Comparison

Weather Authority vs BoatCast

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

Head to head
About

Weather Authority

Get accurate weather forecasts and alerts for any location you choose. This app provides interactive radar, future doppler maps, and localized alerts. Stay informed with video forecasts and a dedicated hurricane section, all for free.

Highlights
  • Customizable weather settings
  • Multiple location support
  • Weather alerts
  • Interactive live radar
  • Future doppler maps
  • Video forecasts
  • Hurricane section
Features
Read full description

The Weather Authority app allows your custom settings to find the latest and most accurate weather for any location you choose. You can select as many locations and activate weather alerts for those areas. Live in Miami but have family in New York? Get immediate weather information for both. Powered by the meteorologists at WPLG Local 10, The interactive Weather Authority App includes: • Separated card sections for easy viewing • Customizable Interactive Live Radar • Up to 24 hours future doppler on map • Localized box alerts on map • Customizable overlays and map views • Video forecast three times a day • Add weather for multiple locations • New dedicated hurricane section The Weather Authority App, keeping you and your family safe and prepared, and the best part, it’s FREE!

About

BoatCast

This app simplifies marine weather forecasting for recreational boaters. It provides clear Good, Fair, or Poor ratings based on wind, waves, weather, and visibility, helping you decide when to go out on the water. It also includes tide information and official alerts.

Highlights
  • Clear Good, Fair, Poor boating ratings
  • Wind, wave, weather, visibility analysis
  • Hourly and multi-day outlooks
  • Tide and fishing window information
  • Official NWS alerts
  • Boating-specific forecast rules
Features
Read full description

BoatCast is built for recreational boaters who already have enough on their plate. Maintenance. Prep. Gear. Float plans. Cleaning. Getting on the water is a lot of work. BoatCast takes the guesswork out of whether conditions will be good or not. HOW IT WORKS • Tap the map or search a city, marina, beach, or ZIP • Get a clear Good, Fair, or Poor rating for boating • See the reasons—wind, waves/chop, weather, visibility, and more • Check today’s outlook, hourly conditions, and multi-day trends • View tides and fishing windows where available • See official NWS alerts for your location when they matter BoatCast combines forecast data with boating-focused rules based on the selected area’s typical conditions, so you spend less time decoding charts and more time deciding whether to go. FREE INCLUDES • Today’s Morning–Overnight outlook • The next few live hourly cards • Map search and location-based forecasts BOATCAST PRO • Ad-free experience • Full 7-day forecast (Morning–Overnight + extended hourly) • Save favorite locations and sync them across devices • Boat-size ratings — tailor wind, wave, and chop thresholds for small (6–16 ft), medium (16–26 ft), or large (26+ ft) boats • Location Weather Monitoring (mobile push for rating/NWS changes) • Restore purchases if you reinstall or switch devices • 7-day free trial, then $9.99/month — cancel anytime Payment is charged to your Apple ID. The subscription renews automatically unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel in iPhone Settings → [your name] → Subscriptions. You’ve done the hard parts. We’ll handle the conditions call. Questions? Visit boatcastapp.com/help or email boatcastapp@gmail.com. Apple Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Weather Authority4 screens
BoatCast4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Weather Authority at none against BoatCast's 1. Weather Authority also leads on ratings volume (14K vs 1). BoatCast's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, ads, 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. BoatCast sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per month. Weather Authority asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BoatCast holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Weather Authority has 14K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Weather Authority ships an update every 3 months, BoatCast weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Weather Authority versus BoatCast: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWeather AuthorityBoatCast
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (14K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews56.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings14K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsWeekly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size234 MB51 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWPLG, IncHarrison Burnham

Customer experience

Weather Authority

All ratings14,002 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral2.5%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews125 reviews
Positive56.0%
Neutral9.6%
Negative34.4%

BoatCast

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Weather Authority

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashing issues
  • Radar not loading properly
  • Incorrect weather information

Requested features

5 requests
  • Larger icons and text
  • Customizable colors and themes
  • Accessibility options
  • Stable widget
  • Apple Watch integration

BoatCast

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Weather Authority

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

BoatCast

Subscriptions1
  • BoatCast Pro Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month

Questions

Is Weather Authority free?
Weather Authority is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BoatCast free?
BoatCast is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Weather Authority or BoatCast?
BoatCast is rated higher. Weather Authority averages 4.8 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while BoatCast averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Weather Authority or BoatCast have ads?
Both Weather Authority and BoatCast show ads.
Which is updated more often, Weather Authority or BoatCast?
Weather Authority ships an update every 3 months, and BoatCast weekly. Most recently, Weather Authority was updated on November 8, 2026 and BoatCast on October 31, 2026.

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