Comparison

Bolted vs StrikeCast

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

Head to head
About

Bolted

Receive real-time lightning alerts and safety guidance. Create custom zones to monitor, get shelter countdowns, and receive notifications when it's safe to go outside. Features include live activity updates and Apple Watch integration.

Highlights
  • Real-time lightning monitoring
  • Custom Watch Zones
  • Shelter countdowns
  • Live Activity updates
  • Apple Watch integration
  • Customizable notification frequency
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Bolted helps you know when lightning is nearby and when it is reasonable to return outside. Great for parents, coaches, and anyone else spending time outside. Create lightning Watch Zones for the places you care about, get lightning alerts when strikes are detected nearby, and follow a clear shelter countdown until conditions improve. Bolted can notify you when the shelter period has ended, show Live Activity updates on your Lock Screen, and keep key status visible from Apple Watch. Features: - Real-time lightning monitoring at current location - See thunder shockwaves in real-time for each strike - GPU-optimized lightning animations and haptics for each strike (you see it and feel it) - Lightning notifications for saved Watch Zones - Countdown to all clear after nearby strikes - All-clear notifications after 30 minutes with no detected lightning - Lock Screen and Dynamic Island Live Activity - Apple Watch Live Activity view - Custom Watch Zone radius - Lightning status: Shelter, Caution, Clear - Recent strike distance and timing - Notification frequency controls - Mute notifications temporarily - Share live storm view with others - Distance metrics in miles or kilometers Terms of Service: https://www.boltedapp.com/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://www.boltedapp.com/privacy.html

About

StrikeCast

This app provides real-time lightning strike distance and live alerts on a map. Save locations to receive notifications when lightning is detected nearby, even when you're away. It offers a clean interface with no ad clutter.

Highlights
  • Real-time lightning strike distance
  • Live map of lightning activity
  • Customizable alerts for saved locations
  • Distance in miles or kilometers
  • Approaching and moving-away trends (Pro)
  • Animated weather radar (Pro)
Read full description

How close is the lightning? StrikeCast: Lightning Tracker puts the answer front and center. See the approximate distance to the nearest detected strike in miles/km, follow activity on a clean live map, and set alerts for the places you care about. DISTANCE AT A GLANCE • See the nearest detected strike without searching through the map • View distance in miles or kilometers • Check when the latest nearby strike was detected • Explore latest strikes and lightning hotspots • Built on NOAA GOES satellite lightning data ALERTS FOR PLACES THAT MATTER Save a location and choose an alert radius. StrikeCast can notify you when lightning is detected nearby, even when you are somewhere else. Monitor home, work, school, or any place you want to keep an eye on. CALM, CLEAR DESIGN No noisy dashboard and no ad clutter. When the area is quiet, StrikeCast says so. When lightning is nearby, the distance stays easy to find. UPGRADE TO PRO • Real-time strike data with no added free-tier delay • Approaching and moving-away trends • More saved locations and flexible alert radii • Animated weather radar • 12-hour thunderstorm forecast • Extended lightning range PRIVACY FIRST No ads. No cross-app tracking. Your location is used to calculate distance and power the alerts you choose. Lightning detection has inherent latency and location uncertainty. Distances are approximate. StrikeCast is informational and is not a substitute for official weather warnings or emergency guidance. Privacy Policy: https://strikecast.app/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://strikecast.app/terms

Screenshots

Bolted4 screens
StrikeCast4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Bolted at 5.0 against StrikeCast's 4.2. Bolted also leads on chart position (#196 vs unranked). StrikeCast's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.5). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Bolted sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and StrikeCast sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Bolted holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 5 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bolted ships an update fortnightly, StrikeCast every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Bolted versus StrikeCast: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBoltedStrikeCast
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings) — better4.2 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings55
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#196 — better—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.515.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB66 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHitt Foundry LLCKirill Proskurin

Customer experience

Bolted

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

StrikeCast

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Bolted

Subscriptions2
  • Bolted Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Bolted Pro Annual$39.991 Year
3 purchases

StrikeCast

Subscriptions3
  • StrikeCast Pro$4.997 Days
  • StrikeCast Pro$12.991 Month
  • Lightning Tracker: Distance Pro3 Days trial$33.991 Year

Questions

Is Bolted free?
Bolted is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is StrikeCast free?
StrikeCast is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Bolted or StrikeCast?
Bolted is rated higher. Bolted averages 5.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while StrikeCast averages 4.2 from 5 ratings.
Do Bolted or StrikeCast have ads?
Neither Bolted nor StrikeCast shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bolted or StrikeCast?
Bolted ships an update fortnightly, and StrikeCast every 4 days. Most recently, Bolted was updated on September 22, 2026 and StrikeCast on October 2, 2026.

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