# Lightning Radar vs Downstrike

The clearest difference is update cadence: Downstrike at every 9 days against Lightning Radar's monthly. Downstrike also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.1). Lightning Radar's advantage is ratings volume (20 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Lightning Radar against 5.0 for Downstrike. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lightning Radar has 20 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Lightning Radar ships an update monthly, Downstrike every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Lightning Radar | Downstrike |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightning-radar/id6785224181/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/downstrike/id6808016845/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **20** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 7 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.1 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Koode](https://appshunter.io/developer/1561601384) | [Noah Zimmerman](https://appshunter.io/developer/1881068310) |

## What reviewers say

### Lightning Radar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightning-radar/id6785224181)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Downstrike

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/downstrike/id6808016845)

Visualize live lightning strikes and their corresponding thunder sounds on a detailed map. Track storms with distance rings, wind flow, and rain radar. Receive severe weather alerts and minute-by-minute rain forecasts for your area.

**Highlights:** Live lightning strike visualization, Real-time thunder sound simulation, Storm tracking with distance rings, Wind flow and rain radar layers, Severe weather and tornado warnings, Minute-by-minute rain forecast

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Lightning Radar free?

Lightning Radar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Downstrike free?

Downstrike is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Lightning Radar or Downstrike?

Downstrike is rated higher. Lightning Radar averages 5.0 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Downstrike averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Lightning Radar or Downstrike have ads?

Neither Lightning Radar nor Downstrike shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Lightning Radar or Downstrike?

Lightning Radar ships an update monthly, and Downstrike every 9 days. Most recently, Lightning Radar was updated on November 10, 2026 and Downstrike on November 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*