Comparison

WhatTheHail? vs Hail Maps

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

Head to head
About

WhatTheHail?

Read full description

Hail can total your car in minutes. WhatTheHail watches the skies so you don't have to and helps you get your vehicle out of harm's way. Built on live National Weather Service and NOAA radar data, WhatTheHail shows you exactly where hail is falling, warns you when a storm is heading for your location, and plans driving routes that steer around the worst of it. FREE • Live hail and storm radar map • Hail-zone overlays so you can see the threat at a glance • Severe-weather alerts for your current location • Instant "is there hail near me right now?" check WhatTheHail+ (subscription) • Storm Watch - round-the-clock monitoring that alerts you to move your car before hail hits, even when the app is closed • Route hazard scoring - check any trip for hail risk before you leave • Storm-aware navigation - turn-by-turn routing that reroutes you around hail in real time • Trip planning with multiple stops and side-by-side route comparison • Multiple saved locations - home, work, school, etc. WHO IT'S FOR Drivers in hail country who'd rather not explain another shattered windshield to their insurer. SUBSCRIPTION WhatTheHail+ is $4.99/month or $29.99/year, with a 7-day free trial on the annual plan. Less than a comprehensive deductible — one avoided hailstorm pays for years. Subscriptions auto-renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage or cancel any time in your Apple ID settings. IMPORTANT WhatTheHail! is an informational aid, not a substitute for official National Weather Service warnings or for safe driving judgment. Weather data may be delayed or inaccurate. Always follow official alerts and never interact with the app while driving. Privacy Policy: https://hailno.adaptiveintelsolutions.com/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Hail Maps

Visualize past and present storm events like hail, wind, and tornadoes on an interactive map. Access historical data back to 2015, receive real-time alerts, and get turn-by-turn directions to storm locations. Includes live radar and NWS watches/warnings.

Highlights
  • Live and historical storm reports
  • Real-time alerts
  • Searchable history back to 2015
  • Live and historical radar
  • NWS watches and warnings
  • Turn-by-turn directions to storm locations
  • Address lookup for hail history
Features
Read full description

Every hail strike on one map. Type an address, get the record. Built for roofers, sales reps and adjusters + Homeowners and car owners. No account, no sign-up, no ads. Free to start. Hail Maps plots NOAA Storm Prediction Center reports: hail, wind and tornado, 2015 to today, every US state except Hawaii and Alaska. WORK THE STORM • Every report as a pin. Marker size shows hail size; color shows date. • Tap a pin for the date, storm-local time, hail size and the NWS comment. • Search any address. Standard, satellite or hybrid map. • Filter by state and date. Quick presets: last 7 or 30 days. • Multiple states, storm seasons back to 2015, longer and custom ranges. (Pro) • Street View from a report or history pin; Directions in Apple Maps. (Pro) DOCUMENT THE HIT • Type an address. Get the largest reported hail within 1, 3 and 5 miles for every storm day, newest first. 3 lookups a day free. • Share it as a dated, sourced PDF with methodology and disclaimer. Proof for the adjuster's file. (Pro) • Rewind the storm. Scrub historical radar frame by frame around the time of any report. (Pro) KNOW BEFORE THE PHONES RING • Tornado and Severe Thunderstorm Warnings + Flash Flood Warnings, opt-in. • Morning Hail Outlook on days the SPC hail risk is 15% or more for your area. • Storm Report alerts as hail lands: per-area digest with report count and max hail size. Plus an Evening Storm Summary. (Pro) • Alert areas are NWS forecast office regions, picked by city, ZIP or list. Inbox keeps recent alerts. SEE IT COMING • Live radar with a playback scrubber. • SPC risk outlook layer: severe outlook Days 1-3, hail probability Days 1-2. • Dashboard: Hail Risk Today gauge (chance of 1"+ hail within 25 miles), 10-day Apple Weather forecast, latest storms, alerts, radar preview. Also handy for storm chasers and homeowners checking their own address. WHAT YOU GET FREE • Last 30 days of reports, one state at a time • 3 address lookups a day • Live radar, SPC outlook layer, Dashboard, NWS alerts • Warnings and Morning Hail Outlook for 1 alert area; Inbox WHAT PRO ADDS • Full archive to 2015: storm seasons, longer and custom ranges • Multiple states at once • Unlimited lookups and PDF hail history reports • Historical radar replay from any report pin • Storm Report alerts, Evening Storm Summary, unlimited alert areas • Street View and Directions Hail Yeah Pro is $9.99/month or $79.99/year (US; varies by region), each with a 14-day free trial. Cancel anytime in your App Store subscription settings. No commitment; the free tier stays usable if you never subscribe. Subscriptions renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Reports are public NWS/SPC local storm reports and may contain errors or omissions: a starting point, not a guarantee. Hail Maps is not affiliated with NOAA.

Screenshots

WhatTheHail?4 screens
Hail Maps4 screens

Verdict

The call

WhatTheHail? and Hail Maps are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. WhatTheHail? sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Hail Maps sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WhatTheHail? ships an update every 6 weeks, Hail Maps every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
WhatTheHail? versus Hail Maps: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWhatTheHail?Hail Maps
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—10 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.5 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size78 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBenjamin FultonOSCAR GARCIA

In-app purchases

2 purchases

WhatTheHail?

Subscriptions2
  • WhatTheHail+ Monthly$4.991 Month
  • WhatTheHail+ Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
2 purchases

Hail Maps

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly14 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Pro Annual14 Days trial$79.991 Year

Questions

Is WhatTheHail? free?
WhatTheHail? is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hail Maps free?
Hail Maps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do WhatTheHail? or Hail Maps have ads?
Neither WhatTheHail? nor Hail Maps shows ads.
Which is updated more often, WhatTheHail? or Hail Maps?
WhatTheHail? ships an update every 6 weeks, and Hail Maps every 4 weeks. Most recently, WhatTheHail? was updated on October 18, 2026 and Hail Maps on October 20, 2026.

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