Lightning Tracker vs Thundra
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lightning Tracker
Track real-time lightning strikes with a live map and receive alerts for your location. View ground and intracloud strikes, filter by polarity and strength, and access historical storm data. Ideal for outdoor activities and weather planning.
- Live strike map
- Nearby alerts
- Ground and intracloud strikes
- Strike filtering (polarity, strength)
- 7-day strike history
- Weather radar overlay
- Camera aim for sprites
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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 - Polarity filter: show only positive or only negative ground and cloud strikes - Strength filter and Find > Strongest in view - Find > Strike history: the last 7 days around your location or saved place, with storm replays - Camera aim: where to point your camera and how far to tilt it for red sprites above a distant storm - 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: no ads and unlimited storm replays 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. Photographers and sprite chasers can show only positive ground strikes, which are less common and often stronger. Tap a strike to see its distance and direction. 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/
Thundra
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THUNDRA helps you stay aware of lightning activity around the world with a clean, modern, and calm experience. Track live lightning strikes in real time, explore strike density with interactive heatmaps, and receive nearby alerts — all in a dark-first, distraction-free design. Built for clarity and safety, THUNDRA focuses on what matters most: awareness, not alarm. Key Features: •Live Lightning Map •View recent lightning strikes worldwide with smooth, real-time updates. •Strike Heatmaps •See where lightning occurs most frequently across different time ranges. •Smart Proximity Alerts •Get notified when lightning is detected near you. Customize distance and time windows. •Insights & Trends •Understand patterns with simple, readable statistics. •Minimal, Dark-First Design •Designed for focus, comfort, and iOS aesthetics. THUNDRA does not track you and does not show ads. Your location is used only to provide nearby lightning alerts. Stay aware. Stay calm. THUNDRA.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Thundra at none against Lightning Tracker's 1. Thundra also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). Lightning Tracker's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 weeks). On price and device support 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. Lightning Tracker sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. Thundra asks for nothing beyond the download.
Lightning Tracker ships an update every 2 days, Thundra every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lightning Tracker | Thundra |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lightning Alerts Oy | Mert Huseyin Ciloglu |
In-app purchases
Lightning Tracker
- Ad-free monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
Thundra
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Lightning Tracker free?
Is Thundra free?
Do Lightning Tracker or Thundra have ads?
Which is updated more often, Lightning Tracker or Thundra?
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