Comparison

Lightning Tracker vs Real

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

Head to head
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 - 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/

About

Real

Track lightning strikes in real-time with live satellite data and high-definition radar. Get instant alerts when storms are near your location and customize notification settings for a clear, fast view of the sky.

Highlights
  • Live satellite lightning detection
  • High-definition radar overlay
  • Customizable strike bubble alerts
  • Color-coded strike intensity
  • Watch app with live map
  • Lock screen and home screen widgets
Features
Read full description

See lightning the moment it strikes, and know the instant it's headed for you. Most lightning apps blink a few dots on a plain map and call it a day. MesoSky Lightning is a different animal: a real-time storm instrument that fuses satellite lightning detection with high-definition radar into one fast, beautiful screen. If you take the sky seriously, this is the lightning tracker you've been waiting for. REAL-TIME STRIKES, STRAIGHT FROM ORBIT • Live cloud-to-ground and in-cloud flashes from the GOES-18 and GOES-19 satellites' Geostationary Lightning Mapper. Strikes appear moments after they happen. • Every strike is color-coded by strength, so one glance tells a distant flicker from a violent close hit. • Tap any strike for the full story: a strength gauge, optical energy, footprint size, exact distance, and how long ago it struck. WIDGETS! Lock Screen, Home Screen WATCH APP with MAP! YOUR STRIKE BUBBLE • Draw a radius around your live location, or pin any spot, from 1 to 100 miles. • See the nearest strike's distance and direction, the total count around you, and how many are strong or intense, all updating live. ALERTS THAT RESPECT YOU • Get a push the instant lightning enters your bubble, even with the app closed. • You set the rules: how often you're notified (every 5, 15, or 30 minutes) and for how long (the next hour, 6 hours, 12 hours, or until you turn it off). • No spam, no nagging. Just the heads-up you actually want. HIGH-DEFINITION RADAR UNDERNEATH • Full-resolution NEXRAD Level 2 base reflectivity, rendered live. The same data meteorologists use, auto-tuned to the closest radar to you. • Dial in the dBZ filter and opacity to see exactly the storm you care about. READ THE STORM AT A GLANCE • Intensity glow that heats up where the strongest strikes cluster. • Footprint and activity overlays that turn storm chaos into a clear read. RIGHT ON YOUR WRIST • A live lightning map on your Apple Watch, centered on you or anywhere you pan, with every strike color-coded by strength just like the phone. • Tap any strike on your wrist for its strength, distance, direction, age, and footprint. • Set your time window (15, 30, or 60 minutes) and toggle intensity coloring right from the watch. • Watch face complications keep the strike count, the closest strike's distance and direction, and how many are strong or intense one glance away. • Your complications stay current, so a flick of the wrist is always a fresh read on the sky. BUILT BEAUTIFULLY • A clean, fast, glass interface designed to be understood in a flash. Full dark, fluid motion, and haptics throughout. • Your location is used only to center the map and power your alerts. Never sold, never used to track you. Whether you're a storm chaser, pilot, golfer, coach, or a parent watching the sky over the ballfield, MesoSky Lightning gives you the clearest, fastest read on the sky in your pocket. — Terms of Use (EULA): https://mesosky.com/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://mesosky.com/privacy/ MesoSky Lightning Pro is a $0.99/month auto-renewing subscription with a 3-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation and renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings.

Screenshots

Lightning Tracker4 screens
Real4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Real at none against Lightning Tracker's shown. Real also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and ratings volume (11 vs 2). Lightning Tracker's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 days). On price, rating, review sentiment 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Lightning Tracker sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month and Real sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 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 4.9 for Real. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Real has 11 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lightning Tracker ships an update every 2 days, Real every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Lightning Tracker versus Real: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLightning TrackerReal
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.9 (11 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings211 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 5 days
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLightning Alerts OyRobert Abraham

Customer experience

Lightning Tracker

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Real

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Lightning Tracker

Subscriptions1
  • Ad-free monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
1 purchases

Real

Subscriptions1
  • Unlock all Features$0.991 Month

Questions

Is Lightning Tracker free?
Lightning Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Real free?
Real is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Lightning Tracker or Real?
Lightning Tracker is rated higher. Lightning Tracker averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Real averages 4.9 from 11 ratings.
Do Lightning Tracker or Real have ads?
Lightning Tracker shows ads; Real does not.
Which is updated more often, Lightning Tracker or Real?
Lightning Tracker ships an update every 2 days, and Real every 5 days. Most recently, Lightning Tracker was updated on October 28, 2026 and Real on October 24, 2026.

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