Comparison

Weather Basic vs Why Weather

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

Head to head
About

Weather Basic

Features
Read full description

Hello everyone! My goal was a quick, intuitive & easy to read interface for glancing at the forecast. Weather Basic exposes the basic components of the forecast to you in a presentable manner. Having no ads & being accessible were key to making it work for me. A few people were interested and tested for a while, so I decided to publish on the app store for more people to hopefully enjoy. Depending on download count and feedback, I can devote more of my time to app improvements, mostly to the quality of the forecast data. If you'd like to request a feature, you can reach out using the 'Report an Issue' button in the settings menu.

About

Why Weather

This app goes beyond basic forecasts to explain the science and uncertainty behind weather. It features an AI meteorologist named Sky that answers your weather questions and provides daily narrative summaries of upcoming conditions. It highlights discrepancies between forecasts and real-time observations.

Highlights
  • AI meteorologist for answering weather questions
  • Daily narrative weather stories
  • Forecast uncertainty and disagreement flagging
  • Ground truth badge for real-time observation discrepancies
  • Animated radar and nowcast
  • Morning weather story notifications
  • Severe weather alerts
Features
Read full description

Other weather apps give you the play-by-play. Why Weather adds the color commentary. Meet Sky, your AI weather guide. Sky pulls the models, the radar, and the forecaster's own notes into one weather story—and explains the why. Ask anything about your forecast, in plain words. FORECAST IN FLUX When forecasters flag doubt or the models split, you'll know—and see why. See how the model runs divide, and what the forecasters are saying. RADAR READ (PREMIUM) Sky watches the live radar and tells you what's actually happening: rain on its way, rain passing you by, or nothing close at all. It cross-checks nearby weather stations, and says so when the forecast and the radar disagree. ADAPTIVE GLANCE Quiet skies keep the forecast front and center. When something's brewing, the map eases up. When it's serious, the radar takes the lead. RAIN ON YOUR LOCK SCREEN (PREMIUM) Live Activities on your lock screen and in the Dynamic Island show what the rain is doing over the next hour. WIDGETS Home and lock screen widgets, with a daily headline from Sky. SKY ALMANAC (PREMIUM) How this week stacks up against 30 years of history—and the climate story behind it. THE AIR TODAY (PREMIUM) Humidity and pressure, translated. Sky turns the air's numbers into how your day will actually feel. ALSO INSIDE • Your weather story every morning • Radar, plus wind and temperature maps (Premium) • The next 24 hours and the days ahead, with how the week compares to normal • Severe weather alerts (US) and a heads-up before rain starts • Choose your source: NOAA, Foreca, Apple WeatherKit and more (Premium) FREE AND PREMIUM Why Weather is free to download, with 3 questions to Sky a day. Premium adds unlimited Sky, Radar Read, Live Activities, the Sky Almanac, The air today, wind and temperature maps, future radar, the full 10 days, and every forecast source. Available as a monthly or yearly subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Weather Basic4 screens
Why Weather4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Weather Basic at none against Why Weather's 2. Why Weather's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). 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. Why Weather sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Weather Basic asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Weather Basic ships an update every 2 weeks, Why Weather every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Weather Basic versus Why Weather: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWeather BasicWhy Weather
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNathaniel MurphyChristopher Edward Risdon

In-app purchases

None

Weather Basic

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Why Weather

Subscriptions2
  • Why Weather Premium Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Why Weather Premium Annual$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Weather Basic free?
Weather Basic is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Why Weather free?
Why Weather is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Weather Basic or Why Weather have ads?
Neither Weather Basic nor Why Weather shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Weather Basic or Why Weather?
Weather Basic ships an update every 2 weeks, and Why Weather every 5 days. Most recently, Weather Basic was updated on November 8, 2026 and Why Weather on November 5, 2026.

Other comparisons