Comparison

Weather Station Map vs Tower 5

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

Head to head
About

Weather Station Map

Access real-time weather data from over 30,000 stations across the US. Monitor temperature, wind, rain, and snow to plan outdoor activities. Get ground-level insights for any location.

Highlights
  • 30,000+ US weather stations
  • Real-time temperature, wind, rain, snow
  • Detailed weather reports
  • Snowfall depth tracking
  • Freeze monitoring
  • Wind speed monitoring
Features
Read full description

Get real-time weather reports from over 30,000 stations across the United States. Weather Station Map displays live temperature, wind, rain and snowfall recordings from cities, airports, transportation departments, backyard community networks, ski areas and remote backcountry stations. Obtain detailed weather reports for planning your outdoor activities. Find where the deepest snow fell last night, monitor for an overnight freeze and follow how strong the wind is blowing. With Weather Station Map's access to live, on the ground data, you will never have to guess the weather, no matter how far afield you venture. Weather Station Map displays data from the following networks: SNOTEL (Snow Telemetry) CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network) Citizen Weather Observer Program (CWOP) Road Weather Information System (RWIS) Hydrometeorological Automatied Data System (HADS) Maritime buoys New England Pilot Project Data (NEPP) U.S. Climate Reference Network (CRN) METAR (Meteorological Terminal Aviation Routine Weather Report) Mesonet

About

Tower 5

Read full description

Tower 5 is the easiest way to understand wildfire risk in your neighborhood — and across the United States. Whether you own a home in a fire-prone area, work in insurance underwriting, or just want to know when smoke is coming, Tower 5 puts the same federal data fire managers rely on into one map you can actually read. LIVE WILDFIRE INTELLIGENCE - Active fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center - Satellite hot-spot detections from NASA FIRMS, refreshed throughout the day - Fire weather warnings from the National Weather Service - Smoke plumes from NOAA's Hazard Mapping System - A 96-hour rainfall timeline (past 24h to next 72h) - Real-time air temperature and surface wind across the country WILDFIRE RISK CONTEXT - Historical fire perimeters going back over a century - U.S. Drought Monitor severity, refreshed weekly - Tap any location to see every signal stacked in one popup PROPERTY RISK PROFILE Search any U.S. address to generate a comprehensive wildfire-risk profile: - Wildfire Hazard Potential rating - Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) classification - Future climate-adjusted burn probability - Surface fuel model — what would carry a fire here - Historical fires within 16 miles - Closest fire stations, hospitals, evacuation shelters Profiles are saved to your account so you can compare properties or revisit them later. PREMIUM (OPTIONAL) Tower 5 Premium unlocks advanced map layers — Hazard Potential, Future Risk, Energy Release Component, Surface Fuel Models, Wind, Drought, Hospitals, Shelters, and Power Lines — plus unlimited saved property profiles and PDF/CSV export. 7-day free trial, then $9.99/month. Subscription is managed at tower5.org/upgrade. WHO IT'S FOR - Homeowners in fire-prone areas - Insurance underwriters and risk analysts - Real estate buyers researching a property - Land managers and emergency planners - Anyone who's ever wondered "how close is that fire?" DATA SOURCES National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), NASA FIRMS, NOAA, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey, LANDFIRE, National Weather Service, U.S. Drought Monitor, USGS SILVIS Lab, Department of Energy / HSIP. Per-layer attribution is available inside the app. LIMITATIONS Tower 5 is informational only. The app does not replace Wireless Emergency Alerts, NWS broadcasts, or guidance from your local fire authority. Always cross-check critical decisions with official sources. PRIVACY Tower 5 collects only the minimum data needed to authenticate your account and run your risk profiles. We do not sell user data. No third-party advertising SDKs. Privacy policy: https://tower5.org/privacy Terms of service: https://tower5.org/terms

Screenshots

Weather Station Map4 screens
Tower 53 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tower 5 at none against Weather Station Map's 3. Tower 5 also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. Weather Station Map sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Tower 5 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Weather Station Map against 5.0 for Tower 5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Weather Station Map ships an update every 2 months, Tower 5 fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Weather Station Map versus Tower 5: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWeather Station MapTower 5
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size65 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSki the Backcountry Ltd.Snoflo.org LLC

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Weather Station Map

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Annual Subscription3 Days trial$7.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime subscription$19.99
None

Tower 5

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Weather Station Map free?
Weather Station Map is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tower 5 free?
Tower 5 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Weather Station Map or Tower 5?
Weather Station Map and Tower 5 are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Weather Station Map or Tower 5 have ads?
Neither Weather Station Map nor Tower 5 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Weather Station Map or Tower 5?
Weather Station Map ships an update every 2 months, and Tower 5 fortnightly. Most recently, Weather Station Map was updated on October 24, 2026 and Tower 5 on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons