Lightning Tracker & Radar Map vs StrikeCast
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lightning Tracker & Radar Map
This app displays live lightning strikes and storm zones on a map, powered by satellite data. It helps you understand storm activity, track movement, and receive alerts for saved locations to ensure outdoor safety.
- Live lightning map
- Storm zone tracking
- Saved place alerts
- 24-hour history (Premium)
- 30-30 safety timer
- NOAA satellite data
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Lightning Tracker & Radar Map helps you understand storm activity before it reaches you. See live lightning, storm zones, alerts, saved places and forecast context in one focused weather safety app. Powered by NOAA GOES GLM and EUMETSAT MTG-I1 LI satellite data, Lightning Tracker shows recent lightning flashes on a fast map, clusters active strikes into storm zones, and helps you judge whether a storm is building, approaching or moving away. Coverage includes the Americas, Atlantic, Europe and Africa; features depend on supported coverage and data availability. USE IT BEFORE YOU GO OUT Check storms before golf, boating, hiking, school sports, outdoor work, road trips, camping, events and family time outside. Open the map, check the nearest activity, review the storm zone and decide whether to wait, move or seek shelter. LIVE LIGHTNING MAP Fresh strikes appear on the map with age and distance context. Zoom from a regional view down to the places that matter and keep watching as cells develop. STORM ZONES AND TRACKS Lightning clusters are grouped into storm zones so the map is easier to read. Track movement, intensity and projected paths instead of trying to interpret scattered strikes one by one. HISTORY AND FORECAST Premium unlocks 24-hour lightning history, a lightning heatmap and storm forecast context from NOAA SPC where available. ALERTS FOR SAVED PLACES Set an alert radius around the places you care about. Free users can monitor one saved place with basic storm data; Premium adds push alerts, wider radius, more saved places, advanced storm data and an ad-free experience. 30-30 SAFETY TIMER Use the built-in timer to follow the 30-minute lightning safety rule after nearby activity. It gives you a simple outdoor-safety checkpoint when the sky is changing fast. Lightning Tracker is built for one practical question: how close is the storm, where is it moving and is it time to get inside? Terms: https://lightningtracker.app/terms Privacy: https://lightningtracker.app/privacy
StrikeCast
This app provides real-time lightning strike distance and live alerts on a map. Save locations to receive notifications when lightning is detected nearby, even when you're away. It offers a clean interface with no ad clutter.
- Real-time lightning strike distance
- Live map with lightning activity
- Customizable alerts for saved locations
- Distance in miles or kilometers
- Approaching and moving-away trends (Pro)
- Animated weather radar (Pro)
- 12-hour thunderstorm forecast (Pro)
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How close is the lightning? StrikeCast: Lightning Tracker puts the answer front and center. See the approximate distance to the nearest detected strike in miles/km, follow activity on a clean live map, and set alerts for the places you care about. DISTANCE AT A GLANCE • See the nearest detected strike without searching through the map • View distance in miles or kilometers • Check when the latest nearby strike was detected • Explore latest strikes and lightning hotspots • Built on EUMETSAT and NOAA GOES satellite lightning data ALERTS FOR PLACES THAT MATTER Save a location and choose an alert radius. StrikeCast can notify you when lightning is detected nearby, even when you are somewhere else. Monitor home, work, school, or any place you want to keep an eye on. CALM, CLEAR DESIGN No noisy dashboard and no ad clutter. When the area is quiet, StrikeCast says so. When lightning is nearby, the distance stays easy to find. UPGRADE TO PRO • Real-time strike data with no added free-tier delay • Approaching and moving-away trends • More saved locations and flexible alert radii • Animated weather radar • 12-hour thunderstorm forecast • Extended lightning range PRIVACY FIRST No ads. No cross-app tracking. Your location is used to calculate distance and power the alerts you choose. Lightning detection has inherent latency and location uncertainty. Distances are approximate. StrikeCast is informational and is not a substitute for official weather warnings or emergency guidance. Privacy Policy: https://strikecast.app/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://strikecast.app/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Lightning Tracker & Radar Map at 4.6 against StrikeCast's 4.3. Lightning Tracker & Radar Map also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 5 days) and ratings volume (120 vs 6). On price, ads, 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
Both are free to download. Lightning Tracker & Radar Map sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days and StrikeCast sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Lightning Tracker & Radar Map holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lightning Tracker & Radar Map has 120 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Lightning Tracker & Radar Map ships an update daily, StrikeCast every 5 days. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.
| Parameter | Lightning Tracker & Radar Map | StrikeCast |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (120 ratings) — better | 4.3 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 120 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Daily — better | Every 5 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #136 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 81 MB | 69 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nikolai Iakubovskii | Kirill Proskurin |
Customer experience
Lightning Tracker & Radar Map
StrikeCast
In-app purchases
Lightning Tracker & Radar Map
- Lightning Tracker Premium2 variants$5.997 Days
- Lightning Tracker Premium$7.997 Days
- Premium Monthly$9.991 Month
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- Lightning Tracker Premium$19.991 Year
- Lightning Tracker Premium$26.991 Year
- Lightning Tracker Premium$29.991 Year
- Lightning Tracker Premium3 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Lightning Tracker Premium3 Days trial$44.991 Year
StrikeCast
- StrikeCast Pro$4.997 Days
- StrikeCast Pro$9.991 Month
- Lightning Tracker: Distance Pro1 Year trial$29.991 Year
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- Lightning Tracker: Distance Pro3 Days trial$29.991 Year
Questions
Is Lightning Tracker & Radar Map free?
Is StrikeCast free?
Which has better reviews, Lightning Tracker & Radar Map or StrikeCast?
Do Lightning Tracker & Radar Map or StrikeCast have ads?
Which is updated more often, Lightning Tracker & Radar Map or StrikeCast?
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