Comparison

AFIS Wildfire Map vs Wildfire Info

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

Head to head
About

AFIS Wildfire Map

Access global wildfire data detected by satellites. View fire locations and get the latest updates directly on your device. This app provides native access to a comprehensive online wildfire viewer.

Highlights
  • Global wildfire updates
  • Satellite fire detection
  • Native viewer access
  • Real-time information
  • Replaces previous app
Features
Read full description

Get the latest updates on wildfire locations with the CSIR's AFIS Wildfire Map app that puts vital wildfire information at your fingertips. AFIS gives you access to fires detected globally by NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites as well as the SNPP and NOAA-20 satellites. This app provides native access to the AFIS Viewer that is available online at https://viewer.afis.co.za/ This app replaces the previous AFIS app that was no longer maintainable. New features will be added over time. Visit the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) website for more information about the organization behind AFIS: https://www.csir.co.za

About

Wildfire Info

Stay informed about global wildfire and prescribed burn activity. Access real-time data from various sources including satellite imagery, official incident reports, and news feeds. Includes hyper-local weather forecasts for the USA, Canada, and Australia.

Highlights
  • Global wildfire and prescribed burn maps
  • MODIS/VIIRS thermal hotspot data
  • Inciweb & CAL FIRE incident links
  • Hyper-local weather forecasts (USA, Canada, Australia)
  • Wildfire news aggregation
  • Satellite smoke plume animations
  • Map measurement tool
Features
Read full description

Disclaimer: This unofficial app does not represent any government agency and is not affiliated with any government agency. The sources of the data are the publicly accessible sources listed below. Browse current wildfire and prescribed burn activity throughout all of the world. Active Wildfire Perimeter data from NIFC WFIGS. Tagged by state, search by name, and filter by acres burned. WFIGS stands for the Wildland Fire Interagency Geospatial Services (WFIGS) Group. NIFC stands for the National Interagency Fire Center. NIFC WFIGS Source URLs: https://www.nifc.gov/ with data hosted at https://data-nifc.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/nifc::wfigs-current-interagency-fire-perimeters/about NASA MODIS and VIIRS satellite instruments data: Thermal hotspot maps by region show wildfire activity in the past 48 hours. See hotspot info including fire radiance power, brightness temperature, and confidence. NASA MODIS/VIIRS Source URL: https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/active_fire/ . MODIS stands for Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer. VIIRS stands for Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite. InciWeb & CAL FIRE active fire maps: hot-link to the corresponding official incident webpage. Inciweb Source URL: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/ , CAL FIRE Source URL: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents CHP (California Highway Patrol): Incidents in the past 3 hours related to fires are filtered out separately, all traffic incidents are included viewable by last 1 or 3 hours.CHP Source URL: https://cad.chp.ca.gov/Traffic.aspx Lookup current hyper-local weather conditions, including temperature, wind and gust conditions, and local forecasts anywhere in the USA, Canada, or Australia using map quick lookup or, for USA, search: Detailed NWS Forecast, Hourly Forecast, Grid Data Forecast, and Summary Forecast. Data is from the NWS, NOAA, Government of Canada, and Government of Australia. NWS/NOAA Source URL: https://forecast.weather.gov/, Government of Canada Weather Source URL: https://weather.gc.ca/, Government of Australia Weather Source URL: http://www.bom.gov.au/ Wildfire Situation Reports section with mirrored PDFs from NIFC. NIFC Source URL: https://www.nifc.gov NESDIS GOES 16/17 Satellite Animations show wildfire smoke plumes, drought conditions, etc. from the satellite's perspective. NESDIS GOES Source URL: https://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov. NESDIS stands for National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. GOES stands for Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite. A Recent Wildfire News section: find news from 1,700+ cited sources quickly on a map or in a table view tagged by state alphabetically. Set up your own custom state feed with the state toggles. Quickly lookup news source homepages near specific fires. Map Measurement Tool added to the Map Tools Side Menu. Measure distance and area. Premium users: View 250m resolution true color images from NASA GIBS (Global Imagery Browse Service). Images are available back to Jan. 1 2007. Worldwide coverage. Premium Users: Lookup a driving route to any fire or hotspot with Google or Apple Maps directions Universal Links. Save your preferred Directions Provider in the App Settings. There is a section for wildfire-related US government Twitter accounts viewable by map by approximate location or sorted into national and state sources in a table view. Twitter Source URLs: https://twitter.com User-Submitted Fire Map feature: map-based wildfire-related chatter. Photos are allowed. Posts and replies are anonymous; no account needed. Information is posted as soon as it becomes available from WFIGS, NIFC, NASA, InciWeb, CAL FIRE, CHP, NESDIS, NOAA, NWS, Government of Canada, and Government of Australia. This app is not affiliated with any government agency. Terms of Use: https://davidgrossapps.com/terms/tos-wildfire-info.html Privacy Policy: https://davidgrossapps.com/privacy-policy.html

Screenshots

AFIS Wildfire Map2 screens
Wildfire Info4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Wildfire Info at 3.4 against AFIS Wildfire Map's 2.0. Wildfire Info also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 7 months) and review sentiment (39% vs 25%). AFIS Wildfire Map's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). On price, ads and device support 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. Wildfire Info sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per year. AFIS Wildfire Map asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Wildfire Info holds the better App Store score, 3.4 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Wildfire Info has 31 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of AFIS Wildfire Map's written reviews are positive against 39% of Wildfire Info's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AFIS Wildfire Map ships an update every 7 months, Wildfire Info fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
AFIS Wildfire Map versus Wildfire Info: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAFIS Wildfire MapWildfire Info
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.0 (4 ratings)3.4 (31 ratings) — better
Positive reviews25.0% of reviews38.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings431 — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB4 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperCSIRDavid Gross

Customer experience

AFIS Wildfire Map

All ratings4 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative62.5%

Wildfire Info

All ratings31 ratings
Positive54.8%
Neutral6.5%
Negative38.7%
Written reviews36 reviews
Positive38.9%
Neutral8.3%
Negative52.8%

In-app purchases

None

AFIS Wildfire Map

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Wildfire Info

Subscriptions1
  • Wildfire Info Premium$0.991 Year

Questions

Is AFIS Wildfire Map free?
AFIS Wildfire Map is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Wildfire Info free?
Wildfire Info is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, AFIS Wildfire Map or Wildfire Info?
Wildfire Info is rated higher. AFIS Wildfire Map averages 2.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Wildfire Info averages 3.4 from 31 ratings.
Do AFIS Wildfire Map or Wildfire Info have ads?
Neither AFIS Wildfire Map nor Wildfire Info shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AFIS Wildfire Map or Wildfire Info?
AFIS Wildfire Map ships an update every 7 months, and Wildfire Info fortnightly. Most recently, AFIS Wildfire Map was updated on September 28, 2026 and Wildfire Info on October 14, 2026.

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