Comparison

OpenSnow vs My Lightning Tracker & Alerts

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

Head to head
About

OpenSnow

Get the most accurate snow forecasts, detailed snow reports, and severe weather maps. Access 15-day forecasts, local expert insights, and offline 3D maps for snow depth, avalanche risk, and more. Track storms with advanced radar and AI-powered weather systems.

Highlights
  • 15-Day Snow Forecast
  • Local Expert Snow Reports
  • 3D & Offline Weather Maps
  • AI-Powered Weather System
  • Severe Weather Tracking
  • Mountain Webcams
  • Snow Depth & Avalanche Risk Maps
Features
Read full description

OpenSnow is your trusted source for the most accurate snow forecast, snow report, and ski conditions. "Weather forecasting for the mountains takes extra focus, analysis, and precision, which is exactly what OpenSnow provides. The app is incredible, even for super weather nerds like myself." – Cody Townsend, Pro Skier 15-Day Snow Forecasts Finding the location that has the best snow conditions can feel overwhelming. With OpenSnow, deciding where to go is easy. View the latest 15-day snow forecast, snow report, conditions history, and mountain webcams for your favorite locations in just a few seconds. Local Daily Snow Experts Instead of spending hours sifting through weather data, get the inside scoop in just a few minutes. Our local experts write a new Daily Snow forecast each day in the winter for regions around the US, Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Have one of our expert local forecasters guide you to the best snow conditions. 3D Weather + Snow Maps We make it easy to track incoming storms with super-res radar and global precipitation, radar, and snow forecast maps. You can also view 3D maps for snow depth, avalanche risk, slope angle, active fires, air quality, wildfire smoke, public and private land ownership, and more. Download high-resolution satellite maps to view offline. PEAKS + StormNet PEAKS is our state-of-the-art weather forecast model optimized for complex, mountain terrain. StormNet is our severe weather forecast model that produces real-time, high-resolution forecasts for lightning, hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes. Combined, PEAKS + StormNet provide a first-of-its-kind, fully operational multi-component weather forecast system. Daily Features • 15-Day Hourly Forecasts • Current + Forecast Radar • Precipitation Forecast Maps • Air Quality Forecasts • Wildfire Smoke Forecast Maps • 50,000+ Weather Stations • 3D + Offline Maps • Land Boundary + Private Ownership Maps • Recent Satellite Maps Snow + Ski Features • 15-Day Snow Forecast • Powder Quality Forecast • Snow Depth Map • Season Snowfall Map • Snow Forecast Alerts • Snow Forecast Maps • Offline Ski Resort Trail Maps • Snow Forecast + Report Widgets • Historical Snow Reports Severe Weather Features (US only) • Super-Res Radar • Lightning Risk • Tornado Risk • Hail Risk • Damaging Winds Risk • Severe Weather Alerts Free Features • My Location 15-Day Forecast • Snow Forecast 15-Day Summary • Historical Weather + Snow Reports • Snow Report Alerts • Avalanche Forecasts • Mountain Webcams • Active Fires Map • Air Quality Map • Slope Angle + Slope Aspect — Free Trial — New accounts automatically receive the full OpenSnow Premium experience, with no credit card or payment information required. If you choose not to purchase OpenSnow after the free trial is over, you will be automatically downgraded to a free account and not charged. — In-App Purchase — OpenSnow Base is an auto-renewable subscription, which will renew yearly at $49.99 USD. Payment will be charged to the user's Apple account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. The account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period and identify the cost of the renewal. If the auto-renewal fails due to a payment issue, you will still be able to access the paid content for 16 days while Apple attempts to collect payment. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Full terms and conditions can be found here: https://support.opensnow.com/legal/terms | https://support.opensnow.com/legal/privacy Sales through Apple will be governed by Apple’s refund policy. We value all of our customers and encourage you to provide feedback on your experience. Please get in touch with us by sending an email to hello@opensnow.com

About

My Lightning Tracker & Alerts

Monitor global lightning strikes in near real-time with live maps and notifications for your area. Track thunderstorms, view historical strike data, and share strike information with friends. Includes weather radar to monitor incoming storms.

Highlights
  • Real-time global lightning strike detection
  • Live thunderstorm map visualization
  • Customizable lightning alerts
  • Historical lightning strike data
  • Integrated weather radar
  • Strike sharing with friends
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

My Lightning Tracker is the best app for monitoring lightning strikes all around the world in close to real-time. With a sleek modern design, you can watch thunderstorms as they occur. You can also receive notifications whenever strikes are detected in your area. - Detects and displays lightning strikes all around the world! - See a history of hotspots where lightning strikes occur most often! - View more detailed information about where the thunderstorm is occurring on a map. - Receive a lightning alarm when a storm is nearby so that you can monitor it live. - Share a strike with your friends so that they can see where the thunder & lightning is occurring too! - Monitor the weather radar to track what could be coming. - Full support for the latest iPhone and iPad models. If you want the most efficient way of keeping up lightning strikes and thunderstorms, then My Lightning Tracker is the right lightning network for you. This version is ad-supported and is similar to apps such as Blitzortung, Clime, Spark and Live Lightning.

