Comparison

Before It Strikes vs Lightning Tracker & Thunder

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

Head to head
About

Before It Strikes

This app provides real-time severe weather alerts and lightning prediction. It offers a 30-minute safety countdown after lightning strikes and displays high-resolution 3D radar. Receive instant National Weather Service warnings for any saved location.

Highlights
  • Lightning safety countdown
  • Official NWS alerts
  • Hi-res 3D radar
  • Storm Center overview
  • Heads-up storm notifications
  • Apple Watch integration
Features
Read full description

Severe weather, before it happens. You shouldn't find out about a storm when the first bolt hits. Before It Strikes watches the sky for you — pushing official National Weather Service warnings the instant they're issued, tracking storms headed your way, and counting down exactly when it's safe to go back outside. Free. Nationwide. Built for anyone who has to make the call to head inside. -Lightning safety countdown When lightning strikes within 10 miles, a 30-minute timer starts — and resets with every nearby strike, just like the 30-30 rule the pros use. When it reaches zero, you're clear. It lives right on your Lock Screen and Apple Watch. -Official NWS alerts, instantly Tornado, severe thunderstorm, and flash-flood warnings straight from the National Weather Service — for home, the lake house, the kids' school, anywhere you save. With a live expiration countdown, plain-English guidance, and every affected county. - Hi-res 3D radar Crisp, smooth radar you can tilt into 3D and zoom to your own street. 150+ live radar sites, nationwide — pan to any storm in the country. - Storm Center One screen that reads the sky: a 1–5 threat level, live lightning rate, the nearest strike, the next-6-hour outlook, and local storm reports as they land. - See it coming A heads-up when a storm is overhead or heading your way — with tornado, wind, and hail threats in plain words, before the first bolt. - On your wrist The all-clear countdown mirrors to your Apple Watch as a glowing ring — a glance tells you whether it's safe to go back out. - Follows you Save every place you care about, or let it track wherever you are. Loud when it counts, silent when it doesn't. No subscription. No paywall on safety. Every feature, free. A note on safety Official National Weather Service warnings are always the source of truth. Some features — such as lightning prediction and storm scoring — are experimental situational awareness and should never be used in place of official warnings or lightning-safety guidance. When in doubt, seek shelter.

About

Lightning Tracker & Thunder

Features
Read full description

See lightning strikes in real time — on a live map, on your wrist, and in push alerts when storms move toward you. Lightning Tracker shows where thunder is happening right now: individual strikes colour-coded by age, storm hotspots with strike rate and drift, precipitation radar, a world overview of active regions, and strike history you can scrub through like a timeline. WHY LIGHTNING TRACKER • Real-time lightning map centred on your location • Nearest-strike distance, direction, and trend (closing in or moving away) • Storm cells with strike count, rate per minute, and drift direction • Animated precipitation radar overlay • World view of active storm regions worldwide • Strike history with playback — see what already happened • Flash-to-Bang timer — estimate distance from flash to thunder • Storm-risk forecast and official severe-weather alerts nearby • Push notifications for lightning near your saved locations • Home Screen widget, Apple Watch, and Mac menu bar — glanceable updates everywhere STAY AHEAD OF THE STORM Save alert locations for home, work, the ball field, or anywhere that matters. Choose your radius and quiet hours. Premium unlocks unlimited locations, background monitoring, radar, history, and every platform. Built for iPhone, iPad, and Mac with one Universal Purchase. IMPORTANT: Lightning Tracker is for informational use only. Always follow official local warnings and seek shelter when thunderstorms are near. Data coverage varies by region. Download Lightning Tracker and know when thunder is getting close — before you hear it. Terms: https://lightningtracker.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/terms.html Privacy: https://lightningtracker.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

Before It Strikes4 screens
Lightning Tracker & Thunder4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Lightning Tracker & Thunder at every 2 days against Before It Strikes's weekly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Before It Strikes ships an update weekly, Lightning Tracker & Thunder every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Before It Strikes versus Lightning Tracker & Thunder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBefore It StrikesLightning Tracker & Thunder
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCody NegriFeynman EinsteinAI Note Taker OU

In-app purchases

None

Before It Strikes

No in-app purchases

None

Lightning Tracker & Thunder

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Before It Strikes free?
Before It Strikes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Lightning Tracker & Thunder free?
Lightning Tracker & Thunder is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Before It Strikes or Lightning Tracker & Thunder have ads?
Neither Before It Strikes nor Lightning Tracker & Thunder shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Before It Strikes or Lightning Tracker & Thunder?
Before It Strikes ships an update weekly, and Lightning Tracker & Thunder every 2 days. Most recently, Before It Strikes was updated on September 23, 2026 and Lightning Tracker & Thunder on September 24, 2026.

Other comparisons