Comparison

Weather Direct vs FirstDrop Rain Radar

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

Head to head
About

Weather Direct

This app provides clean, local weather forecasts, radar, and alerts without ads or unnecessary clutter. It focuses on delivering essential weather data quickly and efficiently, respecting user time and privacy.

Highlights
  • Current conditions and hourly/daily forecasts
  • Weather radar with playback controls
  • Local weather alerts
  • Tropical storm tracking
  • No ads or account requirement
  • Privacy-focused design
Features
Read full description

Local weather, hourly forecasts, radar and storm information. Weather Direct helps you see what’s happening now and plan what comes next, with a clean experience for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. All weather features are free. No ads, no subscriptions and no account required. PLAN YOUR DAY Check current conditions, feels-like temperature, rain chance, wind and gusts. Explore hourly temperature trends and the seven-day forecast, then tap a day for its available hourly details. Forecast times follow your selected location’s time zone. Look closer with humidity, pressure, visibility, dew point, sunrise and sunset, all presented in a readable layout. KEEP YOUR WEATHER IN VIEW Add Current Conditions and Weekly Forecast widgets to your Home Screen. Check conditions with a rectangular Lock Screen widget, or see more of the week with an extra-large iPad widget. Source and update times show how recent your weather is. Widget refreshes depend on system scheduling, connectivity and weather-source availability. FOLLOW RADAR AND CHANGING CONDITIONS Explore weather imagery with map playback and adjustable opacity. View active warnings, watches and advisories, including affected areas and official instructions where available. Follow tropical systems with basin filters, storm details and official advisory links. Radar, alert and tropical coverage varies by region and supported source. SAVE THE PLACES THAT MATTER Search for a city or use your device’s location. Save places you check often, revisit recent searches and choose your preferred units. Keep home, work and your next destination close at hand. WEATHER FROM PUBLIC SOURCES U.S. forecasts come from the National Weather Service. Forecasts outside the U.S. use MET Norway. Supported radar, alert and tropical information comes from official public sources, including NOAA and the National Hurricane Center. Weather requests go directly from your device to those services, with sources identified in the app. A SIMPLER, MORE PRIVATE WEATHER APP Weather Direct has no advertising or analytics SDKs, no advertising identifiers and no account sign-up. Your selected location is used to request its weather. Cached conditions and forecasts remain available during temporary connection problems, with update times shown. OPTIONAL SUPPORT Enjoy every weather feature for free. If you’d like to support continued development, you can leave a voluntary tip through an in-app purchase. Each tip is a separate purchase, unlocks no features and does not start a subscription. Download Weather Direct for a clearer view of the weather, wherever your day takes you. Weather alerts are displayed inside the app; Weather Direct does not send weather push notifications. It does not replace Wireless Emergency Alerts, NOAA Weather Radio or local emergency officials. Always follow official severe-weather guidance.

About

FirstDrop Rain Radar

Features
Read full description

FirstDrop tells you when rain will reach where you are, before it does. THE IMPORTANT PART FIRST The app opens with a clear answer: "Rain in 14 min." Or: "Dry for the next two hours." The radar is at the top, with measurements underneath. No searching required. ALERTS THAT REACH YOU Get a push notification when rain is on the way. See a countdown on your lock screen as it approaches, or use the home screen widget. You don't need to open the app to get the answer. LIVE RAIN RADAR Animated rain radar powered by data from DMI, MET Norway, SMHI, FMI and EUMETNET OPERA. The radar covers Europe and shows how hard it is raining, measured by a national radar in the Nordics and estimated from the European radar composite elsewhere. Drag the timeline to see where the rain and showers are heading. SEVERE WEATHER IS FREE FOR EVERYONE Official weather warnings are sent directly to you, whether you pay for FirstDrop or not. The app does not replace official warnings. It passes them on and adds its own radar on top. FREE • Live rain radar and nowcast • Rain alerts for up to 3 locations • Follow-me alerts based on where you are right now • Lightning on the radar, widgets and weather warnings FIRSTDROP PREMIUM • Personal alerts: frost, slippery roads, snow, strong gusts, heat, lightning, and when the rain stops • Commute alerts: when rain will hit your trip, and when to leave to stay dry • Plan a day up to ten days ahead, with a heads-up the evening before • Rain history for your places, and the next dry stretch for a run • The most likely forecast, with the weather models weighted by how well they have matched the measured rain, and 48 hours of radar playback • Unlimited locations • Heavy rain alerts in the Nordics, so you are notified while there is still time to act • Quiet hours, which hold back rain alerts while you sleep $9.99/year or $1.99/month, with a 7-day free trial. Shareable with your family. Prices vary by region. PRIVACY Your location is personal data and is treated accordingly. Your data stays in the EU, is never sold and is not used to track you. No banner ads anywhere in the app. SUBSCRIPTION TERMS FirstDrop Premium costs $9.99/year or $1.99/month; the price in your region is shown in the app before you buy. The first 7 days are free. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the current subscription period ends. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when the purchase is confirmed. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://firstdrop.dk/privatlivspolitik

Screenshots

Weather Direct4 screens
FirstDrop Rain Radar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Weather Direct at none against FirstDrop Rain Radar's 2. Weather Direct also leads on ads (none vs shown). FirstDrop Rain Radar's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 months). On price, device support 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. FirstDrop Rain Radar sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Weather Direct asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Weather Direct ships an update every 2 months, FirstDrop Rain Radar every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Weather Direct versus FirstDrop Rain Radar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWeather DirectFirstDrop Rain Radar
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size77 MB70 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Clairos Group,LLCAllan Noer

In-app purchases

None

Weather Direct

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

FirstDrop Rain Radar

Subscriptions2
  • FirstDrop Premium7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • FirstDrop Premium7 Days trial$9.991 Year

Questions

Is Weather Direct free?
Weather Direct is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is FirstDrop Rain Radar free?
FirstDrop Rain Radar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Weather Direct or FirstDrop Rain Radar have ads?
FirstDrop Rain Radar shows ads; Weather Direct does not.
Which is updated more often, Weather Direct or FirstDrop Rain Radar?
Weather Direct ships an update every 2 months, and FirstDrop Rain Radar every 2 days. Most recently, Weather Direct was updated on October 24, 2026 and FirstDrop Rain Radar on October 8, 2026.

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