Comparison

Lightning Tracker vs Bolted

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

Head to head
About

Lightning Tracker

Track real-time lightning strikes and receive nearby alerts with a live storm map. Customize alert radii and view detailed strike information, including history and radar overlays. Offers both free and subscription options for enhanced features.

Highlights
  • Live lightning strike map
  • Customizable alert radii
  • Push notifications for strikes
  • 7-day strike history
  • Storm replay functionality
  • Weather radar overlay
  • Ground mode for strike filtering
Read full description

Lightning Alerts is a live lightning tracker and storm map with nearby alerts, for iPhone and iPad. Lightning data powered by Vaisala Xweather. Choose an alert radius from 5 to 50 km, or 3 to 30 miles, separately for My Location and one Saved Place. Alerts come as push notifications, also when the app is closed. My Location alerts use your position from the last time the app was open; a Saved Place stays fixed. The app does not track your location continuously in the background, and the live map updates only while the app is open. Free with ads: the live map, strike details and filters, radar, alerts for both places, and the 7-day strike history summary. One storm replay is free every 30 days. Continuing live map updates may require watching a short ad after the included refreshes are used. Pro is an optional subscription, monthly or yearly, that removes ads, adds storm Live Activities on the iPhone Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, keeps live map updates running without watching an ad, even for big areas, and unlocks every storm replay in strike history. 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 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/

About

Bolted

Receive real-time lightning alerts and safety guidance. Create custom zones to monitor, get shelter countdowns, and receive notifications when it's safe to go outside. Features include live activity updates and Apple Watch integration.

Highlights
  • Real-time lightning monitoring
  • Custom Watch Zones
  • Shelter countdowns
  • Live Activity updates
  • Apple Watch integration
  • Customizable notification frequency
Features
Read full description

Bolted helps you know when lightning is nearby and when it is reasonable to return outside. Great for parents, coaches, and anyone else spending time outside. Create lightning Watch Zones for the places you care about, get lightning alerts when strikes are detected nearby, and follow a clear shelter countdown until conditions improve. Bolted can notify you when the shelter period has ended, show Live Activity updates on your Lock Screen, and keep key status visible from Apple Watch. Features: - Real-time lightning monitoring at current location - See thunder shockwaves in real-time for each strike - GPU-optimized lightning animations and haptics for each strike (you see it and feel it) - Lightning notifications for saved Watch Zones - Countdown to all clear after nearby strikes - All-clear notifications after 30 minutes with no detected lightning - Lock Screen and Dynamic Island Live Activity - Apple Watch Live Activity view - Custom Watch Zone radius - Lightning status: Shelter, Caution, Clear - Recent strike distance and timing - Notification frequency controls - Mute notifications temporarily - Share live storm view with others - Distance metrics in miles or kilometers Terms of Service: https://www.boltedapp.com/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://www.boltedapp.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

Lightning Tracker4 screens
Bolted4 screens

Verdict

The call

Lightning Tracker and Bolted both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Bolted's written reviews are positive against 50% of Lightning Tracker's. Bolted also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (9 vs 2). Lightning Tracker's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Bolted sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Lightning Tracker against 5.0 for Bolted. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 9 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of Lightning Tracker's written reviews are positive against 100% of Bolted's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lightning Tracker ships an update every 3 days, Bolted fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 14, 2026 and November 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Lightning Tracker versus Bolted: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLightning TrackerBolted
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings29 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.5
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLightning Alerts OyHitt Foundry LLC

Customer experience

Lightning Tracker

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

Bolted

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Lightning Tracker

Subscriptions2
  • Ad-free monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Pro yearly$17.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro forever$89.99
2 purchases

Bolted

Subscriptions2
  • Bolted Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Bolted Pro Annual$24.991 Year

Questions

Is Lightning Tracker free?
Lightning Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bolted free?
Bolted is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Lightning Tracker or Bolted?
Lightning Tracker and Bolted are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 9 ratings respectively.
Do Lightning Tracker or Bolted have ads?
Lightning Tracker shows ads; Bolted does not.
Which is updated more often, Lightning Tracker or Bolted?
Lightning Tracker ships an update every 3 days, and Bolted fortnightly. Most recently, Lightning Tracker was updated on November 14, 2026 and Bolted on November 15, 2026.

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