# Element vs Ambient Almanac

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Ambient Almanac at 100% against Element's 24%. Ambient Almanac also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 19) and ads (none vs shown). Element's advantage is price (Free vs $3.99) and ratings volume (1.4K vs 3). On update cadence, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Element is free to download; Ambient Almanac costs $3.99 up front. Element sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $4.95 per month. Ambient Almanac asks for nothing beyond the download.

Ambient Almanac holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Element has 1.4K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of Element's written reviews are positive against 100% of Ambient Almanac's.

Element ships an update every 2 weeks, Ambient Almanac every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Element | Ambient Almanac |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | [4.5 (1.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/element-weather-radar/id6737528351/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ambient-almanac/id6758457738/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.4K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 24.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#89** | — |
| Size | 482 MB | 126 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.2** | 17.2 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ETCETERA WEATHER, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1776951274) | [Tomato Laboratories](https://appshunter.io/developer/1873019072) |

## What reviewers say

### Element

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/element-weather-radar/id6737528351)

**Currently charting:** #89 Top Grossing · Weather (US App Store)

Experience weather like never before with a visually powerful and simple forecast. This app provides hyper-local, high-definition radar, detailed 24-hour and 7-day predictions, and customizable alerts for everything from light rain to severe storms and wildfires. Stay confidently ahead of any weather headed your way.

**Highlights:** High-definition radar with 24-hour storm predictions, Hyper-local 24-hour and 7-day forecasts, AI-powered hurricane path tracking, Customizable weather alerts, Selectable forecast elements (temperature, air quality, etc.), Lock and Home Screen widgets, Live wildfire tracking and smoke visualization

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (15)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly subscription | $4.95 | per month |
| Monthly subscription | $4.99 | per month |
| Monthly subscription | $4.99 | per month |
| Monthly subscription | $5.00 | per month |
| Element Family Premium | $6.99 | per month |
| Element Premium Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Yearly subscription | $29.99 | per year |
| Element Premium Yearly | $35.00 | per year |
| Yearly subscription | $39.99 | per year |
| Yearly subscription | $44.95 | per year |
| Yearly subscription | $44.99 | per year |
| Yearly subscription | $45.00 | per year |
| Yearly subscription | $49.99 | per year |
| Element Family Premium | $59.99 | per year |
| Element Lifetime Subscription | $79.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Accurate weather forecasts
- 👍 Clean and intuitive design
- 💡 Innovative radar visualization
- 🔒 Customizable location tracking

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription pricing
- 🐛 Connectivity issues
- 🔍 Limited data coverage
- 🤔 Inconsistent performance

**Reported bugs**

- Failing to connect to servers
- Incorrect location data
- Delayed delivery of weather updates

**Requested features**

- Expand coverage to more countries
- Add customizable weather alerts
- Improve route-based forecasting
- Introduce a more affordable pricing model


### Ambient Almanac

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ambient-almanac/id6758457738)

Experience atmospheric moodscapes that dynamically shift with real-time weather, time, and location. Discover seasonal gardening tips, local foraging information, and historical weather proverbs. Enjoy gentle nature sounds and a human-crafted design with no ads or tracking.

**Highlights:** Live weather visualization, Seasonal gardening guidance, Location-based foraging, Historical weather proverbs, Real-time forecast dashboard, Moon phases and calendar, Nature soundscapes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Element free?

Element is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Ambient Almanac free?

Ambient Almanac costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Element or Ambient Almanac?

Ambient Almanac is rated higher. Element averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.4K ratings, while Ambient Almanac averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Element or Ambient Almanac have ads?

Element shows ads; Ambient Almanac does not.

### Which is updated more often, Element or Ambient Almanac?

Element ships an update every 2 weeks, and Ambient Almanac every 3 weeks. Most recently, Element was updated on October 30, 2026 and Ambient Almanac on October 16, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*