Comparison

Nikko Weather vs Mooncaster

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

Head to head
About

Nikko Weather

This weather app provides practical advice for daily decisions. It offers outfit suggestions based on upcoming conditions and helps plan trips by showing typical weather patterns for different times and locations.

Highlights
  • Outfit suggestions
  • Trip weather planning
  • Real-life weather context
  • Forecast interpretation
  • Packing advice
Features
Read full description

Most weather apps tell you it will be 22° and cloudy. Nikko tells you whether Saturday's dive is worth getting up for. Connect your calendar and Nikko quietly scores every outdoor plan you've made against the forecast, then warns you when one is in trouble — days before it matters. Will my plans hold? Nikko reads your calendar, works out which events are outdoors, and scores each one against the hour-by-hour forecast. Every plan gets a straight verdict — Perfect, Fine, Tricky or Rough — and anything that needs attention is flagged before you've left the house. Watch a score move as the forecast firms up, and see exactly which condition is causing the problem: the wind, the rain, the temperature. When should I do it? Describe what you're planning — a dive, a long ride, a photo walk — and Nikko finds the hours that suit it. Not the warmest hours; the right ones. A kite session and a picnic want completely different weather, and Nikko knows the difference. What will my trip be like? Planning months ahead? Nikko compares forty years of weather for your destination and tells you what a week there in October actually looks like. As your dates come into forecast range it switches to the real thing automatically. Save the activities you're hoping to do and Nikko finds the best window for each across your trip — then keeps watching, and tells you if the best day moves. What does today need? Set the conditions you care about — rain before your commute, wind over 30, anything below freezing — and get one short briefing each morning telling you what today is going to ask of you. Which forecast? Nikko doesn't run one global model and hope. Where a better local model exists it uses it, and tells you so: HRRR across the United States, NAM for Hawaii, MeteoSwiss ICON-CH1 in the Alps — where a valley floor and the ridge above it have completely different weather that a global model averages away. Tap any forecast to see which model produced it. Your calendar stays yours Nikko reads only what it needs to score your plans, keeps event details for 14 days, then permanently scrubs them. There's a plain-language explainer in the app, and helping improve activity matching is opt-in and anonymous. Nothing is sold or used for advertising. Planning together Trips can be shared. Invite whoever's coming, split a packing list into shared and personal items, track what everyone spent with receipts attached, and email the whole thing round at the end — expenses, who owes what, and how the weather actually turned out. Terms of Use: https://climalinks.com/legal/mobile/terms Privacy Policy: https://climalinks.com/legal/mobile/privacy

About

Mooncaster

This app predicts promising moonrise viewing opportunities by combining lunar data with local weather forecasts. It provides scores and alerts to help you plan the best time and place to observe the moon.

Highlights
  • Curated list of promising moonrises
  • Astronomy and weather scoring
  • Customizable alerts
  • Interactive direction map
  • Home Screen Widget
  • 45-day lunar outlooks
Features
Read full description

Know when a moonrise is truly worth heading outside for. Mooncaster goes beyond moonrise times. It combines precise lunar geometry with local Apple Weather forecasts to show how promising the view may be, when to be ready, and where to look. Whether you’re planning a photograph, choosing a viewpoint, or simply hoping to catch a beautiful Moon near the horizon, Mooncaster turns complex astronomy and weather data into a clear plan. FIND THE BEST MOONRISES • Browse a curated list of astronomically promising moonrises • See every upcoming visible moonrise or build your own custom view • Filter by illumination, cloud cover, visibility, and timing near sunset •View today's moonrise or moonset in a Home Screen Widget. PLAN WITH SCORES YOU CAN UNDERSTAND • Astronomy Score rates illumination, timing, and the Moon’s near-horizon climb • Weather Score considers cloud cover and visibility during the viewing window • Moonrise Score brings astronomy and weather together in one 0–100 rating • Forecast confidence—High, Medium, Low, or Pending—shows how much trust to place in the current outlook KNOW WHEN AND WHERE TO LOOK • View moonrise and moonset times, phase, illumination, direction, and compass bearing • See how quickly the Moon climbs and follow its arc across the sky • Use an interactive direction map to fine-tune your viewing position STAY AHEAD OF CHANGING WEATHER • Check conditions focused on the moonrise viewing window—not just a generic daily forecast • Review cloud cover, visibility, and recent forecast trends • Refresh on demand; Mooncaster also updates weather and alerts in the background when iOS allows GET THE RIGHT ALERT AT THE RIGHT TIME Auto Mode watches your Best Moonrises and schedules alerts only when an astronomically promising event receives a favorable, reliable forecast. You can also set manual alerts for any moonrise you choose. Pick from the morning of the event, 6 hours, 1 hour, 30 minutes, 15 minutes before, or right at moonrise. EXPLORE MORE WITH MOONRISE PRO Mooncaster includes a complimentary seven-day preview of every feature. The preview does not automatically start a subscription, and a limited one-location view remains available afterward. Moonrise Pro unlocks: • Unlimited saved locations • Complete 45-day lunar outlooks, with weather added as forecast data becomes available • Full upcoming moonrise lists and detailed forecasts • Interactive direction maps • Automatic and custom scheduled alerts Choose monthly or annual access, or make a one-time lifetime purchase. Monthly and annual subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Forecasts and scores are planning aids, not guarantees. Terrain, buildings, haze, and other local obstructions may affect what you see. Weather data is provided by Apple Weather. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.catspaw-systems.com/PrivacyPolicies/MooncasterPrivacy.html

Screenshots

Nikko Weather4 screens
Mooncaster4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Nikko Weather at 5.0 against Mooncaster's 4.5. Nikko Weather also leads on iOS requirement (16.2 vs 18.0). Mooncaster's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume 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. Nikko Weather sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Mooncaster sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Nikko Weather holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 4 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nikko Weather ships an update fortnightly, Mooncaster every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Nikko Weather versus Mooncaster: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNikko WeatherMooncaster
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better4.5 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings34 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 4 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.2 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size70 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperClimaLinksCatspaw Systems LLC

Customer experience

Nikko Weather

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Mooncaster

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Nikko Weather

Subscriptions2
  • Nikko Pro Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Nikko Pro Annual7 Days trial$39.991 Year
3 purchases

Mooncaster

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Mooncaster Subscription$0.991 Month
  • Mooncaster Annual Subscription$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Mooncaster Lifetime Access$14.99

Questions

Is Nikko Weather free?
Nikko Weather is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mooncaster free?
Mooncaster is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Nikko Weather or Mooncaster?
Nikko Weather is rated higher. Nikko Weather averages 5.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Mooncaster averages 4.5 from 4 ratings.
Do Nikko Weather or Mooncaster have ads?
Nikko Weather shows ads; Mooncaster does not.
Which is updated more often, Nikko Weather or Mooncaster?
Nikko Weather ships an update fortnightly, and Mooncaster every 4 days. Most recently, Nikko Weather was updated on October 31, 2026 and Mooncaster on November 5, 2026.

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