Screenshots

OpenSnow4 screens
My Lightning Tracker & Alerts3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: My Lightning Tracker & Alerts at none against OpenSnow's 3. My Lightning Tracker & Alerts also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 11 days) and ratings volume (67K vs 9.1K). OpenSnow's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, review sentiment and chart position 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. OpenSnow sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $49.99 per year. My Lightning Tracker & Alerts asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for OpenSnow against 4.8 for My Lightning Tracker & Alerts. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: My Lightning Tracker & Alerts has 67K ratings behind it against 9.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of OpenSnow's written reviews are positive against 75% of My Lightning Tracker & Alerts's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OpenSnow ships an update every 11 days, My Lightning Tracker & Alerts every 5 days. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
OpenSnow versus My Lightning Tracker & Alerts: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenSnowMy Lightning Tracker & Alerts
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (9.1K ratings)4.8 (67K ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.4% of reviews — better74.6% of reviews
Number of ratings9.1K67K — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 daysEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
Best chart rank#19 — better#20
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size126 MB54 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCloudnine Weather, Inc.JRustonApps B.V.

Customer experience

OpenSnow

All ratings9,070 ratings
Positive92.1%
Neutral1.2%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews854 reviews
Positive80.4%
Neutral3.6%
Negative15.9%

My Lightning Tracker & Alerts

All ratings66,617 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral3.1%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews709 reviews
Positive74.6%
Neutral6.2%
Negative19.2%

User reviews

OpenSnow

From 9.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate snow forecasts
  • 📊 Detailed weather data and maps
  • 🗺️ Comprehensive coverage of ski resorts
  • 💻 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
  • 🤖 Reliable and consistent forecasts

Room to improve

  • 💰 Subscription model can be expensive
  • 🌐 Limited coverage outside of North America
  • 🕰️ Occasional delays in updating snow conditions
  • 🤖 Inconsistent accuracy in long-term forecasts
  • 🔒 Paywall restricts access to some features

My Lightning Tracker & Alerts

From 67K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Accurate lightning tracking
  • 🚀 Real-time notifications
  • 💡 Customizable alert radius
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 👍 Helpful for outdoor activities and safety

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Delayed or missed notifications
  • 🐛 Radar feature issues (static, missing tiles)
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🔒 Potential security concerns
  • 💰 Intrusive full-screen ads in free version

Bugs and requests

OpenSnow

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional crashes or freezes on certain devices
  • Inconsistencies in the display of weather data and forecasts

Requested features

5 requests
  • Expand coverage to more international ski resorts
  • Improve offline functionality and data availability
  • Introduce more customization options for user preferences
  • Enhance integration with other outdoor activity planning apps
  • Provide more detailed snow and weather data for backcountry use

My Lightning Tracker & Alerts

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Freezing or crashing issues
  • Inconsistent performance after updates
  • Location tracking not working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add wind direction and speed to radar
  • Provide historical lightning strike data
  • Implement Apple Watch support
  • Allow setting multiple saved locations
  • Add option to only notify on closer strikes

In-app purchases

3 purchases

OpenSnow

Subscriptions3
  • OpenSnow Legacy$49.991 Year
  • OpenSnow Base$49.991 Year
  • OpenSnow Base Legacy$49.991 Year
None

My Lightning Tracker & Alerts

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is OpenSnow free?
OpenSnow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is My Lightning Tracker & Alerts free?
My Lightning Tracker & Alerts is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, OpenSnow or My Lightning Tracker & Alerts?
My Lightning Tracker & Alerts is rated higher. OpenSnow averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9.1K ratings, while My Lightning Tracker & Alerts averages 4.8 from 67K ratings.
Do OpenSnow or My Lightning Tracker & Alerts have ads?
My Lightning Tracker & Alerts shows ads; OpenSnow does not.
Which is updated more often, OpenSnow or My Lightning Tracker & Alerts?
OpenSnow ships an update every 11 days, and My Lightning Tracker & Alerts every 5 days. Most recently, OpenSnow was updated on November 1, 2026 and My Lightning Tracker & Alerts on November 1, 2026.
Which is more popular, OpenSnow or My Lightning Tracker & Alerts?
OpenSnow currently peaks at #19 in the App Store charts, and My Lightning Tracker & Alerts at #20. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons