Comparison

StormWatch vs Lightning Tracker

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

Head to head
About

StormWatch

Features
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StormWatch warns you of incoming storms based on sudden, rapid pressure drops, offering detailed pressure trends from 6 hours to 30 days. Whether you are a sailor, fisher, or weather enthusiast, know what's coming before it happens.

About

Lightning Tracker

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KNOW BEFORE IT STRIKES BOLT tracks live lightning activity around your location and turns raw strike data into a clear answer to one question: is a storm coming toward you, and how close is it? BOLT is a subscription app. Every feature described below is part of BOLT Premium and requires a paid, auto-renewing subscription. There is no free version and no free trial. LIVE STRIKE MAP See real lightning activity plotted on a live map centered on you. Track distance and direction so you always know exactly where the danger is. RISK INSTRUMENT PANEL A precision-instrument risk gauge reads current conditions and a forecast timeline built on live thunderstorm data, giving you an at-a-glance read on how dangerous the next few hours look. MOVEMENT TRACKING BOLT compares multiple strike observations over time to detect whether activity is approaching, retreating, or holding steady, so you are not just seeing a snapshot, you are seeing a trend. PROXIMITY ALERTS Set custom alert distances for nearby lightning, approaching storms, high risk conditions, and severe activity. Quiet hours, haptics, and sound options let you tune alerts to how you actually want to be warned. SAVED LOCATIONS Monitor more than just where you are. Save home, work, a golf course, marina, campsite, or school, and get lightning alerts and risk information for every place you care about. STRIKE HISTORY Review strike activity over the last 1, 6, or 24 hours with a clear chart of nearby strikes over time, so you can see how a storm actually developed. HOME SCREEN WIDGET Add the Nearest Lightning widget to your Home Screen for the latest cached strike distance, recency, and risk state without opening the app. DESIGNED LIKE AN INSTRUMENT BOLT uses a dark, precision-instrument design inspired by automotive gauges, aviation radar, and titanium hardware, built to be read quickly and clearly in changing light. PRIVACY-RESPECTING BY DESIGN Location access is used only to calculate strike distance and bearing. BOLT does not request continuous high-accuracy tracking, and the app can be used with a manually selected location instead of your current one. BOLT PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION BOLT Premium is a paid, auto-renewing subscription offered as a weekly or a yearly plan. The exact price for your region is shown in the app before you subscribe. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase, and the subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel it at any time in your Apple Account settings. Whether you are heading out on the water, onto a golf course, into the mountains, or just want to know if it is safe to be outside, BOLT gives you a clear, immediate answer. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://lightning-landing.avilletardpiano.workers.dev/privacy

Screenshots

StormWatch2 screens
Lightning Tracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: StormWatch at none against Lightning Tracker's 2. StormWatch also leads on device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads and iOS requirement 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 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 7 days. StormWatch asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
StormWatch versus Lightning Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStormWatchLightning Tracker
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB17 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperJohn Hatton-EdgeAugustin Villetard

In-app purchases

None

StormWatch

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Lightning Tracker

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Weekly$9.997 Days
  • Premium Yearly$29.991 Year

Questions

Is StormWatch free?
StormWatch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Lightning Tracker free?
Lightning Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do StormWatch or Lightning Tracker have ads?
Neither StormWatch nor Lightning Tracker shows ads.

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