Comparison

Cyclone vs Guidepole

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

Head to head
About

Cyclone

This app provides real-time weather insights with live satellite imagery and storm tracking for hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones worldwide. Explore dynamic maps with smooth zoom and pan, access forecasts, and customize animation playback for a tailored experience.

Highlights
  • Live satellite imagery
  • Global storm tracking
  • Interactive map exploration
  • 10-day forecasts
  • Customizable animation speed
  • Sunrise/sunset times
Read full description

Stay informed and prepared with Cyclone, the comprehensive weather app delivering real-time insights and stunning visuals. Live Satellite Imagery Experience high-resolution cloud cover animations for North America, Europe, Japan, Australia, and parts of Russia. Powered by trusted sources like NOAA-NASA GOES, EUMETSAT, SPC, and GDAC for accurate, global weather data. Track Storms Worldwide Monitor hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones with precise projected paths and detailed forecasts. Toggle between ground station data and satellite imagery for a complete view of weather conditions. Interactive Exploration Navigate dynamic terrain, satellite, or standard maps with smooth zoom and pan functionality. Access current weather, 10-day forecasts, and sunrise/sunset times in an intuitive pop-up window. Seamless and Customizable Enjoy fast performance and fluid animations, even on low-bandwidth networks. Control animation playback and speed for a tailored experience.

About

Guidepole

Track active wildfires and monitor smoke plumes with real-time air quality data. Get 24-hour forecasts for smoke and AQI, and receive alerts for fires and poor air conditions near saved locations.

Highlights
  • Live wildfire tracking
  • Real-time smoke plumes
  • 24-hour smoke forecast
  • Air quality index (AQI) monitoring
  • 24-hour AQI forecast
  • Customizable alerts
  • Built-in assistant for queries
Features
Read full description

Wildfire smoke doesn't stay where the fire is. Guidepole Fire is a live wildfire map that shows every fire, the smoke overhead and the air you're actually breathing, right now and for the next 24 hours. So you know whether to go outside, close the windows or get out of town. EVERY WILDFIRE, LIVE • Active wildfires across the US and Canada: size, containment, cause and crews, updated continuously. • Official fire perimeters from NIFC, drawn on a 3D map of the terrain. • Satellite hot spots from NASA FIRMS, so new heat shows up even before a fire has a name. • Wind, humidity, radar and red flag warnings, so you can see which way a fire may run. SMOKE AND AIR QUALITY • The live smoke plume overhead from NOAA satellites. • A 24-hour smoke forecast you can scrub hour by hour. • Real-time air quality (AQI) from EPA AirNow and PurpleAir sensors, with a 24-hour AQI forecast. ANSWERS, NOT JUST DATA • "Where's this smoke coming from?" Tap any spot and Guidepole Fire traces it to the upwind fire. • "Is my air safe right now?" The current AQI in plain words, and what it means for you. • "When will it clear?" A read on how wind and weather will move the smoke out. • Or just ask Gary, the built-in assistant, about the fires, smoke and air near any place. FREE FIRE AND SMOKE ALERTS Save home, the cabin or anywhere you care about. Get a heads-up when a new fire starts nearby, when satellite heat shows up, when a red flag warning is issued, or when smoke and bad air reach your places. The core safety alerts are always free. FIRE PRO (OPTIONAL) Unlock the full forecast and deeper detail with Fire Pro, monthly or annual. Start with a free trial and cancel anytime. Built on public data from NIFC, NASA FIRMS, NOAA HMS and HRRR, EPA AirNow, PurpleAir and the National Weather Service. Guidepole Fire is an information tool, not an emergency service. It does not replace evacuation orders or alerts from local authorities, 911, InciWeb, AirNow or the National Weather Service. Always follow official guidance. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy: https://guidepole.com/legal/privacy

Screenshots

Cyclone4 screens
Guidepole4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Guidepole at 100% against Cyclone's 61%. Guidepole also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and ads (none vs shown). Cyclone's advantage is ratings volume (98 vs 4) and iOS requirement (15 vs 17.0). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Cyclone sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Guidepole sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Guidepole holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cyclone has 98 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of Cyclone's written reviews are positive against 100% of Guidepole's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cyclone ships an update every 6 months, Guidepole weekly. Both last shipped on November 12, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Cyclone versus Guidepole: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCycloneGuidepole
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (98 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings98 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size182 MB89 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperElecont LLCGuidepole LLC

