RadarScope Reviews

by Waggontrain

Do you like a national map that allows you to be able to locate local and long range storms? Do you like having high definition map overlays that allow you to locate exactly where the action is happening and heading? Do you want to have a weather app that is easy to navigate? Unfortunately RadarScope fails on everything. What it does do well is charge 10 dollars to download the basic functions. If your disappointed by the basic application and interested and or already invested in the initial 10 dollars the next 10 dollars to get tier 1 access seems like an appropriate next step. Once you get yourself into the 20 dollar range of access you realize that it still is terrible and the next option to get the holy grail of weather apps is the PRO tier 2. It's only 100 dollars in addition to the 10 dollar app download fee. Also anytime you download the application regardless of level... your also agreeing to a contract that automatically deducts money from your account on a yearly basis. This weather application is the best...for it's investors.

by Adenbug

I’ll start this off by saying that if you’re looking for a way to view the highest res data available from the NWS’s network of radars on your phone, this does that, and it does it well enough, assuming only 5 frames of animation is fine with you.

However, I really am a bit back and forth about the pricing of the base app. It feels a bit steep considering there is functionality that’s not included out of the box. Yes, I understand that the cost of development and running their services is not free. However, considering what you get in the base app is practically just NEXRAD Level 2 data, which is provided to the public for free (do the research - the NWS has made it available in different ways and there’s different methods of viewing it, at least on a PC), it just doesn’t feel right, even with the data being redistributed by this app.

I will still use this app because I already spent the $10, and what is included in the base app is quality & convenient. But I have been exploring the data that is publicly available from the NWS, and I would implore others to do so as well.

by Robotfool228

When I bought RadarScope , I was definitely not the target audience. I couldn’t really identify storm structures in person, let alone on radar. After getting RadarScope and learning a ton more, it is one of the best radars out there. Yeah, there is a pretty big paywall, but you already get loads and loads of data for free. As I have learned about and experience weather more and more, I’ve really shifted from the mindset of asking why people would pay for all of the features to being able to see why there’s a paywall.

The one thing that I dislike is that there isn’t any traditional map of roads, as well as certain cities that don’t show up entirely. Even if more cities showed up as I zoom in, that would be completely fine. It just gets somewhat frustrating when a friend tells me that he is near a cell in a certain city, there are dozens of warnings out, and I have to first find the city on a map before going to the warning this friend is referring to.

Overall, RadarScope is still phenomenal. It’s easy to use, provides loads of data, and is decently priced.

by DarkL3egendx

RadarScope is amazing, it shows all you need at first. But my only problem is with the $10 just to get it you have to pay an extra $10 annually for the first pro tier, and $15 a month or $100 annually for the second pro tier. With the first tier you get the dual window feature as well as a lightning indicator, the second tier gives you all of what the first one does but as well as local updates and a whole lot more. I think for the $10 price tag you should get a lot of these features, or instead of subscription to just let you buy the actual tiers instead of having subscriptions. I just think with the prices that it makes it kind of unfair to people during bad seasons if they need local updates.

by Hstnnn

The other reviewers are right-- this is the best radar and well worth the cost. I had purchased several others and put off this one because of the price. The other apps disappointed-- they have been inaccurate or slow to update. This one is precise and quick--so far is has never been more than a minute or two before it updates and most often it is up to the moment. And the accuracy has been brilliant. It has many features that I have not yet used, but i hope to learn them soon. I'm a weather novice, but I definitely want to know where the storms are, where they're going, and how much rain we'll get. This is the best radar by far!
Update: the developer keeps refining an already brilliant application. This is THE radar application, far superior to any other out there. Absolutely one of the best purchases I've ever made for my iOS devices—beautiful on the iPad, crucial app on the phone, and a very informative glance at the radar on the watch.
I bought the upgraded pro version and like the additional features: longer loops and lightening info. As with the basic version of RadarScope, the cost is there but well worth it: this radar and all the features are the some of the best things on my phone. One of the top apps of any kind and one I will subscribe to without hesitation every year.

by A320Freak

I bought RadarScope long ago, back before the 2013 Moore EF-5. It has served me so well since then. And new features keep getting added, making RadarScope basically a portable AWIPS workstation, minus WarnGen. There’s one thing that I’d love to see added, though, and that’s the ability to set our own storm motion vectors and have velocity products calibrated to that. For people who use this app for chasing, that would make it so much easier.

