- There are many third-party weather apps that give you comprehensive weather information.
- Some of them are Windy.app, Weather Underground, and The Weather Channel.
- Apps such as SimpleWeather, WeatherBug, and AccuWeather give you quickly glanceable information on the go.
Weather apps on Android can help you keep track of the weather and send you alerts about the ever-changing state of Mother Nature. You’ll find many weather apps on the Google Play Store, but only a few select ones are a joy to use and helpful. The built-in Weather apps on Android get the job done but aren’t as comprehensive as third-party apps; hence, let’s look at some of the best weather apps for Android.
AccuWeather
AccuWeather is one of the oldest weather apps in the business. One of the things you notice when you launch the app is the clean and well-done user interface. The bottom bar houses four options — Today, Hourly, Daily, and Radar & Maps. The first three are pretty self-explanatory.
The Radar & Maps option shows you the weather conditions on a map with changing colored zones around the map. The different colors tell you where it rained or snowed so far and also show you the predicted areas where the weather conditions will change.
There’s a premium subscription to the app that removes ads, unlocks widgets, persistent notifications, daily forecasts and alerts, and health and activities outlook. However, the free version will do just fine. Overall, AccuWeather is easily one of the best weather apps you can use.
Pros Cons Responsive and beautiful user interface Shares location data with third parties. Has all the basic features plus Radar & Maps for deeper insights Shows detailed hourly insights
Pricing: Free, Free 7-day trial and then $3.99/month or $24/annually
Windy.app
If you’re of amateur, intermediate, or advanced aspiring weatherman, Windy.app is just the app for you. It has one of the best map radars of all apps out there, with lots of info. For starters, it shows you the direction of winds on the map and per region (not real-time), the wind speed, and allows you to create your own spot to track and share the changing weather conditions there.
Windy users the WRF8 model to predict and calculate the changing weather conditions. The model has a forecast depth of 3 days and is updated once a day, which isn’t best but gets the job done. Overall, Windy could be extremely helpful in predicting the weather for activities like sports, fishing, and mountain climbing, which makes it a great app if you’re into one of those things as well.
Pros Cons Great user interface Shares location data with third parties. Has all the basic forecast and prediction features Uses WRF8 model which only refreshes a day The map view is really well-designed Expensive premium subscription
Pricing: Free, Free 7-day trial and then $64.99/month or $109 for lifetime access
Weather & Radar
Weather & Radar is a decent weather app that shows you all the information on the spot. One of the best parts about this app is it has a radar for every stat such as Rainfall, Temperature, Wind, Lightning, and of course, weather. The home screen gives you a forecast of different parts of the day, a 14-day weather graph, and Astro info such as sunrise, sunset, and the phases of the moon.
One of the biggest drawbacks of the app is that it stuffs lots of advertisements on your face and on the home screen. You will need to purchase a premium subscription if you want to remove the ads, which costs around $2 a month. If you’re looking for a weather app that could show you visual representations of different weather entities, the Weather & Radar app will serve you well.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Shows information visually through map radars | Shares location data with third parties. |
| Current and expected forecasts | UI is stuffed with ads and can use some work |
| Map views are well thought out |
Pricing: Free, Free 14-day trial; Plan removes Ads for $1.99/month or $9.99/annually
Weather Underground
If you’re looking for a non-nonsense weather app to check the weather daily, there’s no better app to try than Weather Underground. For starters, it shows you at a glance the weather conditions with its widget and the home screen. It also has a WUNDERMAP which shows you the radar and the changing weather conditions in and across your area, alongside the wind speed, precipitation, low/high temperature, and feels-like temperature.
Besides, it also shows you the Air Quality, Sunrise and Sunset, and Daily Forecast to plan your trips accordingly. Weather Underground has a premium subscription that unlocks the ability to see the forecast for the next 15 days and Smart forecasts. You could support the developers by purchasing it, but overall, you shouldn’t face any issues using the free version. Ads are extremely rare on the app.
