Comparison

Kestrel LiNK (Legacy) 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

Kestrel LiNK (Legacy)

This application connects to specific Kestrel weather meters, allowing users to view and manage data from their devices. It supports older firmware versions for the Drop and 5000 series models.

Highlights
  • Connects to Drop devices
  • Connects to 5000 series devices
  • View device data
  • Manage device data
  • Legacy firmware support
Features
Read full description

Kestrel LiNK Legacy edition is compatible with Drop and 5000 series devices with the following firmware: K5 1.43 or earlier  Drop 1.54 or earlier

About

Lightning Tracker‎

Monitor real-time lightning strikes on a map with detailed information like time and distance. Receive background notifications for nearby activity and customize your detection radius. View current weather conditions alongside lightning alerts.

Highlights
  • Real-time lightning strike map
  • Strike details (time, distance)
  • Background monitoring and notifications
  • Customizable detection radius (1-50 miles)
  • Current weather conditions view
  • Lightning strike expiration (15 minutes)
Features
Read full description

Track and monitor lightning strikes in realtime nearby to your location, with Lightning Tracker Live. Lightning strikes are presented on a map view, where you can tap on each marked lightning strike for more details, including: • Time of strike • Distance from your current location Lightning strikes will appear on the map view in realtime & will expire after 15 minutes, keeping you up to date with only the latest lightning activity all the time. The app will also work when in the background, periodically checking for any lightning strikes & notifying you if any do occur. As a default setting, the app will check/monitor at a radius of 25 miles within your location for lightning activity. This can be customized in the app settings from anywhere between 1 & 50 miles. Your chosen radius value will be saved for future use. Other features include an option to view your current weather conditions. We hope that you find this app useful. Please reach out to us via email support if you have any feedback or questions. Subscription: Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. If your subscription is subject to any promotional discount, the discount will expire upon the end of the current period and you'll be charged the standard rate upon renewal. Go to your iTunes Account under subscriptions to manage your membership and to turn auto-renew off. Your iTunes Account will be charged when the purchase is confirmed. Privacy Policy: https://goingmerry.xyz/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use: https://goingmerry.xyz/terms-conditions/

Screenshots

Kestrel LiNK (Legacy)1 screens
Lightning Tracker‎4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Lightning Tracker‎ at 4.4 against Kestrel LiNK (Legacy)'s 2.2. Lightning Tracker‎ also leads on ratings volume (172 vs 38). Kestrel LiNK (Legacy)'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ads (none vs shown). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Lightning Tracker‎ sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Kestrel LiNK (Legacy) asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lightning Tracker‎ holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 2.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 38 and 172 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 23% of Kestrel LiNK (Legacy)'s written reviews are positive against 8% of Lightning Tracker‎'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kestrel LiNK (Legacy) ships an update every 2 months, Lightning Tracker‎ every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Kestrel LiNK (Legacy) versus Lightning Tracker‎: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKestrel LiNK (Legacy)Lightning Tracker‎
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.2 (38 ratings)4.4 (172 ratings) — better
Positive reviews23.1% of reviews — better8.3% of reviews
Number of ratings38172 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB64 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNielsen-Kellerman Co.Going Merry LLC

Customer experience

Kestrel LiNK (Legacy)

All ratings38 ratings
Positive21.1%
Neutral7.9%
Negative71.1%
Written reviews39 reviews
Positive23.1%
Neutral20.5%
Negative56.4%

Lightning Tracker‎

All ratings172 ratings
Positive84.9%
Neutral3.5%
Negative11.6%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive8.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative91.7%

In-app purchases

None

Kestrel LiNK (Legacy)

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Lightning Tracker‎

Subscriptions6
  • Premium Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Premium Weekly$1.997 Days
  • Premium Weekly$2.997 Days
Show 3 more
  • Premium Yearly$6.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly$9.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Kestrel LiNK (Legacy) free?
Kestrel LiNK (Legacy) is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Lightning Tracker‎ free?
Lightning Tracker‎ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Kestrel LiNK (Legacy) or Lightning Tracker‎?
Lightning Tracker‎ is rated higher. Kestrel LiNK (Legacy) averages 2.2 out of 5 from 38 ratings, while Lightning Tracker‎ averages 4.4 from 172 ratings.
Do Kestrel LiNK (Legacy) or Lightning Tracker‎ have ads?
Lightning Tracker‎ shows ads; Kestrel LiNK (Legacy) does not.
Which is updated more often, Kestrel LiNK (Legacy) or Lightning Tracker‎?
Kestrel LiNK (Legacy) ships an update every 2 months, and Lightning Tracker‎ every 4 months. Most recently, Kestrel LiNK (Legacy) was updated on October 18, 2026 and Lightning Tracker‎ on October 17, 2026.

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