Other than that, RadarScope does wonders for storm chasers who are looking for quick and easy access to site specific radar products. Oh, and RadarScope will snap to the closest radar if you enable location. Even without custom SRV, RadarScope gets five stars for its simplicity to use and the tools that can be had with the subscriptions.

by Flash_699

I’ve had RadarScope for years. Depended on it for job related functions as well as home life. I live in the PNW mountains and no weather station has accurate forecasts so use RadarScope to track snow and rain showers to time activities around. As basic as “should I let the dogs out now or wait for a bit until the rain lets up?” Years ago, I used the relative velocity display during a tornado watch and saw a rotation starting near my hotel. Opened the curtain to see a tornado touchdown a few hundred yards from me.
Would be great if they could CarPlay enable this. As an RV’er and someone who drives a lot, it would be great to quickly pull up on the vehicle display to see if I’m driving into light rain or a heavy storm cell, rain or snow, etc.

by SageBeach

If you want to know what’s happening right now with the best graphics, this is the best app. I would also use in with conjunction with Dark Sky. Dark Sky is great for what will happen in the future but the colors for DS aren’t the best. RadarScope has been invaluable to me knowing exactly where the clouds are and where they’re going. Once I was traveling without a coat and it was raining REALLY hard. I noticed on here the severe storm only had a little more to go and then would be clear after. I ducked in for dinner and I knew I was good. You don’t need the extra super duper upgrades but I upgraded to the first tier since it’s fun to see the lightning. It is also nice that it shows the severe weather warnings and outlines exactly where the warning is for.

by TStan97

I love this radar app and it’s by far the best on the market. I have nothing to complain about, however I do wish there was one added feature that would greatly improve it. I enjoy watching the radar and looking at storms even when they’re not near me, especially tornado warned storms. The only problem is when I see the storms, I can only see the general location of the storm with respect to cities. I wish there was a feature that allowed me to see the precise location of where certain storms are. Even if it was just something where I pressed my finger and it pulled up the latitude and longitude coordinates so I could search them. It would make it a lot more enjoyable for me and would help me to know exactly what houses or businesses are being affected rather than general locations.

Another feature I would like to see is the ability to change the four quick select radars. I would love to have the choice of what four radars I can choose from when holding down on it. I would especially like to see the super res of reflectivity, velocity, specific differential phase, and correlation coefficient. As of right now, unfortunately I am forced to quick select the ones given and have to scroll a lot for the ones I want to see.

by Meteorologistq1

I’ve been using RadarScope since March, because a fellow friend of mine, who is also a meteorologist recommended RadarScope to me. I’m in love with RadarScope. I don’t believe that you need to pay anymore than what you need to. The price it asks for is the price it really is. You don’t need to pay extra for pro stages if you don’t want those stages. You have access to every nexRad radar. You can see a variety of things I didn’t know was there. There is Velocity (rotation), reflectivity (normal radar), correlation coefficient (shows any non-meteorological debris), etc. I love it. I have payed for any of the pro tiers, and I don’t plan too. Even without lightning, I am able to tell if it has a lot of lightning in it.

