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Come Sun or Rain, These Apps Are Our Trusty Everyday Companions
One of the first things most of us see when we unlock our phones is our weather app. And we all use one or more of them. Knowing and predicting the weather has been essential for humankind throughout history, and while it’s not usually a life-or-death issue anymore, we still depend a lot on the convenience of knowing whether to bring an umbrella before leaving the house for the day. Because, otherwise, as we all know, when you take your umbrella with you in the morning it won’t rain.
Weather prediction has become more advanced and accurate and accessing information on the weather has never been as easy as it is today. But we all know accuracy varies between different sources. There are also a lot of different nuances between weather apps catering to various needs and audiences. So, what are the best weather apps out there right now?
The Defaults
Most of us probably still use the default weather app on our phones, whether that’s Apple Weather or the weather widget for any other phone brand. You might also use Google Weather, especially if you google the weather on your desktop browser. Most of these pull their data from another large weather app, such as The Weather Channel (Google Weather and Samsung Weather)or AccuWeather (Xiaomi). They generally have decent international coverage, provide hour-by-hour updates as well as the week ahead and allow you to track the weather in multiple cities. Many of them look aesthetically pleasing, are convenient to have on your front page as a widget and send relevant notifications. And, of course, they’re free!
If you want more details, the app will usually direct you to The Weather Channel or AccuWeather, which provide even more weather data and longer predictions. AccuWeather will give you a daily forecast for over a month ahead, although those are famously low in accuracy (as a general rule, any forecast more than 3-4 days ahead is very likely to change). For those concerned with ethics, it is worth noting that AccuWeather has been involved in some controversy. They famously lobbied for the privatisation of weather services in the US and the restriction of the National Weather Service from competing with their own service.
The Weather Channel started out as an American television channel broadcasting weather forecasts and other related news and documentaries. They now have an app and website, as television subscriptions have gone down in the past decade. Both AccuWeather and The Weather App market themselves as the “most accurate weather app”, a claim that most hardcore weather enthusiasts would dispute. However, if you’re the average user, they’re probably good enough – but still, what else is out there?
The Fun Ones
If you don’t need more functionality than the average weather app provides, but would like more creativity and fun in your daily forecast, there are two main apps we can recommend: Carrot Weather and What The Forecast.
What The Forecast is a classic 2010s gimmick app, with optional swearing when it tells you the weather. It pulls its data from AerisWeather and provides a 10-day forecast with hourly forecast for 48 hours.
Carrot Weather is a more modern version of that, using a snarky AI character known as CARROT to deliver its forecasts. It features minigames, unlockable achievements and various layouts and designs users can choose from. It also features weather-related news sourced from AccuWeather. Its weather data is pulled from Foreca, but premium members can switch between other sources as well. A premium account costs $4.99 per month, or you can get Premium Ultra for $9.99 per month.
For Serious Weather Fans
There are plenty of apps for those who have a more serious interest in weather, whether that’s to plan outdoor activities or just because you’re a bit of a weather geek.
Windy.com is made for fans of water and wind sports and has a focus on – you guessed it! – wind. Get an hourly breakdown on wind speeds and directions, ocean swell, tide, water temperature, cloud coverage and precipitation. They feature a live map, allowing you to see the changing winds and tides in your region and all over the world, as well as popular spots for activities such as windsurfing and diving. Get the most out of this app with an annual subscription of €25.99 for Windy Premium.
If you’re interested in tracking weather events, RadarScope is an app offering professional radar data visualisation tools used by meteorologists, public safety officials as well as storm spotters and weather enthusiasts. However, the app is mainly focused on the US and Canada, with limited coverage in Europe and the rest of the world. It has a free version along with two premium versions.
Other Niche Options
Surprisingly, another app that is often mentioned among weather enthusiasts is the Norwegian weather service Yr. It is mainly focused on forecasting weather in Norway using data from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, but it is used by people all over the world for its accurate forecasts and simple but effective interface. It is also completely free to use.
Weawow is a weather app that pulls accurate data from a variety of sources worldwide. The wow-factor of this app comes from its use of user-uploaded photos as visuals, always reflecting the current weather conditions in your area. It is also free to use and has all the information the average user could need.
The Breakdown:
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There are plenty of options catering to various userbases. As weather is such a universal thing that we all have some everyday interest in, most apps have very similar functionalities and fulfill the needs of the average user. Some are unique based on their interface, such as Carrot Weather and Weawow, while some fill a niche that only certain people will be interested in, like Windy.com and Radarscope. Consider your specific needs, feel free to try multiple different apps (they all have at least a free version) and see what works best for you! And, our favourite weather app in 2025 is – Windy!
