Kestrel LiNK (Legacy) vs Lightning Tracker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Connects to Drop devices
- Connects to 5000 series devices
- View device data
- Manage device data
- Legacy firmware support
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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
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.
- 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)
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Kestrel LiNK (Legacy) | Lightning Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.2 (38 ratings) | 4.4 (172 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 23.1% of reviews — better | 8.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 38 | 172 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 20 MB | 64 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nielsen-Kellerman Co. | Going Merry LLC |
Customer experience
Kestrel LiNK (Legacy)
Lightning Tracker
In-app purchases
Kestrel LiNK (Legacy)
No in-app purchases
Lightning Tracker
- Premium Monthly$0.991 Month
- Premium Weekly$1.997 Days
- Premium Weekly$2.997 Days
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- Premium Yearly$6.991 Year
- Premium Yearly$9.991 Year
- Premium Yearly$19.991 Year
Questions
Is Kestrel LiNK (Legacy) free?
Is Lightning Tracker free?
Which has better reviews, Kestrel LiNK (Legacy) or Lightning Tracker?
Do Kestrel LiNK (Legacy) or Lightning Tracker have ads?
Which is updated more often, Kestrel LiNK (Legacy) or Lightning Tracker?
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