by Pd3ski

I purchased RadarScope for iPad v.1 just before flying to OkC OK... way back when, showed my friend and he immediately purchased ! Since then, I’ve introduced many friends to this wonderful no bs app, and am happy to report, none have complained. In fact compliments are usually received ;)
These new updates are really nice !! I appreciate the ability to see beyond the "radar ring"... again. Living near the coast (PNW) it allows just a little more info for brain processing ;)
And the latest update, with the new water background, is really nice on the eyes.
One thing I would like is a little more detail regarding lesser highways/roads.
And thanks for being so responsive to bug reports/bug problems over the years, you guys rock 🖖

by BhamBrian

I have to laugh when I read a negative review comparing this app to Weather Channel or any TV or national app. If you understand anything at all about radar products beyond “green is good, red is bad”, RadarScope is for you. If you understand SR velocity, RadarScope is for you. My 15yo daughter loves RadarScope as well, tracking significant storms around the country and asking me about the precipitation and velocity products, comparing what we see with media reports in the aftermath. It’s amazing to her how we can predict how bad the damage is from what we see on radar. Ever since her grandmother was killed in a tornado a few years ago, while we watched the radar signature from miles away, she’s been a disciple. Thank you again WDT for the best weather app available. It’s well worth the investment.

by WeatherGuy99

If you’re a huge fan of the weather, especially when it comes to looking at the radar, RadarScope is heaven for you! I recently upgraded to tier 1 for dual-pane radar, lightning, and inspector tools, and I outta say it’s been well worth it!

A request to this app,
You probably won’t see this but could you add the town of Alto, Michigan if possible to the map? It makes for a great middle town between Grand Rapids, Clarksville, Lowell, and Caledonia Michigan. I also request this because the town has seen some nasty weather over the years and there’s been no proof to pinpoint the town on radar... just had to take a guess on it’s location. On top of that, there are quite a few residents in the town. It’s no ordinary one street pass-through. Thanks otherwise!

by Hunter Matthews.

If I could give it 6/5 stars I would!

this app might be a professional radar app, but that doesn’t mean an amateur like me can’t use it. I love the SuperRes radars that show the smallest bits of individual rain pixels, and not lump them together into some kind of makeshift cloud like most other apps. With RadarScope I’ve become the de facto “Weather Nerd” for my friends, and oftentimes I tell them to watch the radar even before some local meteorologists. Using and understanding the Velocity and Reflectivity radars together helped me accurately know when a potential tornado producing storm was going to impact me and my friends, and made sure we were safe. Other apps like Weatherbug and The Weather Channel just can’t compare or compete with how great this radar is.

by ChrisW2364

First off, the people who are giving 1 stars probably don’t have a clue what they are looking at, the issues most people have on here are not this app’s fault, if your not even remotely into weather it can prove more difficult to interpret. That’s not radarscopes fault it’s the fault of the user. Radars are tools used by professionals, amateurs and ordinary people, the radar doesn’t lie on what it sees. If a radar isn’t updating it’s possible the NWS location (which is where the ap gets the data from) has issues, that’s not the apps fault. Sure the ap isn’t perfect but it’s hands down, it’s the best radar available on a phone or iPad. No other can even scratch the surface of what this app provides. For weather nerds is worth every dime. Easily able to add other data to get even more out of the radar.

by PD#453

Five stars because you’re not going to find anything better. Most people wanting to track the weather are not going to be able to figure out how to use RadarScope. It’s not for those folks. Stick with your news channel weather app. You need to have a little more than a basic understanding of weather and at least some understanding of basic level atmospheric sciences to be able to use RadarScope to its full potential. The features of this app are unmatched. I can watch broad rotation turn to tight rotation then pull up the correlation coefficient view and see what is happening. See where the hail and high winds are down to almost street level. With a little learning you will be able to watch storm movement and know exactly where the danger is or may be approaching. Can’t beat the price for the service you’re getting.

