Northern Lights Tracker vs Aurora Forecast Now
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
Aurora Forecast Now
Get personalized aurora visibility forecasts for any location worldwide. This app analyzes geomagnetic activity and local light conditions to tell you if the Northern Lights are visible right now or in the future. Premium features include a three-day advance forecast and historical geomagnetic data.
- Real-time aurora visibility for any location
- Adjusts for local light conditions
- Customized geomagnetic activity data
- Three-day advance forecast (premium)
- Hourly geomagnetic forecasts (premium)
- Historical geomagnetic data
- Rarity rating for geomagnetic activity
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The only aurora app that will let you know whether you can see the aurora from wherever you are - or from any location you choose - at sea or on land - anywhere in the world. I wrote this app because I was disappointed that current aurora apps were not customised to match where I was right now. This is not just a summary of worldwide auroras, this is an aurora report customised for each location, including yours. • This app will tell you if the aurora is visible from your location - or any other you select - right now. • This app adjusts if your location skies may be too light - adjusts automatically for extreme locations in the North or South polar regions where the sun may not rise or set. This app warns you if the light may result in less than optimal viewing. • Adjusts viewing data for yours or any location you select based on the current strength of geomagnetic activity. • Premium users get a three day advance forecast as to whether the aurora is likely to be viewable at the selected location. • Premium users get three hourly future forecasts of geomagnetic activity. • Premium users get to see a graph of peaks and troughs of the 11 year geomagnetic cycle and where we are currently. • See Historic geomagnetic data for the last week and the peaks and troughs graphed for each day. • This app gives you a rarity rating so you know if the geomagnetic activity is higher than normal. I wrote this app for myself, and I am pleased to make it available to you as well. I’ve designed this app to be both educational and practical. I’ve learned a lot writing it and I hope you enjoy it too. Terms of Use : https://fascinatingprojects.com.au/termsaurora/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Northern Lights Tracker at 191 against Aurora Forecast Now's 6. Northern Lights Tracker also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. Northern Lights Tracker sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days and Aurora Forecast Now sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Aurora Forecast Now 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 191 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Northern Lights Tracker ships an update every 3 weeks, Aurora Forecast Now monthly. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.
| Parameter | Northern Lights Tracker | Aurora Forecast Now |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (191 ratings) | 4.8 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 62.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 191 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 50 MB | 33 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mehmet Ali Demir | Fascinating Projects |
Customer experience
Northern Lights Tracker
Aurora Forecast Now
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
Aurora Forecast Now
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Northern Lights Tracker
- Weekly3 Days trial$3.997 Days
- week$3.997 Days
- month3 Days trial$5.991 Month
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- year$34.991 Year
- Lifetime Premium$49.99
Aurora Forecast Now
- Aurora Weekly Subscription$4.997 Days
- Aurora Yearly Subscription3 Days trial$39.991 Year
Questions
Is Northern Lights Tracker free?
Is Aurora Forecast Now free?
Which has better reviews, Northern Lights Tracker or Aurora Forecast Now?
Do Northern Lights Tracker or Aurora Forecast Now have ads?
Which is updated more often, Northern Lights Tracker or Aurora Forecast Now?
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