ScoutKit vs Guidepole
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ScoutKit
Plan your photography shoots with detailed weather and light condition forecasts. Monitor cloud cover, golden hour, tides, and more to ensure you're in the right place at the right time for the perfect shot.
- Multi-layer cloud analysis
- Tide data for coastal shoots
- Golden hour and blue hour timing
- Location scouting and tagging
- Animated weather map overlays
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Every photographer knows the frustration — you drove two hours, hiked to the overlook, and the light just… wasn't there. The conditions didn't cooperate. The moment didn't materialize. ScoutKit exists so that when you press the shutter, it matters. Built for photographers, ScoutKit delivers the planning intelligence you need to be in the right place at the right time — not by luck, but by design. Check cloud cover across multiple atmospheric layers, track golden hour and blue hour windows, monitor tide cycles, and evaluate sunrise or sunset conditions before you ever leave the house. When the sun goes down, keep planning — aurora forecasts, Milky Way windows, and transparency scoring tell you whether tonight is the night. Save the locations that matter to you. Monitor conditions throughout the day and hours leading up to your shoot. Show up knowing what the sky, the water, and the light are going to do. No account required. No login. Just open ScoutKit and start planning your next shoot. Key features include: • Multi-layer cloud analysis — See coverage across low, mid, and high atmospheric layers to judge whether a sunrise or sunset is worth the drive. • Regional cloud field visualization — Live satellite and forecast data showing how coverage moves and evolves hour by hour across your area. • Night Sky planning — Aurora forecasting, Milky Way shoot windows, and atmospheric transparency scoring for stargazing and astrophotography. • Marine & tide data for coastal shoots — Tides, significant wave height, swells, and currents. Time your sessions around water levels for tidal pools, sea stacks, reflections, and long exposures. • Golden hour, blue hour & astronomical timing — Know exactly when the light transitions happen at any location, any day of the year. • Location scouting & tagging — Save and organize the spots that matter to you for easy monitoring and future sessions. • Animated weather map overlays — Watch cloud banks, precipitation, and fronts move through your area so you know when conditions will clear or change. The best light isn't luck — it's planning. Payment for ScoutKit subscriptions will be charged to your Apple ID account upon purchase confirmation. All prices are exclusive of taxes. Subscription plans will automatically renew annually or monthly, depending on the selected plan, unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current term. Cancel anytime in the App Store; your subscription will cease at the end of the current term. No refund will be issued for the time remaining on your current plan term when you cancel your subscription. By using ScoutKit, you certify that you understand and agree to the ScoutKit Terms of Use (https://www.scoutkit.app/terms-of-use) and Privacy Policy (https://www.scoutkit.app/privacy-policy).
Guidepole
Track wildfire smoke and air quality with real-time maps and forecasts. Get alerts for approaching smoke and understand current air conditions to make informed decisions about your safety.
- Real-time smoke plume tracking
- 24-hour smoke forecast
- Live EPA AQI maps
- 24-hour AQI forecast
- Active wildfire information
- Customizable safety alerts
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Wildfire smoke doesn't stay where the fire is. Guidepole Fire is a live wildfire map that shows every fire, the smoke overhead and the air you're actually breathing, right now and for the next 24 hours. So you know whether to go outside, close the windows or get out of town. EVERY WILDFIRE, LIVE • Active wildfires across the US and Canada: size, containment, cause and crews, updated continuously. • Official fire perimeters from NIFC, drawn on a 3D map of the terrain. • Satellite hot spots from NASA FIRMS, so new heat shows up even before a fire has a name. • Wind, humidity, radar and red flag warnings, so you can see which way a fire may run. SMOKE AND AIR QUALITY • The live smoke plume overhead from NOAA satellites. • A 24-hour smoke forecast you can scrub hour by hour. • Real-time air quality (AQI) from EPA AirNow and PurpleAir sensors, with a 24-hour AQI forecast. ANSWERS, NOT JUST DATA • "Where's this smoke coming from?" Tap any spot and Guidepole Fire traces it to the upwind fire. • "Is my air safe right now?" The current AQI in plain words, and what it means for you. • "When will it clear?" A read on how wind and weather will move the smoke out. • Or just ask Gary, the built-in assistant, about the fires, smoke and air near any place. FREE FIRE AND SMOKE ALERTS Save home, the cabin or anywhere you care about. Get a heads-up when a new fire starts nearby, when satellite heat shows up, when a red flag warning is issued, or when smoke and bad air reach your places. The core safety alerts are always free. FIRE PRO (OPTIONAL) Unlock the full forecast and deeper detail with Fire Pro, monthly or annual. Start with a free trial and cancel anytime. Built on public data from NIFC, NASA FIRMS, NOAA HMS and HRRR, EPA AirNow, PurpleAir and the National Weather Service. Guidepole Fire is an information tool, not an emergency service. It does not replace evacuation orders or alerts from local authorities, 911, InciWeb, AirNow or the National Weather Service. Always follow official guidance. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy: https://guidepole.com/legal/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: ScoutKit at free against Guidepole's freemium. Guidepole's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 4 weeks) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. ScoutKit sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Guidepole sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $29.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for ScoutKit against 5.0 for Guidepole. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 4 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
ScoutKit ships an update every 4 weeks, Guidepole every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ScoutKit | Guidepole |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (5 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | Every 11 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 70 MB | 94 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Scout Kit, LLC | Guidepole LLC |
Customer experience
ScoutKit
Guidepole
In-app purchases
ScoutKit
- ScoutKit Monthly Plan14 Days trial$6.991 Month
- ScoutKit Annual Plan14 Days trial$39.991 Year
Guidepole
- Guidepole Fire Pro7 Days trial$29.991 Year









