Key Points
- Windy is the best overall weather app, offering accurate forecasts and the ability to analyze data from multiple sources.
- WeatherBug provides detailed information for free, including allergen alerts and real-feel temperature calculations.
- AccuWeather is the best weather app for tablets, with a beautiful interface and access to live news reports.
- Overdrop offers a wide variety of weather widgets and prioritizes user privacy by not sharing data with third parties.
- Weather Underground is the best app for radar coverage, with paid features that allow for up to 15 days of forecasts.
Picking the best weather apps is easier than you might think. The question of which weather apps are the absolute best in class has been posed on Reddit time and time again. While the answers will always vary thanks to user preference, devices used, and so forth, there were some answers that stood out. Before diving into the finer details of these apps, it is important to note that they should be available to all devices.
This applies whether you’re an iPhone, iPad, or Android user. Weather apps have been chosen for their ease of use, the overall accuracy of forecasts, and the amount of data available for local weather. Picking a weather app can be a personal endeavor, so don’t be afraid to try multiple apps before settling on your favorite.
- Best Overall: Windy
- Best for Detailed Information: WeatherBug
- Best for Tablets: AccuWeather
- Best for Widgets: Overdrop
- Best for Radar Coverage: Weather Underground
- Best for Humorous Forecasts: Carrot
- Best for Storm Tracking: Ventusky
Best Overall: Windy
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One of Reddit’s best weather apps is Windy, an app ostensibly meant for fishers and sailors. Beyond its nautical bent, Windy is actually quite an accurate app when it comes to providing weather forecasts. One of its best features is the ability to take forecast data from multiple sources to analyze them as a whole.
This gives you a wider breadth of information on a forecast, wind conditions, and historical trends. Windy doesn’t provide more granular information like allergens, UV alerts, and so forth. However, it is a highly accurate app that helps pick the best weather data for your given area.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Windy allows you to check multiple sources at once to compare forecast data. | Local allergen alerts and UV warnings aren’t provided. |
| Detailed wind information is provided, making it great for sports enthusiasts and people living on the coast. | Tide times can be inaccurate, depending on the locale. |
Best for Detailed Information: WeatherBug
WeatherBug is one of the most consistent choices among Reddit’s best weather apps. You’ve got access to free 10-day forecasts, detailed hourly forecasts, and real-time lightning strikes, among other features. WeatherBug does come with radar information, but the interface itself is a bit more difficult to read thanks to the color choices.
Where the app excels is in providing detailed information free of charge for your area. You’ve got access to information like allergen alerts, UV alerts, and real-feel temperature calculations. If you’re looking for the most detailed forecasts, WeatherBug is a fantastic choice.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| WeatherBug has detailed local information beyond just weather. | The color choices for the radar screen can be a bit confusing to read. |
| Up-to-the-minute forecasts are provided free of charge. | It is free, but the ads to support the app can be somewhat intrusive. |
Best for Tablets: AccuWeather
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AccuWeather is a gorgeous app for use on your tablet. What makes it one of Reddit’s best weather apps is the detailed and accurate data provided by the National Weather Service. In addition to having a flexible and beautiful interface for use on tablets and phones alike, AccuWeather provides live news reports.
If you’re after more accurate data, you can opt for the AccuWeather paid subscriptions. These are relatively inexpensive and give an overall better picture of weather conditions in your area. AccuWeather has received accolades for its user interface design, which fully embraces modern usability trends.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| It has a fantastic interface for large and small-screen devices. | To get the best data, you’ll need to subscribe. |
| You have access to live weather reports from qualified meteorologists within the app. | The app utilizes full-screen ads, which can be distracting if you’re just trying to check the forecast. |
Best for Widgets: Overdrop
While Overdrop has a fantastic app for providing local weather information, where it really excels is in the widgets you can place on your device’s screen. After installing Overdrop, you have access to more than 50 weather widgets. Now, these have varying degrees of information, depending on what you need out of a weather app.
