# Lightning Storm Simulator vs US Tide Charts

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: US Tide Charts at 15.0 against Lightning Storm Simulator's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Lightning Storm Simulator sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and US Tide Charts sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Lightning Storm Simulator ships an update every 6 weeks, US Tide Charts every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Lightning Storm Simulator | US Tide Charts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Size | 13 MB | 85 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Qvyshift LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1536442361) | [kota tada](https://appshunter.io/developer/1658942612) |

## What reviewers say

### Lightning Storm Simulator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightning-storm-simulator/id6762096274)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Halloween Sound Effects | $4.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $4.99 | one-time |


### US Tide Charts

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/us-tide-charts-marevia/id6797709399)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium (1 month) | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium (1 year) | $49.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Lightning Storm Simulator free?

Lightning Storm Simulator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is US Tide Charts free?

US Tide Charts is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Lightning Storm Simulator or US Tide Charts have ads?

Both Lightning Storm Simulator and US Tide Charts show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Lightning Storm Simulator or US Tide Charts?

Lightning Storm Simulator ships an update every 6 weeks, and US Tide Charts every 2 months. Most recently, Lightning Storm Simulator was updated on November 5, 2026 and US Tide Charts on November 6, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*