Comparison

NextDrop vs Lightning Tracker

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

Head to head
About

NextDrop

Features
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NextDrop tells you exactly when rain will start and stop at your location — not "60% chance today", but "rain in 12 minutes, lasting about half an hour". MINUTE-BY-MINUTE FORECAST See precipitation minute by minute for the next hour, and hour by hour beyond that. NextDrop names what is actually falling: rain, snow, sleet or freezing rain. ALERTS BEFORE THE FIRST DROP Get a notification before rain reaches you, with the lead time you choose. Set how heavy it has to be before you want to hear about it, and set quiet hours so nothing wakes you at 3am. NextDrop can also tell you when the rain has stopped. ANIMATED RADAR Watch precipitation move across a live radar map — 90 minutes of history and four hours ahead, so you can see whether a shower is heading for you or passing by. COMPARE THE FORECAST MODELS See what the major weather models say side by side: GFS, ECMWF and ICON. When they agree, you can trust the forecast. When they disagree, NextDrop tells you that too, instead of pretending to a confidence nobody has. YOUR PLACES Save up to 20 places and switch between them instantly — home, work, the school run, wherever you are heading this weekend. SUBSCRIPTION NextDrop Premium unlocks everything above, and every plan starts with a 7-day free trial. - NextDrop Premium Monthly: $4.99 per month - NextDrop Premium Yearly: $49.99 per year Payment is charged to your Apple Account when the free trial ends. The subscription renews automatically at the same price unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the current period ends. Manage or cancel it any time in your Apple Account settings. Rain data is minute-level nowcast data, most accurate within the next hour and for your immediate area. Privacy Policy: https://nextdrop.planthelper.org/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://nextdrop.planthelper.org/terms

About

Lightning Tracker

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KNOW BEFORE IT STRIKES BOLT tracks live lightning activity around your location and turns raw strike data into a clear answer to one question: is a storm coming toward you, and how close is it? BOLT is a subscription app. Every feature described below is part of BOLT Premium and requires a paid, auto-renewing subscription. There is no free version and no free trial. LIVE STRIKE MAP See real lightning activity plotted on a live map centered on you. Track distance and direction so you always know exactly where the danger is. RISK INSTRUMENT PANEL A precision-instrument risk gauge reads current conditions and a forecast timeline built on live thunderstorm data, giving you an at-a-glance read on how dangerous the next few hours look. MOVEMENT TRACKING BOLT compares multiple strike observations over time to detect whether activity is approaching, retreating, or holding steady, so you are not just seeing a snapshot, you are seeing a trend. PROXIMITY ALERTS Set custom alert distances for nearby lightning, approaching storms, high risk conditions, and severe activity. Quiet hours, haptics, and sound options let you tune alerts to how you actually want to be warned. SAVED LOCATIONS Monitor more than just where you are. Save home, work, a golf course, marina, campsite, or school, and get lightning alerts and risk information for every place you care about. STRIKE HISTORY Review strike activity over the last 1, 6, or 24 hours with a clear chart of nearby strikes over time, so you can see how a storm actually developed. HOME SCREEN WIDGET Add the Nearest Lightning widget to your Home Screen for the latest cached strike distance, recency, and risk state without opening the app. DESIGNED LIKE AN INSTRUMENT BOLT uses a dark, precision-instrument design inspired by automotive gauges, aviation radar, and titanium hardware, built to be read quickly and clearly in changing light. PRIVACY-RESPECTING BY DESIGN Location access is used only to calculate strike distance and bearing. BOLT does not request continuous high-accuracy tracking, and the app can be used with a manually selected location instead of your current one. BOLT PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION BOLT Premium is a paid, auto-renewing subscription offered as a weekly or a yearly plan. The exact price for your region is shown in the app before you subscribe. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase, and the subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel it at any time in your Apple Account settings. Whether you are heading out on the water, onto a golf course, into the mountains, or just want to know if it is safe to be outside, BOLT gives you a clear, immediate answer. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://lightning-landing.avilletardpiano.workers.dev/privacy

Screenshots

NextDrop4 screens
Lightning Tracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: NextDrop at every 10 days against Lightning Tracker's every 2 months. NextDrop also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. NextDrop sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Lightning Tracker sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NextDrop ships an update every 10 days, Lightning Tracker every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
NextDrop versus Lightning Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNextDropLightning Tracker
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFaruque Ahamed MollickAugustin Villetard

In-app purchases

2 purchases

NextDrop

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year
2 purchases

Lightning Tracker

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Weekly$9.997 Days
  • Premium Yearly$29.991 Year

Questions

Is NextDrop free?
NextDrop is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lightning Tracker free?
Lightning Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do NextDrop or Lightning Tracker have ads?
Neither NextDrop nor Lightning Tracker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NextDrop or Lightning Tracker?
NextDrop ships an update every 10 days, and Lightning Tracker every 2 months. Most recently, NextDrop was updated on October 25, 2026 and Lightning Tracker on November 3, 2026.

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