premium and ad free. Top features + AI Aurora Predictions based on space weather and solar wind data + Smart Aurora Alerts when the Northern Lights are likely, anywhere in the world + Interactive Map to tap anywhere and check aurora conditions + Live aurora webcams from top viewing regions How it works Borealis uses real‑time geomagnetic data to estimate aurora chances by location. It also factors in space weather signals, including solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field readings from satellites, to calculate the probability. Whether you’re planning a trip, chasing the perfect photo, or just hoping to catch a glimpse from home, Borealis helps you catch the lights without guessing. Download Borealis and plan your next aurora night.

Screenshots

Northern Lights Tracker4 screens
Borealis4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Northern Lights Tracker at none against Borealis's shown. Northern Lights Tracker also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). Borealis's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). On price 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. Northern Lights Tracker sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days and Borealis sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Northern Lights Tracker ships an update every 3 weeks, Borealis every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Northern Lights Tracker versus Borealis: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNorthern Lights TrackerBorealis
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (187 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews62.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings187 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMehmet Ali DemirViktor Gidleaf

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

Borealis

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
4 purchases

Borealis

One-time4
  • Borealis Pro 1$0.49
  • Borealis Pro 2$3.99
  • Borealis Pro 3$7.99
Show 1 more
  • Borealis Pro 4$11.99

Questions

Is Northern Lights Tracker free?
Northern Lights Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Borealis free?
Borealis is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Northern Lights Tracker or Borealis have ads?
Borealis shows ads; Northern Lights Tracker does not.
Which is updated more often, Northern Lights Tracker or Borealis?
Northern Lights Tracker ships an update every 3 weeks, and Borealis every 5 days. Most recently, Northern Lights Tracker was updated on October 20, 2026 and Borealis on October 16, 2026.

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