# Hotspot Earth vs Synoptic Weather

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Synoptic Weather at none against Hotspot Earth's 2. Synoptic Weather also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.2). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hotspot Earth sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Synoptic Weather asks for nothing beyond the download.

Hotspot Earth ships an update weekly, Synoptic Weather every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hotspot Earth | Synoptic Weather |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/synoptic-weather/id6811823011/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **2** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 38 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.2 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [James Grote](https://appshunter.io/developer/338517204) | [Sharon Shalem](https://appshunter.io/developer/6780747970) |

## What reviewers say

### Hotspot Earth

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hotspot-earth-realtime-data/id6767672080)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Lifetime Access | $19.99 | one-time |


### Synoptic Weather

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/synoptic-weather/id6811823011)

Visualize rain patterns with an animated map and access a 16-day forecast for any location. Get detailed sea and air quality information, with widgets for quick access. No sign-up or ads are required.

**Highlights:** Animated rain map (6 hours past/future), 16-day detailed forecast, Sea and wave conditions, Air quality index and dust warnings, Map search and current location forecast, Home and Lock Screen widgets

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hotspot Earth free?

Hotspot Earth is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Synoptic Weather free?

Synoptic Weather is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Hotspot Earth or Synoptic Weather have ads?

Neither Hotspot Earth nor Synoptic Weather shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hotspot Earth or Synoptic Weather?

Hotspot Earth ships an update weekly, and Synoptic Weather every 5 days. Most recently, Hotspot Earth was updated on October 31, 2026 and Synoptic Weather on November 6, 2026.

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