Comparison

UV Watch vs Helios UV

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

Head to head
About

UV Watch

This app provides real-time UV index tracking based on your location, offering personalized sun safety recommendations and proactive alerts for dangerous UV levels. Plan outdoor activities with confidence and protect your skin from sunburn and long-term damage.

Highlights
  • Real-time UV index tracking
  • Personalized protection recommendations
  • 3-day UV forecast
  • Global UV search
  • Smart sunscreen reminders
  • Proactive UV alerts
Features
Read full description

Stay Safe in the Sun with UV Watch UV Watch is your free personal sun safety companion, providing real-time UV index tracking based on your precise location. Whether you're planning a quick walk, beach day, or outdoor workout, UV Watch keeps you informed and protected wherever the sun takes you. Key Features: * Real-Time UV Tracking – Get accurate, location-based UV index updates * Personalized Protection – Receive tailored recommendations based on your skin type (Fitzpatrick scale) * 3-Day Forecast - Plan ahead with comprehensive sun safety predictions * Global Search - Find UV forecasts for any city worldwide with one tap * Smart Reminders – Never forget to reapply sunscreen with intelligent, UV-intensity based alerts * Proactive Alerts – Receive timely warnings when UV levels reach dangerous thresholds Premium Features: *7-Day Extended Forecast – Visual trend charts showing UV patterns, temperature, humidity, and cloud cover throughout the week *Save Multiple Locations – Bookmark your favorite spots and switch between them with easy swipe navigation *Advanced UV Visualizations – Color-coded line graphs that change based on UV danger levels for instant risk assessment Why UV Watch? * Prevent sunburn & premature skin aging with science-backed recommendations * Reduce your skin cancer risk through smarter UV exposure management * Stay informed year-round with accurate, location-specific UV data * Make sun-safe decisions anywhere on the planet UV Watch Premium Subscription Unlock additional features with a monthly or annual subscription. Price: $0.99 USD per month, or $9.99 USD per year Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://uvwatchapp.framer.website/privacy-policy Download UV Watch today and take control of your sun protection, wherever you are!

About

Helios UV

Track the UV index with live forecasts and personalized burn-time predictions based on your skin type. Receive alerts for dangerous UV levels and customize your experience with various color palettes and widgets across all your Apple devices.

Highlights
  • Live UV index forecasts
  • Personalized burn-time predictions
  • Threshold alerts for UV levels
  • Multi-device widgets
  • Customizable color palettes
  • Powered by Apple WeatherKit
Features
Read full description

Helios UV is a beautiful, no-nonsense UV-index tracker for every Apple device you own. Live forecasts, burn-time predictions tailored to your skin type, threshold alerts, and widgets that follow the sun across your day. WHAT HELIOS DOES • Live UV index — updated hourly from Apple WeatherKit, with 30-second interpolation between samples so the displayed value tracks reality, not the last forecast tick. • Time to burn — personalized to your Fitzpatrick skin type (I–VI), the same six-type scale widely used in dermatology and public-health sun-safety guidance. Helios maps your skin type to a documented minimum erythemal dose and recomputes minutes-to-burn every 30 seconds against the current UV. • Trend you can read — a 24-hour forecast rendered as a Catmull-Rom-spline sparkline, segments colored by UV intensity. See the peak coming, and the safe-time crossings flagged. • Threshold alerts — pick the UV level that matters to you and Helios fires a local notification when the forecast crosses it (Pro). Dangerous-UV safety alerts are free for everyone. • Widgets — Home Screen, Lock Screen, watch face, Smart Stack, macOS desktop, Apple TV dashboard. Pro unlocks every surface. • 12 Pro color palettes — Mono, Mono Teal, Vegas Neon, Pastel, Response, and more. Standard and a colorblind-friendly High Contrast palette are included free. EVERYWHERE YOU WEAR, CARRY, OR SIT One purchase. Five platforms. Each surface drawn for the device it lives on: • iPhone & iPad — full dashboard, two widget sizes, threshold-crossing notifications • Mac — menu bar status item, dashboard window, four widget sizes • Apple Watch — four complications and a Smart Stack tile • Apple TV — a leanback living-room dashboard POWERED BY APPLE WEATHERKIT Every UV reading in Helios comes from Apple's own forecasting pipeline — the same data that powers Apple's built-in Weather app. No scraped feeds, no third-party API in front of someone else's API. PRIVACY Helios has no analytics SDKs, no advertising, no third-party crash reporters, and no Kludge-operated server. Location goes to Apple WeatherKit; subscriptions go to Apple StoreKit; settings stay on your device. Full privacy policy: https://heliosuv.kludgeltd.com/privacy PRICING Helios is free to use with the full UV index forecast and dangerous-UV safety alerts on every Apple device. Helios UV Pro unlocks every color palette, every widget, watch complications, the macOS menu bar item, custom threshold alerts, and the target-UV picker. • Monthly: $0.99/month • Yearly: $9.99/year (best value per month) • Family Yearly: $14.99/year, shareable with up to 6 family members via Apple Family Sharing All Pro tiers include a 7-day free trial. Cancel anytime in Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. The minutes-to-burn estimate is a guide, not medical advice. Wear sunscreen, reapply, and consult a dermatologist about your personal sun safety. LEGAL Privacy policy: https://heliosuv.kludgeltd.com/privacy Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

UV Watch4 screens
Helios UV1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: UV Watch at 6 against Helios UV's 1. UV Watch also leads on iOS requirement (14.0.0 vs 17.0). Helios UV's advantage is device support (5 vs 3). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. UV Watch sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Helios UV sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for UV Watch against 5.0 for Helios UV. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: UV Watch has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
UV Watch versus Helios UV: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUV WatchHelios UV
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (6 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings6 — better1
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS14.0.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperElizabeth JohnsonKludge Ltd

Customer experience

UV Watch

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Helios UV

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

UV Watch

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$0.991 Month
  • Annual Subscription$9.991 Year
3 purchases

Helios UV

Subscriptions3
  • Helios UV Pro Monthly7 Days trial2 variants$0.991 Month
  • Helios UV Pro Yearly7 Days trial2 variants$9.991 Year
  • Helios UV Pro Family Yearly7 Days trial2 variants$14.991 Year

Questions

Is UV Watch free?
UV Watch is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Helios UV free?
Helios UV is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, UV Watch or Helios UV?
UV Watch and Helios UV are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 6 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do UV Watch or Helios UV have ads?
Neither UV Watch nor Helios UV shows ads.
Which is updated more often, UV Watch or Helios UV?
UV Watch ships an update monthly, and Helios UV monthly. Most recently, UV Watch was updated on November 4, 2026 and Helios UV on November 5, 2026.

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