by Stormchaser32

I love RadarScope and all of that. All I wish is that you guys would add a couple things like your able to change the refresh time so like you could have it set to liek 30 secs and if there’s a new scan it would pop up because now it takes like 4-8 mins and I think you guys should add special weather statements I think that would be cool too. And that your able to change the color of the warning so like if you want a blue outline for a confirmed tornado on the the ground or a pink outline for a tornado emergency or a different color for a svr thunderstorm warning if you want if that makes sense. And have hail tracks and see the size of it and you could see what percent of hail you could get and what size of hail it is if that makes sense and better road maps if that that makes sense but other than that I love your guys app and hopefully it will be better in the future

by Someone 365936

If you are looking for a radar that gives you the data straight, this is it. There are no smoothing algorithms for the radar so you can see what meteorologists see and make your own judgments. Even if all you know is green is good red is bad this radar is the best out there. There is a slight learning curve on what you are actually looking at and all the settings but the guide that’s built in gives you enough to get you started. Some people say this is all information you could find for free, which it is, but it won’t be nearly as convenient or as practical. 10$ isn’t anything for an app like this unless you are on the brink of being broke. If you decide to get RadarScope and you just want the simpleton stuff just like me, select the super-res reflectivity chart and i turn on storm tracks in the settings. And just like that you have the best radar app on the market without even touching the weather nerd tools.

by Wolf By The Ears

I have been a weather nerd since I was a little kid, and I’m a trained Skywarn Storm Spotter. I first downloaded RadarScope in 2013 when a meteorologist mentioned it after I was complaining about how I struggled to find a decent one. Most radar apps have a smoothing algorithm that obliterates storm structure. RadarScope does a beautiful job with with its radar display. I’ve struggled to find certain details like specific rotation data inside a supercell storm, the correlation coefficient to detect tornado debris, decent hurricane reflectivity to see structure of the rain bands as well as the rotation within (I live in Florida), or just basic resolution to see what part of the storm will hit my location. RadarScope does it all and so much more that I could write a book on it. The features of data are endless. I’ve used it through Hurricane Matthew, Irma, and Dorian (and plenty of other tropical storms). The storm season here has me tracking several hundred storms over the years. I have it on my MacBook Pro and my iPhone. There’s a reason all the professionals, scientists, and storm chasers use RadarScope. It’s the best $10 I’ve ever spent.

by 1stimpact

No complaints on my end. This is for advanced users and for anyone complaining about what RadarScope does or doesn’t do, aren’t experienced enough to appreciate this on the fly system. If you’re complaining that it doesn’t show a nationwide map to view entire systems you’re not using RadarScope for its intended purpose. When chasing or spotting RadarScope will allow you to focus on an area of concern without a spliced image of the radar. It’ll also allow you to input addresses has the tools necessary to spot a storm quickly and efficiently. The only issue I’ve had isn’t something that I can blame on RadarScope as much as I can my service provider is refresh time. Otherwise RadarScope is money well spent for people who use phones and tablets while spotting/chasing.

by Cstephensondotco

I'm a novice user, learning about the different readings coming from the radar, but even with currently only understanding percipitation and velocity, RadarScope is a million times better than any other radar app because the data is live. During a storm, it doesn't help much to see radar data that is ten to thirty minutes old unless you're looking at tracking info.

I'm a map geek, and I love data, both likely important to why I love RadarScope. Also, RadarScope only provides data. I believe it's some of the same data that helps meteorologists forecast weather, but RadarScope doesn't forecast. So if you only want to know what the weather will be like later today or tomorrow, I doubt RadarScope is for you.

by Gimpelson96

Great app, not for beginners as you need to have more than a basic knowledge of how to read and interpret radar on the map. Once you are able to understand you will discover how much RadarScope has to offer. I have the base app without a subscription and that is good enough for me. Radar updates very quickly. Kansas City was nearly slammed with an EF4 tornado in May of this year (2019) and this app displayed accurate velocity to pinpoint where the mile wide tornado was located. I was able to monitor the debris field as well using correlation coefficient. RadarScope is strictly radar and is best used with other apps such as The Weather Channel for forecasts. This is my go to radar app. Fantastic. The only change I would make would be a more detailed map.