Overdrop also has access to a trio of weather providers. You can use forecast data from AccuWeather, WeatherBit, and OpenWeatherMap to get the best coverage available. Overdrop is also very serious about user privacy, and your data won’t be shared with your mobile device manufacturer or other third parties.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| You’ve got access to 50 well-designed widgets for getting weather information at a glance. | The app itself can be somewhat buggy. |
| Overdrop was designed with privacy in mind, with zero intent to sell your data to third-party sources. | Severe weather notifications can be lost, depending on your device configuration, despite notification settings. |
Best for Radar Coverage: Weather Underground
If you’re looking for the best and most detailed radar information, Weather Underground is a great choice. Yes, all weather apps come with radar information, but few make it as easily palatable as Weather Underground. What makes this one of Reddit’s best weather apps is the paid features.
When subscribing, you lose the ads to sponsor the app and can plan activities around the local weather forecasts. The paid subscription is one of the more flexible offerings, with up to 15 days of forecasts available from multiple sources. If you’re looking forward to planning a trip, then Weather Underground might be the choice to make.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| One of the best radar interfaces around. | The ads are fairly intrusive. |
| A paid subscription allows for 15 days of local forecasts to plan activities around. | Weather data can sometimes be delayed in updating. |
Best for Humourous Forecasts: Carrot
How many weather apps inject a little humor into their forecasts? The list is likely very short, and Carrot is at the top of the list by a long shot. Carrot offers the same detailed weather information seen in other apps. However, what separates it from the many other apps available is the decidedly humorous take on forecasts.
You’ve got access to both a well-designed app in addition to widgets, both of which inject a little irreverence into the other dry arena of weather forecasting. You can get access to better data through a paid subscription, which is actually one of the pricier offerings in this list.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| The forecasts are humorous and accurate. | The paid subscription can get fairly expensive for family coverage. |
| The app is designed for use with smartphones, tablets, and the Apple Watch. | The radar coverage leaves something to be desired. |
Best for Storm Tracking: Ventusky
If you live in an area prone to tornadoes or hurricanes, you know how important it is to stay appraised of the situation. The final of Reddit’s best weather apps, Ventusky, specializes in storms. You’ve got access to around-the-clock forecasting that allows you to keep track of a number of weather models.
These models used to be exclusive to trained professionals, but you can track storms, precipitation, and air quality at a mere glance. For those living further up north, you can also track data for the probability of auroras in the night sky. Ventusky is a great choice for those at risk of storms.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Gives hourly detailed forecasts with invaluable data during storm season. | The app doesn’t display state borders and the like right away, making it a poor choice for pilots. |
| You can track the path of a hurricane at a glance within the app. | Measurements start in metric, which might be a headache for users more used to Imperial. |
Picking the Best Weather Apps: What to Know
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Finding your favorite weather app is mostly an exercise in trial and error. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when testing things out. Most weather apps are available for Android and iOS devices, with the exception of the default weather apps for any given device.
Weather Data Used
Weather data comes from a variety of different resources. While most weather providers will pull from similar resources, other apps will have access to more refined and detailed models. Most free weather apps are likely to use the same sources, so you’re getting identical levels of coverage with a differing interface.
However, some, like Windy, Overdrop, and Ventusky, pull from more than the usual sources. However, combining these models can sometimes require a monthly or annual subscription to use. As such, you’ll need to weigh out if you need differing models to get the same net result.
User Interface
Arguably the most important criterion is the user interface of any given app. Let’s face it, if you’re going to be staring at an app daily for your weather forecasts, it helps to be easy on the eyes. A good weather app should give you all the information you need right away, without having to navigate numerous submenus.
Radar coverage should also be easy to read, with clear and deliberate color choices to help you determine what’s happening around you. While it seems a bit silly, especially given that all weather apps essentially have radar coverage. However, you’ll find some are far easier to read and keep aware of than others.
Using the Best Weather Apps: What It’s Like
So, what is it like using the best weather apps? Depending on your choice of app, it is as simple as checking your favorite social media apps or email. Some apps give you everything you need to know right away, like WeatherBug.
Others, like Windy, allow you to analyze multiple forecasts at the same time. Either way, you’ll be spending quite a bit of time with any given weather app. Make sure to take the time to think about what you need from an app, and don’t be afraid to try multiple options to see which one suits you best.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©katunes pcnok/Shutterstock.com.
