Real vs Lightning Tracker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Lightning Tracker
Track lightning strikes in real-time with live maps and receive push notifications before storms arrive. View precipitation radar, storm intensity hotspots, and NOAA's severe weather outlook. Rewind up to 24 hours of storm activity.
- Live lightning strike map
- Push notifications for lightning alerts
- 2-hour precipitation radar playback
- Storm intensity hotspots
- NOAA severe storm outlook
- 24-hour storm rewind
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See every lightning strike as it happens — and get a push before the storm is overhead. Lightning Tracker turns NOAA's GOES weather satellite into your personal storm warning system. Strikes appear on the map within seconds of hitting the ground, updated every 20 seconds, so you can watch storm cells form, move, and fade in real time. LIVE STRIKE MAP • Every strike plotted live from NOAA's GOES lightning sensor • Color-coded by age — instantly see where the storm is right now, not 15 minutes ago • Nearest-strike card shows exactly how far away lightning is and which direction it's moving ALERTS THAT FIND YOU • Set your alert radius and get a push notification the moment lightning strikes inside it • Watch multiple places at once — home, the cabin, the ballpark, grandma's house • Alerts work even when the app is closed KNOW WHAT'S COMING • Radar: 2-hour precipitation playback, frame by frame — see the rain that rides with the storm • Hotspots: live storm zones ranked by intensity and distance from you • Forecast: NOAA's official severe-storm outlook for today, tomorrow, and day 3 REWIND THE STORM • Scrub back through 24 hours of lightning, hour by hour • See exactly where last night's storm tracked — and whether it hit your street BUILT FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED TO KNOW Golfers, boaters, hikers, coaches, event organizers, storm watchers, and anyone who's ever stood on an open field wondering if that rumble was close. If lightning is within your radius, you'll know before you hear the thunder. LIGHTNING TRACKER PRO Go further with Pro: extend your alert radius up to 186 miles, unlock radar playback and the 24-hour storm rewind, and watch unlimited saved locations. Free users get the live strike map and alerts up to 31 miles — forever. Download now and never get caught in the open again. Privacy Policy: https://lightningmap.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Real at free against Lightning Tracker's freemium. Real also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 4 weeks). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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
Both are free to download. Real sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month and Lightning Tracker sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Real against 5.0 for Lightning Tracker. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 8 respectively.
Real ships an update every 5 days, Lightning Tracker every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Real | Lightning Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (6 ratings) | 5.0 (8 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 6 | 8 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Robert Abraham | Kurt Higa |
Customer experience
Real
Lightning Tracker
In-app purchases
Real
- Unlock all Features$0.991 Month
Lightning Tracker
- Lightning Tracker Pro Weekly$2.997 Days
- Lightning Tracker Pro Annual3 Days trial$19.991 Year
Questions
Is Real free?
Is Lightning Tracker free?
Which has better reviews, Real or Lightning Tracker?
Do Real or Lightning Tracker have ads?
Which is updated more often, Real or Lightning Tracker?
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