Lightning Radar vs Lightning Map
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lightning Radar
Track lightning strikes globally in real time with live alerts and detailed storm information. View strike locations, distances, and directions on an interactive map, and receive notifications as storms approach.
- Real-time lightning strike map
- Customizable lightning alerts
- Lock screen and Dynamic Island storm updates
- Nearby radar and strike distance
- Live chart of nearby storm activity
- Search and save locations
- Private by design, no tracking or ads
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Lightning Radar shows you where lightning is striking, around you and around the world, in real time. LIGHTNING ALERTS Now you can be warned before a storm reaches you. Turn on Lightning Alerts and get a notification when strikes land within your chosen radius, around where you are and around any saved places you choose to watch. The alerts step up as a storm closes in, and they are tuned not to over-notify: once it is right on top of you, they stop repeating. Tap an alert to jump straight to that strike on the map. Alerts stay off until you switch them on, and you can turn them off any time. Turn on Background location and they can follow you as you move, still sending only the same coarse grid cell, so you stay covered on the road as well as at home. ON YOUR LOCK SCREEN While a storm is nearby, a Storm Live Activity keeps the nearest-strike distance on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets show the live count of strikes near you at a glance. NEARBY RADAR See the closest strike to you at a glance: how far away it is, which direction it's in, and how long ago it hit. An animated radar dial sweeps through the strikes within your chosen range and turns to your compass heading, so "up" is the way you're facing. Set the range anywhere from 5 km out to 5,000 km. NEARBY ACTIVITY A live chart shows strikes per minute near you over the last several minutes, so you can tell whether a storm is building or moving off. Tap any strike to jump straight to it on the map. LIVE WORLD MAP Every strike detected by the Blitzortung.org volunteer network appears within seconds. From each one a ring spreads outward at the speed of sound, the way thunder travels, so you can watch a storm move and sense how far off it is. MADE TO EXPLORE • Search any place and jump to it • Save the spots you care about for one-tap access • Switch between a light or dark map • Distances in kilometres or miles • A live readout shows how far behind real time the feed is running IN YOUR LANGUAGE Lightning Radar is translated into 35 languages, from the map and the radar to alerts, widgets and the Storm Live Activity. It follows the language your phone is set to, or you can give the app a language of its own in Settings. Distances, dates and times follow whichever you pick. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no sign-up, no tracking, no ads, no third-party analytics. The map and radar run entirely on your device: your precise location is used only to place the radar around you and never leaves your phone. Lightning Alerts are the one exception, and only if you turn them on. To work out which strikes are near you, the app sends an anonymous notification token, your alert radius, and a coarse location: a grid cell roughly a fifth of your radius across, never your exact position. That goes to our own server (on our own hardware in the EU), is used only to find nearby lightning and deliver the alert through Apple, and is tied to no identity. Turn alerts off and it is deleted. ABOUT THE DATA Strike data comes from Blitzortung.org, a community network of volunteer-run detectors, and is free for personal, non-commercial use. Coverage isn't perfect and strikes can be missed or delayed, so please don't rely on Lightning Radar for anything safety-critical.
Lightning Map
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Lightning Map - Storm Radar is your ultimate real-time lightning tracker and severe weather alert companion. Stay ahead of dangerous thunder strikes, sudden storms, and heavy rain with live interactive radar maps and instant safety notifications. Whether you're playing golf, hiking, boating, fishing, camping, or relaxing at home, Lightning Map gives you exact pin-point accuracy on lightning strikes in your immediate area. KEY FEATURES: REAL-TIME LIGHTNING TRACKER • View live lightning strikes across the globe as they happen. • See precise strike distance, exact timestamp, and flash polarity. • Monitor storm movement and strike frequency in real time. ACCURATE PROXIMITY ALERTS • Get instant push notifications when lightning strikes near your location. • Customizable alert radius (e.g., 5 miles, 10 miles, 20 miles). • Early safety warnings to seek shelter before severe weather hits. INTERACTIVE STORM RADAR & MAP • High-resolution dark mode radar map optimized for fast loading. • Multi-layer display: lightning strikes, precipitation radar, storm cells, and clouds. • Smooth pan, zoom, and location auto-tracking. STORM HISTORY & ANALYTICS • Replay recent lightning activity to track storm trajectories. • Historical heatmaps showing high lightning density areas. • Detailed strike counter and storm intensity metrics. PERFECT FOR: • Outdoor Sports & Golfers: Get alerted before thunderstorms endanger your game. • Boaters & Fishermen: Essential maritime safety tool for open waters. • Hikers, Campers & Runners: Know when to take cover on the trail. • Parents & Coaches: Keep outdoor sports practices and events safe. • Weather Enthusiasts & Storm Chasers: Professional-grade strike detection data. WHY LIGHTNING MAP - STORM RADAR? Designed with ultra-fast data feeds and minimal battery consumption, Lightning Map delivers critical weather safety information when seconds count. Download Lightning Map - Storm Radar today and stay protected against severe weather! Privacy Policy:https://doc-hosting.flycricket.io/lightning-alert-privacy-policy/1f4af0c2-156d-43cb-8b0c-791d5c23a36a/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Lightning Radar at none against Lightning Map's 2. Lightning Map's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.1). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. Lightning Map sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Lightning Radar asks for nothing beyond the download.
Lightning Radar ships an update monthly, Lightning Map every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lightning Radar | Lightning Map |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (12 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 12 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.1 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Koode | Tirin |
In-app purchases
Lightning Radar
No in-app purchases
Lightning Map
- Lightning Map Monthly Premium$2.991 Month
- Lightning Map Lifetime Premium$6.99
Questions
Is Lightning Radar free?
Is Lightning Map free?
Do Lightning Radar or Lightning Map have ads?
Which is updated more often, Lightning Radar or Lightning Map?
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