Comparison

Thor Lightning vs Lightning Tracker

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

Head to head
About

Thor Lightning

Features
Read full description

With Thor you hold the power of thunder in your hand—free at heart. Experience weather like never before – with Thor, your smart lightning distance app! Simple, intuitive, and impressively effective: with just one tap, you can measure the distance to a storm in a flash (literally!). Here’s how it works: 1. Tap the lightning button when you see the flash. 2. Tap again when you hear the thunder – Thor will instantly show the distance. 3. The app saves all measurements and displays them in a clear graph so you can tell at a glance whether the storm is approaching or moving away. See storm progression live The built-in trend graph lets you know immediately if the storm is getting closer or receding. Perfect for outdoor activities, hikes, camping, or just out of curiosity! Multilingual & flexible: • Supports 12 languages, including German, English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, and more. • Choose between kilometers or miles—whichever suits you best. • Settings accessible with a tap on the app icon What makes Thor special: • Single‑tap, intuitive operation • Modern, minimalistic interface • Graphical display of past measurements • Totally free • Only a small, discreet ad banner, thoughtfully placed so it doesn’t interfere Built with a focus on usability, efficiency, and enjoyment of nature.

About

Lightning Tracker

This app provides real-time lightning strike data on a live map, offering alerts for nearby activity. It helps users plan outdoor activities and stay aware of approaching storms with detailed strike information and weather radar integration.

Highlights
  • Live lightning strike map
  • Nearby strike alerts
  • Ground and intracloud strike types
  • Weather radar integration
  • Closest strike distance and age
  • Optional monthly Pro subscription
Read full description

Lightning Alerts is a live lightning tracker and storm map for nearby strike awareness, powered by enterprise-grade lightning data. Open the map without creating an app account. Check recent strike activity before travel, golf, hiking, boating, surfing, fishing, open-water activities, or everyday weather planning. The map can show both ground-reaching and intracloud strikes. Ground mode helps filter cloud flashes so busy storms are easier to read. What you can see: - Live map of recent strike activity - Nearby alerts for your location or a saved place - No app account required to open the map - Ground-reaching and intracloud strike types - Ground mode to reduce cloud-flash noise - Closest-strike distance, age, direction, and street context - Strike strength, polarity, and detailed strike type - Weather radar with strikes on the same map - Save one place you care about - Clear controls for alerts, ads, privacy, and analytics - Optional monthly Pro subscription that removes ads Use Lightning Alerts before you head outside, while storms are nearby, or when you want a clearer view of activity around a place. Choose the strike filter, inspect the closest strike, and use notifications to return to the live map when activity changes. Lightning Alerts is a weather awareness tool, not an emergency warning system. Always follow official weather alerts, local rules, and venue safety guidance. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Thor Lightning4 screens
Lightning Tracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Thor Lightning at none against Lightning Tracker's 1. Thor Lightning also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). Lightning Tracker's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 weeks). On price 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. Lightning Tracker sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month. Thor Lightning asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Thor Lightning ships an update every 5 weeks, Lightning Tracker every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Thor Lightning versus Lightning Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThor LightningLightning Tracker
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB13 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperLars AckermannLightning Alerts Oy

In-app purchases

None

Thor Lightning

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Lightning Tracker

Subscriptions1
  • Ad-free monthly$0.991 Month

Questions

Is Thor Lightning free?
Thor Lightning is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Lightning Tracker free?
Lightning Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Thor Lightning or Lightning Tracker have ads?
Both Thor Lightning and Lightning Tracker show ads.
Which is updated more often, Thor Lightning or Lightning Tracker?
Thor Lightning ships an update every 5 weeks, and Lightning Tracker every 2 days. Most recently, Thor Lightning was updated on September 9, 2026 and Lightning Tracker on September 25, 2026.

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