Heat Compass vs Lightning Tracker & Thunder
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Heat Compass
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Heat Compass turns the official military heat-flag system into a personal heat-safety coach. It computes WBGT (wet bulb globe temperature), the standard used by the U.S. Marine Corps and occupational safety programs, from live weather for your location, then tells you plainly what the conditions mean and what to do about them. KNOW THE FLAG - Live WBGT and the five-color heat flag (White, Green, Yellow, Red, Black) for where you are right now - Work-rest guidance for each flag: how long to work, how long to cool down - 7-day forecast with heat flags, so you can plan the week - Nearby weather stations, and transparency about which station your reading came from STAY AHEAD OF DEHYDRATION - A daily water goal derived from the heat, your activity level, and optionally your body weight - One-tap drink logging with reminders that adapt to the heat flag - An "I'm outside" mode that tightens reminders while you are exposed - Track drinks for family members or a work crew with household tagging - Guidance is capped at safe intake rates, because drinking too much is also dangerous GET WARNED EARLY - Proactive heat-risk alerts: the app periodically checks conditions and warns you when the flag climbs, even when the app is closed - A pavement heat check that estimates surface temperature, useful for dog owners and hot-surface work PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account and no sign-in. Your hydration log, profile, and settings stay on your device. Your location is used to fetch weather for where you are and is not stored on our servers. No ads, no tracking, free. A NOTE ON SCOPE Heat Compass provides general heat-safety guidance based on published heat-stress doctrine. It is an aid for planning, not a medical device, and it does not replace occupational safety programs, OSHA requirements, or your own judgment.
Lightning Tracker & Thunder
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See lightning strikes in real time — on a live map, on your wrist, and in push alerts when storms move toward you. Lightning Tracker shows where thunder is happening right now: individual strikes colour-coded by age, storm hotspots with strike rate and drift, precipitation radar, a world overview of active regions, and strike history you can scrub through like a timeline. WHY LIGHTNING TRACKER • Real-time lightning map centred on your location • Nearest-strike distance, direction, and trend (closing in or moving away) • Storm cells with strike count, rate per minute, and drift direction • Animated precipitation radar overlay • World view of active storm regions worldwide • Strike history with playback — see what already happened • Flash-to-Bang timer — estimate distance from flash to thunder • Storm-risk forecast and official severe-weather alerts nearby • Push notifications for lightning near your saved locations • Home Screen widget, Apple Watch, and Mac menu bar — glanceable updates everywhere STAY AHEAD OF THE STORM Save alert locations for home, work, the ball field, or anywhere that matters. Choose your radius and quiet hours. Premium unlocks unlimited locations, background monitoring, radar, history, and every platform. Built for iPhone, iPad, and Mac with one Universal Purchase. IMPORTANT: Lightning Tracker is for informational use only. Always follow official local warnings and seek shelter when thunderstorms are near. Data coverage varies by region. Download Lightning Tracker and know when thunder is getting close — before you hear it. Terms: https://lightningtracker.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/terms.html Privacy: https://lightningtracker.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is device support: Lightning Tracker & Thunder at 3 against Heat Compass's 1. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Heat Compass ships an update weekly, Lightning Tracker & Thunder every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Heat Compass | Lightning Tracker & Thunder |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 44 MB | 44 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | craig merry | Feynman EinsteinAI Note Taker OU |
In-app purchases
Heat Compass
No in-app purchases
Lightning Tracker & Thunder
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Heat Compass free?
Is Lightning Tracker & Thunder free?
Do Heat Compass or Lightning Tracker & Thunder have ads?
Which is updated more often, Heat Compass or Lightning Tracker & Thunder?
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