Customer experience

Cyclone

All ratings98 ratings
Positive87.8%
Neutral7.1%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews100 reviews
Positive61.0%
Neutral9.0%
Negative30.0%

Guidepole

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Cyclone

Reported bugs

75 issues
  • Notifications for watch zones needed
  • Ads make quick checks impossible
  • Ads force clicks
  • Ads are too intrusive
  • Interface is poor
Show 70 more
  • Hard to read
  • Not easy to see current location
  • Limited coverage areas
  • Satellite panels do not load
  • Useless app for certain cyclones
  • No satellite reception for Australia
  • Inaccurate data
  • App appears unsupported
  • Not working
  • Waste of money
  • Clouds not shown for weeks
  • Graphics need enhancement
  • Bad cloud depiction
  • Limited to see developing lows
  • Slow updates
  • Not for Russian users
  • App is clunky
  • Only works for America
  • Paid for it, cannot restore purchase
  • Needs updates
  • Force you to click ads
  • CM is too intrusive
  • Satellite images are too rough
  • Maps are outdated
  • Poor coverage
  • Badly designed interface
  • Doesn't show cyclone near NZ
  • Not informative enough
  • Hard to read
  • Not easy to see immediately where storm is
  • Doesn't show radar for southern Gulf of Mexico
  • Doesn't cover Caribbean Sea
  • Limited to see potential developing lows
  • Not for Russian users
  • Rubbish app
  • Satellite images are too rough
  • Maps are outdated
  • Apple cannot restore purchase
  • Cyclones no longer showing up
  • App not updated for years
  • Clouds not shown for weeks
  • Satellite panels do not load
  • Only loads 1/3 of Australia
  • Fails to provide basic forecasts
  • No panels from east coast Australia to west coast US
  • No improvement over free software
  • Satellite images are too rough
  • Maps are outdated
  • Does not cover south half of Gulf and Caribbean
  • Not showing tropical cyclone Wintson (category 5)
  • No Cyclone Winston and no tracking anywhere
  • Doesn't even register Cat 5 cyclone
  • Does not show radar for southern half of Gulf of Mexico
  • Tropical storm not tracked
  • Not shown on radar, not mentioned
  • Cannot see cloud mass off coast of Australia
  • Limited to see potential developing lows
  • Cannot see cloud mass out of the coast of Australia
  • Limited to see potential developing lows
  • Not for Russian users
  • Weather not shown over Russia
  • Image cut off at Russian borders
  • Hardly works
  • No weather on Google map
  • Satellite images are too rough
  • Most cloud situation unclear
  • Maps from two hours ago
  • Hard to tell what's going on
  • Graphics need enhancement
  • No color scales for satellite interpretation

Requested features

17 requests
  • Ability to notify users of watch zones
  • More detail of the Pacific
  • Key to explain color-coded storm intensity
  • Highlight approximate storm location
  • More informative feedback on cyclone intensity (wind strength, speed)
Show 12 more
  • Strength meter with different colored icons for intensity changes
  • Live tracking like Windy
  • Sort functions for locations
  • Add storm surge and potential impact information
  • Dark mode option
  • Advanced analytics dashboard
  • Key for cyclone icon colors
  • Explain what different colors mean
  • More enhancement of cloud images
  • Color scales for satellite interpretation
  • Show cyclones before Kamchatka, not just Russian border
  • All information in Russian

Guidepole

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Cyclone

One-time1
  • Remove Ads & Limits$1.99
2 purchases

Guidepole

Subscriptions2
  • Guidepole Fire Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Guidepole Fire Pro7 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Cyclone free?
Cyclone is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Guidepole free?
Guidepole is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Cyclone or Guidepole?
Guidepole is rated higher. Cyclone averages 4.5 out of 5 from 98 ratings, while Guidepole averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Cyclone or Guidepole have ads?
Cyclone shows ads; Guidepole does not.
Which is updated more often, Cyclone or Guidepole?
Cyclone ships an update every 6 months, and Guidepole weekly. Most recently, Cyclone was updated on November 12, 2026 and Guidepole on November 12, 2026.

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