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It feels like the weather is getting harder and harder to predict, especially if you live in the UK. In March 2023, the country was beset by snowstorms, only for the snow to melt and the sun to emerge the very same day in some places. A good weather app has never been more important, and luckily, whether you’re an Android or iOS user, plenty of great weather apps are available. Free weather apps will usually do the job, but there are a range of paid weather apps out there with extra functionality, so let’s take a look at the best free and paid weather apps 2023 has to offer.
Met Office Weather Forecast (Android, iOS – Free)
Many weather apps get their weather data directly from the Met Office, so why not go straight to the source? The Met Office weather app is clean, well-laid-out, and capable of giving you a variety of important types of information. You can find out the likelihood of rain across the day or over the next few days, as well as get accurate temperature predictions and much more. This is a fairly basic weather app compared to some of its competitors, but it gets the job done more than satisfactorily.
AccuWeather (Android, iOS – Free)
There’s a free version of the AccuWeather app available, but if you want to pay a little extra for the Premium+ tier, you can do so. If you choose to upgrade, you’ll get access to features like extra widgets, an air quality panel, and more, so you can decide whether it’s worth doing so in your particular case or not. AccuWeather’s big selling point is its eerily accurate local weather predictor; it’ll detect where you are and give you an up-to-the-minute forecast of exactly what’s going to happen in the next hour or so. The ads might be a little overwhelming depending on your preference, but it’s a solid app.
Carrot Weather (Android, iOS – Free)
If you’re looking for a weather app with a little more personality to it, then you could certainly do a lot worse than Carrot Weather. This app will deliver weather reports to you, and it’ll comment on them as well, giving you something to chuckle at when you’re staring at a full week of rain (which, admittedly, some of us don’t mind so much). If you want to, you can upgrade to a Premium subscription, which will give you access to extra info like additional data sources and more.
BBC Weather (Android, iOS – Free)
The BBC Weather app is just as well-made and clean as you’d expect from one of Auntie Beeb’s creations. It’ll tell you what the weather is doing throughout the day and over the next week or so, and it also comes with UV, pollen, and pollution predictors to help you plan your exposure to potential outdoor harm. Of course, the app also comes with home screen widgets of various flavours, so you can choose what kind of information you want presented to you when you unlock your device.
The Weather Channel (Android, iOS – Free)
The creators of the Weather Channel app describe it as “the world’s most accurate forecaster”, and indeed, this is one of the better apps when it comes to accurately predicting what the weather is going to do. If you live in a place that tends to be beset by storms regularly, then you’ll likely get a lot of mileage out of this app’s Future Radar, which will tell you whether any storms are rolling into your area within the next day or so. Otherwise, this is another solid, robust weather app, so check it out if you need a dependable workhorse.
Dark Sky (Android – Free)
At time of writing, it’s only possible to download and use the Dark Sky app on Android, as the developers have technically discontinued its service. This means that you’re not likely to get any extra updates for it in future, but for the time being, it’s still a solid weather app that provides accurate data regarding rainfall and other weather phenomena. Apple purchased Dark Sky a couple of years ago, so if you’re an iOS user, you’ll find many of its features have been integrated into Apple Weather.
Weather Underground (Android, iOS – Free)
Depending on your personal preferences, you may find that the Weather Underground app’s interface is a little too cluttered for you. If you like a flood of information rather than a trickle, though (pun very much intended), then this is the app for you. Plenty of information is available throughout the app, including local weather, rain prediction, and a “feels like” temperature feature that tells you what you’re actually going to experience if you go outside. It may not be the cleanest weather app, but Weather Underground is another great choice.
Weatherbug (Android, iOS – Free)
Weatherbug’s killer feature is its multiple map layers, which show you different weather features overlaid on a map. You can see storms, radar, weather alerts, and more on the same map, showing you what’s going to happen in your area in the near future. The live lightning map is also rather useful if you’re someone who encounters storms and lightning a lot in your area. Even if you’re not living in such an “exciting” place, though, there are still plenty of reasons to download this app, including its clean interface and range of weather prediction features.