BloomSky Weather vs US NOAA Radars 3D Lite
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BloomSky Weather
See live weather through real-time images and time-lapses from a global network of weather cameras. Get accurate, local reports with visual data and forecasts. Explore conditions at popular locations worldwide.
- Live weather reporting
- Real-time camera images
- Time-lapse videos
- Local weather forecasts
- Interactive weather map
- Favorite weather stations
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Access live weather reporting, real-time pictures, time-lapses, and forecasts from BloomSky weather cameras around the world. Sun, rain, clouds, fog, and storms - all clearly visible from a network of local stations, giving you a comprehensive understanding of the weather conditions when you need it. Accurate and Local: • Up-to-the-minute images from a network of local weather cameras replaces unreliable weather icons to give an accurate weather report • An easy to understand color system accurately displays temperature, humidity, air pressure, and UV exposure • An hour by hour temperature graph provides a forecast for each location • Use the ‘Explore’ tab to view a map of BloomSky weather cameras; tap the map icon for a glimpse of the location’s view Visual: • Immersive time-lapse videos provide an overview of an entire day’s weather • Combine traditional weather data with an image to get a true understanding of the conditions Customize: • Save frequently viewed weather stations in a ‘favorite list’ for quick reference and side by side comparison • Choose between numerical data or easy to understand descriptions for common weather components such as dew point, air pressure, and UV exposure And more… • Share weather images and time-lapse videos directly to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or download for later • View the conditions at popular locations such as national parks, landmarks, hiking and biking trails, ski resorts, golf courses, and Hotels • Coming soon: wind speed, direction, and rainfall via the new BloomSky Storm anemometer and rain sensor What people are saying: “I found myself fascinated not only by watching the sun arc across the sky above my home, but also watching time-lapse videos of weather patterns recorded from the Bay Area to Paris.” - San Francisco Chronicle Feedback: We’d love to hear from you! If you love the BloomSky experience, please rate and review us in the App store. If you have questions or suggestions, reach out to us at info@bloomsky.com. Privacy policy: To learn about our privacy policy, please go to https://www.bloomsky.com/legal/privacy/.
US NOAA Radars 3D Lite
Visualize weather patterns with real-time radar imagery and 3D city views. Explore national and regional forecasts, and switch between radar stations with ease. This version offers core features and integrates with Apple Watch.
- Real-time NOAA radar imagery
- 3D city views with Flyover mode
- National and regional forecast data
- Apple Watch integration
- Quick radar station switching
- Transparent radar view
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This is a lite version with limited features (local radars, national forecast and national satellites) and Advertisement. Purchase the Pro version for the full features, Mac app and Apple TV for Universal Purchase The Next Generation of Weather Radar app is here. iOS App Quick Started: > Radar images will be loaded when the app is launched and will be refreshed every 10 minutes. And you are ready to see the latest real time radar images on the map. Zoom in and out to see the whether across multiple states. Click on the "Radar" button to enable/disable radar images. Slide the slider to change the transparency of radar images. You can also select any radar from menu, radar stations on the map and right sidebar to switch to a different radar station. > To see the major city 3D View, follow the steps below: 1. Select "Flyover" on the top to enable 3D View 2. Select "Major Cities" from the left sidebar to see the major cities on the map. Click on any major city and you are ready to see 3D City View (use two-fingers gesture to change viewing angles: zoom in/out, rotate, swipe up/down). You can also zoom in to a major city manually. Watch App Quick Started: > Launch the Watch App and the app will communicate with the iOS App to get the nearest Radar information and also notify the iOS App to select and view the Radar. The radar image will also be sent back to Watch App for display. Click on the "Nearest" button if you would like to search the nearest radar again. This app is the Next Generation of Weather Radar app by integrating the following technologies and data together: - The latest Apple MapKit features such as Traffic, Buildings, POI and 3D View - Apple Watch Integration with iPhone. - Apple TV integration (Universal Purchase) - Real Time NOAA Radar - National, Regional and Individual Radar View with the easiest ways to access the radars (right sidebar, menu or map pins) - 3D Radar View - Transparent Radar View - Radar Image - Major cities layer and weather forecast (***Full Version*** Tap a city and the flyover view will be enabled and zoomed into the selected city). - Radar Stations layer and weather forecast (Full Version) - Radar Images (Full Version) - Apple Watch Integration. - Databases with built in information. - Weather Alerts (Under development) This app provides the following features: - The first app integrates the latest national Radar, Regional Radar and Individual Radars together. - The first app provides Radar images in 3D view by selecting Flyover map mode on the top. - Quick access to radars: > One click Radar switch by selecting the right sidebar and click on a radar. > One click Radar switch by selecting an item on the top menu. > One click Radar switch by selecting radar on the map (Full Version) - One click feature/layer switch by selecting the left sidebar and click on a feature/layer > Radar Image based upon the selected state > Radar Stations layer on/off > Major cities layer on/off - One click theme switch by selecting the left sidebar and click on a theme to have the look you want. - This app provides the Apple Watch Integration to control iPhone to select and display the nearest Radar Image. - This app provides Apple TV integration (Universal Purchase)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: US NOAA Radars 3D Lite at 3.1 against BloomSky Weather's 2.2. BloomSky Weather's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 21 months) and review sentiment (29% vs 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
US NOAA Radars 3D Lite holds the better App Store score, 3.1 against 2.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BloomSky Weather has 110 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 29% of BloomSky Weather's written reviews are positive against 0% of US NOAA Radars 3D Lite's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
BloomSky Weather ships an update every 6 weeks, US NOAA Radars 3D Lite every 21 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BloomSky Weather | US NOAA Radars 3D Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.2 (110 ratings) | 3.1 (12 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 29.1% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 110 — better | 12 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 21 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 22 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | 天津瞰天科技有限责任公司 | Jufen Chang |
Customer experience
BloomSky Weather
US NOAA Radars 3D Lite
Bugs and requests
BloomSky Weather
Reported bugs
16 issues- App crashes when viewing time-lapse videos
- App hangs after entering login credentials
- WiFi connection drops after updates
- Time-lapse feature completely non-functional
- Live photo feed not updating or showing stale data
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- Weather Underground data sync failures
- Wind speed sensor reports zero when spinning
- Rain gauge fails to count rainfall
- Favorites list disappears or goes offline
- App crashes when scrolling through data
- Slider for image navigation is unreliable
- Battery level indicators show incorrect values
- Storm device data missing from app UI
- Device registration no longer works
- Server connectivity failures
- Dead links throughout app and website
Requested features
18 requests- Historical weather data and graphs
- iPad-specific app version
- Apple Watch app
- Apple TV app improvements
- Data export functionality
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- Pause and frame-by-frame time-lapse viewing
- Wind chill and heat index calculations
- Daily high/low temperature summaries
- Customizable rainfall time periods (not midnight-midnight)
- Live preview during device installation
- On-demand photo capture
- Weather Underground integration improvements
- Landscape mode support
- Detailed data visualization in app (not just dashboard)
- UV index algorithm fixes
- Battery percentage display instead of icon
- Sunrise/sunset time information
- Today screen widget
US NOAA Radars 3D Lite
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
BloomSky Weather
No in-app purchases
US NOAA Radars 3D Lite
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is BloomSky Weather free?
Is US NOAA Radars 3D Lite free?
Which has better reviews, BloomSky Weather or US NOAA Radars 3D Lite?
Do BloomSky Weather or US NOAA Radars 3D Lite have ads?
Which is updated more often, BloomSky Weather or US NOAA Radars 3D Lite?
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