FirstDrop Rain Radar vs Alani Surf
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
FirstDrop Rain Radar
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FirstDrop tells you when rain will reach where you are, before it does. THE IMPORTANT PART FIRST The app opens with a clear answer: "Rain in 14 min." Or: "Dry for the next two hours." The radar is at the top, with measurements underneath. No searching required. ALERTS THAT REACH YOU Get a push notification when rain is on the way. See a countdown on your lock screen as it approaches, or use the home screen widget. You don't need to open the app to get the answer. LIVE RAIN RADAR Animated rain radar powered by data from DMI, MET Norway, SMHI, FMI and EUMETNET OPERA. The radar covers Europe and shows how hard it is raining, measured by a national radar in the Nordics and estimated from the European radar composite elsewhere. Drag the timeline to see where the rain and showers are heading. SEVERE WEATHER IS FREE FOR EVERYONE Official weather warnings are sent directly to you, whether you pay for FirstDrop or not. The app does not replace official warnings. It passes them on and adds its own radar on top. FREE • Live rain radar and nowcast • Rain alerts for up to 3 locations • Follow-me alerts based on where you are right now • Lightning on the radar, widgets and weather warnings FIRSTDROP PREMIUM • Personal alerts: frost, slippery roads, snow, strong gusts, heat, lightning, and when the rain stops • Commute alerts: when rain will hit your trip, and when to leave to stay dry • Plan a day up to ten days ahead, with a heads-up the evening before • Rain history for your places, and the next dry stretch for a run • The most likely forecast, with the weather models weighted by how well they have matched the measured rain, and 48 hours of radar playback • Unlimited locations • Heavy rain alerts in the Nordics, so you are notified while there is still time to act • Quiet hours, which hold back rain alerts while you sleep $9.99/year or $1.99/month, with a 7-day free trial. Shareable with your family. Prices vary by region. PRIVACY Your location is personal data and is treated accordingly. Your data stays in the EU, is never sold and is not used to track you. No banner ads anywhere in the app. SUBSCRIPTION TERMS FirstDrop Premium costs $9.99/year or $1.99/month; the price in your region is shown in the app before you buy. The first 7 days are free. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the current subscription period ends. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when the purchase is confirmed. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://firstdrop.dk/privatlivspolitik
Alani Surf
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Your life around the waves. Surf forecast, surf reports, swell, tides and wind for the breaks you surf. Alani Surf reads the buoys and the swell models, learns the sessions you rate highest, and tells you when to go. Then it keeps the rest of your surfing life in one place. KNOW WHEN TO GO Follow a break and Alani reads the buoys, swell models and tides against the sessions you rated highest there. When a morning lines up with your best ones, you get one quiet heads-up. No feed. No blast to everyone. THE REPORT, IN PLAIN WORDS Every break starts with a sentence, not a chart. Then faces in feet, swell, wind, water, wave power in kilojoules, tide, sunrise and sunset, a Best Time window, and seven days ahead hour by hour. WIND YOU CAN READ A wind chart coloured by what it does to the wave: offshore, glassy, cross or onshore, from sunrise to sunset. Clean windows spelled out. KEEP A RECORD OF YOUR SURFING LIFE Log the session while it is still fresh. Rate it 1 to 10. Conditions are already filled in. Add a line, a photo, where you stayed. Private by default. Share it with a few friends, your crew, or everyone. Over time the log becomes the breaks you have surfed, the trips you took and the sessions you still think about. TRAVEL BY THE BREAK Land somewhere new and start with the wave. From each break, find what surfers actually need nearby, measured from the water. Sip: independent coffee and juice, closest first. Stay: hotels, surf camps, hostels, yoga and recovery. Shop: surf shops, board rentals, ding repair and local shapers. Stoke: what is on tonight, from live music to a drink after dark. Pinned and rated by surfers who have been. Alani Approved means three of them stamped it. YOUR LINEUP Keep your crew close wherever you go. Share a session with a few friends, rally them when it is on, see where your people surfed. Secret spots stay secret. THE ETHOS Keep some things sacred. Share it your way. Call it like it is. Sponsored is always labelled. Stoke cannot be bought. Sign in with Apple, Google or an email code. No passwords. Free for surfers.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Alani Surf at none against FirstDrop Rain Radar's 2. Alani Surf also leads on ads (none vs shown). FirstDrop Rain Radar's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence 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. FirstDrop Rain Radar sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Alani Surf asks for nothing beyond the download.
FirstDrop Rain Radar ships an update every 2 days, Alani Surf every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | FirstDrop Rain Radar | Alani Surf |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 4 days |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 70 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Allan Noer | bundleIQ, Inc. |
In-app purchases
FirstDrop Rain Radar
- FirstDrop Premium7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- FirstDrop Premium7 Days trial$9.991 Year
Alani Surf
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is FirstDrop Rain Radar free?
Is Alani Surf free?
Do FirstDrop Rain Radar or Alani Surf have ads?
Which is updated more often, FirstDrop Rain Radar or Alani Surf?
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