Comparison

Bolted vs Real

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
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

Real

Track lightning strikes in real-time with live satellite data and high-definition radar. Get instant alerts when storms are near your location and customize notification settings for a clear, fast view of the sky.

Highlights
  • Live satellite lightning detection
  • High-definition radar overlay
  • Customizable strike bubble alerts
  • Color-coded strike intensity
  • Watch app with live map
  • Lock screen and home screen widgets
Features
Read full description

See lightning the moment it strikes, and know the instant it's headed for you. Most lightning apps blink a few dots on a plain map and call it a day. MesoSky Lightning is a different animal: a real-time storm instrument that fuses satellite lightning detection with high-definition radar into one fast, beautiful screen. If you take the sky seriously, this is the lightning tracker you've been waiting for. REAL-TIME STRIKES, STRAIGHT FROM ORBIT • Live cloud-to-ground and in-cloud flashes from the GOES-18 and GOES-19 satellites' Geostationary Lightning Mapper. Strikes appear moments after they happen. • Every strike is color-coded by strength, so one glance tells a distant flicker from a violent close hit. • Tap any strike for the full story: a strength gauge, optical energy, footprint size, exact distance, and how long ago it struck. WIDGETS! Lock Screen, Home Screen WATCH APP with MAP! YOUR STRIKE BUBBLE • Draw a radius around your live location, or pin any spot, from 1 to 100 miles. • See the nearest strike's distance and direction, the total count around you, and how many are strong or intense, all updating live. ALERTS THAT RESPECT YOU • Get a push the instant lightning enters your bubble, even with the app closed. • You set the rules: how often you're notified (every 5, 15, or 30 minutes) and for how long (the next hour, 6 hours, 12 hours, or until you turn it off). • No spam, no nagging. Just the heads-up you actually want. HIGH-DEFINITION RADAR UNDERNEATH • Full-resolution NEXRAD Level 2 base reflectivity, rendered live. The same data meteorologists use, auto-tuned to the closest radar to you. • Dial in the dBZ filter and opacity to see exactly the storm you care about. READ THE STORM AT A GLANCE • Intensity glow that heats up where the strongest strikes cluster. • Footprint and activity overlays that turn storm chaos into a clear read. RIGHT ON YOUR WRIST • A live lightning map on your Apple Watch, centered on you or anywhere you pan, with every strike color-coded by strength just like the phone. • Tap any strike on your wrist for its strength, distance, direction, age, and footprint. • Set your time window (15, 30, or 60 minutes) and toggle intensity coloring right from the watch. • Watch face complications keep the strike count, the closest strike's distance and direction, and how many are strong or intense one glance away. • Your complications stay current, so a flick of the wrist is always a fresh read on the sky. BUILT BEAUTIFULLY • A clean, fast, glass interface designed to be understood in a flash. Full dark, fluid motion, and haptics throughout. • Your location is used only to center the map and power your alerts. Never sold, never used to track you. Whether you're a storm chaser, pilot, golfer, coach, or a parent watching the sky over the ballfield, MesoSky Lightning gives you the clearest, fastest read on the sky in your pocket. — Terms of Use (EULA): https://mesosky.com/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://mesosky.com/privacy/ MesoSky Lightning Pro is a $0.99/month auto-renewing subscription with a 3-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation and renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings.

Screenshots

Bolted4 screens
Real4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Real at free against Bolted's free with in-app purchases. Real also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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 Real sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Bolted against 4.9 for Real. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 11 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bolted ships an update fortnightly, Real every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Bolted versus Real: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBoltedReal
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (9 ratings) — better4.9 (11 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings911 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.518.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHitt Foundry LLCRobert Abraham

Customer experience

Bolted

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Real

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Bolted

Subscriptions2
  • Bolted Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Bolted Pro Annual$24.991 Year
1 purchases

Real

Subscriptions1
  • Unlock all Features$0.991 Month

Questions

Is Bolted free?
Bolted is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Real free?
Real is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Bolted or Real?
Bolted is rated higher. Bolted averages 5.0 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Real averages 4.9 from 11 ratings.
Do Bolted or Real have ads?
Neither Bolted nor Real shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bolted or Real?
Bolted ships an update fortnightly, and Real every 5 days. Most recently, Bolted was updated on October 31, 2026 and Real on October 31, 2026.

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