Pros Cons Simple and actionable UI Shares location data with third parties. Shows forecasts for the next eight days Map Radar is decent Less to no ads in the UI
Pricing: Free, Plan starts at $3.99/month or $20/annually
The Weather Channel
Yet another no-nonsense app that gets the job done. The Weather Channel shows you Hourly and Daily forecasts with Radar and Pollution stats. The home page has decently laid out info on the current temperature, what it feels like, and the maximum and minimum temperatures for the day. Besides, it also shows you the Hourly Forecast for the next two days which is not a lot. You will need Premium if you want to peek at what’s coming after those four days.
Scroll all the way, and you’ll get more details for the day such as Wind, Humidity, Pressure, UV index, Sunrise, and Sunset. Besides, you also get the Air Pollution stat and info such as Mosquito activity, Heat Index, Sweat Index, and Fog Index. Too bad it’s buried deep down in the app, and there’s no way to check individual stats without scrolling all the way. The Pollution tab is also well-detailed with Sulfur, Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, and PM2.5 contents in the air.
Pros Cons Decent UI Future forecast limited to three days Comprehensive atmospheric info Key info buried deep down into the app Map Radar gives lots of details Little ads in the free version
Pricing: Free, Free 7-day trial and then $4.99/month or $29.99/annually
Google Weather
Google Weather comes preinstalled on all Android devices and it can be accessed from inside the Google app. It shows you a 10-day forecast and an hourly forecast besides wind speeds, humidity, UV index, and pressure. It also shows you the Sunrise and Sunset times, along with the hourly details of the aforementioned entities.
It’s a simple, no-frills weather app that gets the job done. If you need detailed insights, most of the apps on this list can give you just that. The Weather page recently received much-needed UI improvements and looks better than ever. However, there’s no weather radar and features you’d find in dedicated weather apps. If all you care about is simplicity, it’s one of the best weather apps you can try out.
Pros Cons Great UI No Weather radar 10-day and hourly forecast Lacks air pollution statistics and other features Key atmospheric info is well laid out
Pricing: Free
SimpleWeather
The title says it all. The SimpleWeather app strives to be a simple yet effective app for showing vital weather information to users. It’s open-source and free, with no ads in the UI. The UI itself is very clean and intuitive, with smooth animations. You can add multiple locations, change the update interval, and also use the widgets to stay updated. The app can also show you Weather and Precipitation alerts via push notifications.
The home page houses forecast of the next five days, hourly forecast for the day, charts that show varying precipitation, humidity, UV index, and more throughout the day, and additional details such as the Air Quality Index, Moon Phase, Sunset, and Sunrise info, and a Radar to check out the current weather changes. It’s not as dynamic as other apps but gets the job done.
Pros Cons Great UI No Weather radar 10-day and hourly forecast Lacks air pollution statistics and other features Key atmospheric info is well laid out
Pricing: Free, Plan starts at $1.99/month or $9.99/annually
WeatherBug
WeatherBug may look outdated at first glance, but you’d be surprised by just how useful it is. For starters, it shows you the weather and temperatures, hourly and 10-day forecasts, wind speed and direction. One of the things the app that no app on this list has is Hurricane detection and tracking. The app also shows you the air pollution stats and whether it’s safe to go outside to play sports.
The weather radar could definitely use some improvements, as it’s not the most intuitive from the bunch. It doesn’t show you any color zones with different conditions but shows the atmospheric movement. A better map radar experience requires you to purchase a premium subscription. The app also has lots of ads, although they’re not very intrusive. Overall, WeatherBug is a decent little app that gets the job done.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Shows all info at one place | UI could use some work |
| 10-day and hourly forecast | Lacks finer Weather Radar details |
| Air pollution, lightning, and hurricane tracker stats | |
Pricing: Free, Free 7-day trial and then $2/month or $10/annually
So these were some of the best weather apps you can try on Android. Out of all, Windy.app, Weather Underground, and The Weather Channel all provide detailed information. The rest of the apps are great if all you want is an app with widgets to check the daily forecast and weather conditions. Similarly, there are many great Weather apps on iPhone, so do check them out as well.
Do you know a Weather app that deserves to be on this list? Let us know in the comments below.
