Comparison

PIREPMap vs What The Sun?

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

Head to head
About

PIREPMap

This app provides real-time aviation weather reports and flight awareness tools for pilots. View and share weather observations from areas without official reporting stations, and track aircraft and airspace information.

Highlights
  • User-submitted PIREPs (cloud base, turbulence, rain, wind, lightning)
  • ADS-B aircraft tracking with heading and altitude
  • Airspace overlays (controlled zones, danger areas, NOTAMs)
  • GPX route support with breadcrumb trails
  • Offline report storage and retrieval
  • Automated PIREPMap Beacons (future feature)
Features
Read full description

Real-Time Live Pilot Reported and Shared Aviation Weather, PIREP’s, Official PIERP's, Traffic & Airspace – All in One Map. PIREPMap puts powerful weather and flight awareness in your pocket. Designed for pilots, this dynamic app display: For the first time you can view, and share weather observations where there are no meteorological reporting stations. Pilots helping out Pilots. With Automated PIREPMap Beacons in the wild, these report automated cloud bases every 5 minutes, being rolled out in 2026! Manage the environment and mitigate threats before you get there! • User-submitted PIREPs: cloud base, turbulence, rain, wind & lightning - Subscription REqu • ADS-B aircraft tracking (OpenSky / ADSBExchange) with heading & altitude - Subscription Required • Airspace overlays including controlled zones, danger areas & NOTAMs - Subscription Required • GPX route support with breadcrumb trails and accurate position tracking - Subscription Required • No Data? No problem, will store your reports ready when data is available. Offline support for seamless operations in the field. - Subscription Required Ideal for pre-flight briefing or real-time situational awareness enroute. Fly smarter. Stay ahead. See the skies like never before. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

What The Sun?

Read full description

What The Sun? is a beautiful sun and daylight app that helps you understand where the sun is, how strong it feels and what that means in plain English. See where the sun is in the sky, which direction it is coming from, when it rises, when it sets, how much daylight is left and how strong the sunlight is. Instead of staring at confusing angles and solar numbers, What The Sun? gives you a live sun compass, map view and human-readable explanations with a bit of personality. Set any location using map search, check your current location, browse the sun’s path across the sky or save places you care about. Whether you are checking the sun at home, planning time outside, avoiding glare, finding shade, What The Sun makes sunlight easier to understand. What The Sun is great for: * Walkers and runners * Cyclists * Photographers and filmmakers * Gardeners * Campers and hikers * Solar panel users * Outdoor workers * Weather hobbyists * Parents planning time outside Live Sun Compass The main compass shows the sun’s position in a way that makes sense in the real world. See where the sun is, how that relates to the direction you are facing and whether the sunlight is ahead, behind, to your left or to your right. At a glance, you can see: * Sun direction * 3D Sun and Shadow Map * Elevation * Sunrise time * Sunset time * Solar noon * Daylight duration * UV index * Irradiance * Temperature * Feels-like temperature * Weather source Sunlight With Personality Choose how the app talks to you with selectable Sun Voice styles. Keep it simple and practical, make it fun, go nerdy with bearings and solar details or turn on rude commentary if you want the sun to have attitude. Weather does not have to be boring. Sun Path Follow the sun’s path across the sky. See sunrise, sunset, solar noon, daylight length and how the sun changes position throughout the day. Sun Map Explore sunlight around any location using the built-in map. View the sun’s direction, path, rays, time of day and seasonal movement over a real map. Locations Search for towns, cities and places using Apple Maps, then check the sun position and daylight details for that location.

Screenshots

PIREPMap4 screens
What The Sun?4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: PIREPMap at Free against What The Sun?'s $0.99. What The Sun?'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 11 days). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

PIREPMap is free to download; What The Sun? costs $0.99 up front. PIREPMap sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. What The Sun? asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PIREPMap ships an update every 11 days, What The Sun? every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 4 level
PIREPMap versus What The Sun?: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPIREPMapWhat The Sun?
PriceFree — better$0.99
Update frequencyEvery 11 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size67 MB40 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperMichael ParsonsMark David

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PIREPMap

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Subscription3 Months trial$4.991 Month
None

What The Sun?

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PIREPMap free?
PIREPMap is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is What The Sun? free?
What The Sun? costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do PIREPMap or What The Sun? have ads?
Neither PIREPMap nor What The Sun? shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PIREPMap or What The Sun??
PIREPMap ships an update every 11 days, and What The Sun? every 3 days. Most recently, PIREPMap was updated on November 8, 2026 and What The Sun? on October 31, 2026.

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