Comparison

Visual Weather vs LucidSky

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

Head to head
About

Visual Weather

This app visualizes atmospheric conditions, showing individual cloud layers and their height. It offers detailed hourly forecasts with interactive charts for temperature, precipitation, and wind. Understand the sky like never before with dynamic visualizations and a live sun tracker.

Highlights
  • Dynamic pixel-art cloud visualization
  • Detailed hourly charts
  • Live sun tracker
  • 16-day hybrid forecast
  • Compact and detailed view modes
  • Radar with frame morphing
Features
Read full description

Most weather apps just say "Cloudy." Visual Weather shows you exactly how cloudy. Visual Weather is the first app to visualize the atmosphere in depth. Our unique pixel-engine renders High, Mid, and Low cloud layers independently, giving you a true picture of the sky before you even step outside. Why Layers Matter: • Photographers: Know when to expect dramatic high-altitude cirrus clouds versus flat grey stratus. • Outdoor Enthusiasts: Gauge cloud height and conditions instantly for hiking, sailing, or stargazing. • Everyone: Understand the difference between a "sunny day with some clouds" and an "overcast day." Two Ways to Explore: • Compact View: Quick hourly forecast with toggleable rain, wind, and gust overlays. • Detailed View: Swipe through beautiful color-coded charts for temperature, cloud layers, precipitation, wind, and humidity. See exactly how conditions change hour by hour. Live Sun Tracker: Watch the sun's path arc across the sky in real-time. See current altitude, time until sunrise or sunset, and how day length is changing throughout the season. Powered by Precision Data: Using high-resolution HRRR models, we map: • Cloud Cover % (High/Mid/Low) • Precipitation Intensity • Wind Speed, Gusts & Direction • Temperature & Humidity Trends • Sun Position & Day Length Features: • Dynamic Pixel-Art Visualization • 16-Day Hybrid Forecast (HRRR + GFS) • Silky-Smooth Radar with Frame Morphing • Live Sun Tracker with Path & Altitude • Color-Coded Hourly Charts • Compact & Detailed View Modes Visual Weather Pro: Unlock the extended 16-day forecast, unlimited locations, and the full interactive radar loop. Don't just check the weather. Understand the sky. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

LucidSky

This app offers a transparent weather forecast by showing confidence levels in predictions, unlike traditional apps. It provides detailed meteorological data and multiple model comparisons, allowing users to understand weather uncertainty. It's designed for those who want a deeper insight into weather patterns.

Highlights
  • Honest Mode for forecast confidence
  • Multi-model weather comparison
  • Animated precipitation radar
  • 7-day and extended 14-day forecasts
  • Air quality index (AQI)
  • No ads or data selling
Features
Read full description

Most weather apps give you a single number and call it a forecast. LucidSky shows you where forecasts are confident and where they're not, built on National Weather Service (NWS) data with ECMWF, GFS, HRRR, and ICON model comparison. A free Dark Sky alternative for people who want to understand the weather, not just glance at it. See what meteorologists actually see. Weather forecasts are inherently uncertain, but most apps hide that behind a single number. LucidSky doesn't. Choose Honest Mode to see confidence ranges around every prediction, or stick with Classic Mode for a clean, traditional experience. Same data, more transparency. Looking for a Dark Sky, AccuWeather, or Apple Weather alternative? LucidSky gives you NWS-sourced forecasts, animated precipitation radar, and multi-model ensemble comparison without subscriptions, ads, or data selling. WHAT YOU GET FOR FREE - Current conditions and 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service in the US, or the multi-model ensemble internationally - Weather alerts for the US from NWS, and for Canada from Environment and Climate Change Canada - Hourly temperature, precipitation, and wind charts with day/night shading - Air quality index (AQI) with health categories - Choose between Honest and Classic display modes - Imperial or Metric units, auto-detected from your region - No sign-in required, just open and go WHAT PRO UNLOCKS - Apple Family Sharing, so one subscription covers up to six family members. - Compare 9+ weather models side by side: ECMWF, GFS, HRRR, ICON, and more - Animated precipitation radar, with high-resolution coverage in Canada and the US - 24-hour precipitation forecast map so you can see where rain and snow are headed, not just where they are now - Extended 14-day forecasts - AI-summarized forecast discussions from NWS in the US, synthesized from the multi-model ensemble anywhere else - Date Forecast Trackers: pick a future date and watch the forecast evolve day by day with AI-narrated changes - 7-week seasonal outlook with 30-year climate normals - Minute-by-minute precipitation nowcast with intensity levels (light, moderate, heavy) - Recreational and marine weather forecasts with NWS briefings - 11 weather metrics: temperature, feels-like, precipitation, wind, humidity, dewpoint, cloud cover, visibility, and more WEATHER MODELS, EXPLAINED Different weather models predict different outcomes. When they agree, you can plan with confidence. When they disagree, you'll know to have a backup plan. LucidSky's multi-model ensemble view puts forecast uncertainty in your hands instead of hiding it behind a single number. BUILT DIFFERENT - No ads. No data selling. - Minimal data collection. Your location is never sold or used for advertising - Weather data sourced from NWS, Environment and Climate Change Canada, ECMWF, and other trusted public sources - Dynamic Type support, text scales with your accessibility settings - Full iPad support with optimized layouts - Designed for people who want to understand the weather, not just glance at it SUBSCRIPTION INFO LucidSky Pro is available as an annual auto-renewable subscription. Pricing is displayed at the time of purchase. New subscribers may be eligible for a free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account. Your subscription auto-renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions. Privacy Policy: https://lucidsky.app/privacy Terms of Service: https://lucidsky.app/terms

Screenshots

Visual Weather4 screens
LucidSky4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Visual Weather at every 3 days against LucidSky's weekly. LucidSky's advantage is ratings volume (3 vs 1). On price, rating, review sentiment 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. Visual Weather sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and LucidSky sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. 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 Visual Weather against 5.0 for LucidSky. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Visual Weather ships an update every 3 days, LucidSky weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Visual Weather versus LucidSky: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVisual WeatherLucidSky
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings13 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.315.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB77 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperStarbound Logic LLCTERRENCE D FRADET

Customer experience

Visual Weather

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

LucidSky

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Visual Weather

Subscriptions1
  • Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
One-time1
  • Subscribe for $2.99 / Month$2.99
1 purchases

LucidSky

Subscriptions1
  • LucidSky Pro7 Days trial$9.991 Year

Questions

Is Visual Weather free?
Visual Weather is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is LucidSky free?
LucidSky is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Visual Weather or LucidSky?
Visual Weather and LucidSky are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do Visual Weather or LucidSky have ads?
Neither Visual Weather nor LucidSky shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Visual Weather or LucidSky?
Visual Weather ships an update every 3 days, and LucidSky weekly. Most recently, Visual Weather was updated on September 20, 2026 and LucidSky on September 21, 2026.

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