Lightning Simulator vs Seren
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lightning Simulator
Simulate a lightning storm with visual effects using your device's backlight and LED flash, accompanied by realistic thunder audio. Customize storm distance and set sleep timers for a unique ambiance.
- Backlight and LED flash simulation
- Realistic thunder audio
- 5 unique storm types
- Customizable storm distance
- Adjustable sleep timers
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This is for all the lightning lovers out there. Turn your room into a thunderstorm. Lightning plays immersive thunderstorm soundscapes and syncs the light to the thunder: the screen dims to black, then pulses and flashes with every rumble — and on the loudest strikes, fires the camera flash like real lightning. Set the storm's distance and the thunder trails the flash, just as it does in a real storm. Best experienced in a dark room, with the screen and camera flash exposed and the audio through speakers or headphones. Made to fall asleep to. A sleep timer gently fades the audio and light to black instead of cutting out, so it never jolts you awake. FREE • The Starter Storm, full flash + thunder experience • Storm distance (flash-to-thunder delay) • Sleep timer with a gentle fade-out LIGHTNING PRO — one-time purchase, yours forever • Every storm — all six soundscapes • Immersion modes — screen-only, soft ambient glow, and warm-to-cool lightning color • Haptic thunder — feel every strike • Storm control — strike intensity and an approaching-storm mode • Gapless playlists with seamless crossfade • A StandBy / Lock Screen storm clock widget • Longer overnight sleep timers • Save custom presets No accounts, no tracking, no ads. Everything runs on-device. Already bought the old Storm Expansion? Tap Restore, you're upgraded to Lightning Pro for free. Relax and unwind, Go ahead, Enjoy the Storm.
Seren
Create a calming sleep environment with a variety of high-quality storm sounds. Mix and customize rain and thunder to your preference, save your favorite combinations, and use the sleep timer for a peaceful night's rest. Enjoy background playback and lock screen controls.
- High-quality storm sounds
- Custom sound mixing
- Save favorite combinations
- Sleep timer
- Background playback
- Simple dark mode interface
- Lock screen controls
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Fall asleep to rain, thunder and white noise. Seren plays real recordings of rain and thunderstorms, looped seamlessly so nothing breaks the spell. Layer sounds into your own mix, set the sleep timer and drift off. SOUNDS • Rain on a car, a skylight, a roof or a tent, heavy rain • Rain and thunder, mountain thunderstorm, distant thunder • Ocean waves, forest at night, wind in the trees, fireplace, campfire • Brown, pink, green and white noise and a fan, generated live so they never repeat MADE FOR BEDTIME • Mix any sounds and set each volume • Warmth softens the high end so the storm feels further away • Sleep timer with a gentle fade of up to 10 minutes, or stop at a set time • Bedside mode: a dim clock that keeps your screen dark all night • Ready-made mixes to start with in one tap • Keeps playing in the background and from the Lock Screen, even under a podcast or audiobook YOUR NIGHTS • A bedtime reminder, skipped on nights you're already listening • A gentle wake-up alarm: ocean, rain or wind that rises softly, even on silent • Widgets and a Control Center button start your mix in one tap • Save your favorite mixes • Insights show your nights, streak, favorite sounds and usual bedtime • Siri & Shortcuts: "Play Seren", "Start a sleep timer in Seren" FREE AND PREMIUM Seren is free to download with 6 sounds, 3 ready-made mixes, bedside mode, warmth, widgets, bedtime reminders and Insights. Seren Premium unlocks all 18 sounds, every mix, the sleep timer, the wake-up alarm and saved mixes. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period, and can be managed in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://storm-sounds-website.vercel.app/posts/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Seren at every 4 weeks against Lightning Simulator's every 4 months. Seren also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Lightning Simulator's advantage is ratings volume (102 vs 7) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Simulator sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Seren sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Seren holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lightning Simulator has 102 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Lightning Simulator ships an update every 4 months, Seren every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lightning Simulator | Seren |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (102 ratings) | 5.0 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 86.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 102 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 4 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 42 MB | 79 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Foxbit Software Ltd. | Gruffydd Johnston |
Customer experience
Lightning Simulator
Seren
In-app purchases
Lightning Simulator
- Storm Expansion Pack$1.99
- Lightning Pro$1.99
Seren
- Pro7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Pro7 Days trial$9.991 Year
Questions
Is Lightning Simulator free?
Is Seren free?
Which has better reviews, Lightning Simulator or Seren?
Do Lightning Simulator or Seren have ads?
Which is updated more often, Lightning Simulator or Seren?
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