Which Weather App Uses Least Amount Of Data

YoWindow Weather best weather apps and weather widgets

Joe Hindy / Android Authority

Knowing the weather is something that we all pretty much need to know. Smartphone weather apps and weather widgets have been steadily improving over the years and they are better than they have ever been. They work better, have more detailed and accurate information, and the weather widgets generally look better and more modern. These days, you can get some crazy good radar, even if Dark Sky doesn't exist on Android anymore. There are a ton of great options, but we think we narrowed down the best of the best. Here are the best weather apps and weather widgets currently available on Android.

For those who want something a little extra, here is a list of the best weather radars on Android that is entirely separate from this list.

1Weather by OneLouder Apps has been around for a long time and is not only one of the most popular weather apps on this list, but also one of the highest rated. It comes with your standard features like your daily and hourly forecast along with access to additional information. There are also some weather widgets available. The design is crisp and clean. It also comes with Android Wear support, weather tracking for up to 12 cities, and has support for 25 languages. All of the features comes in the free version with advertising. You can also pay $1.99 to remove advertising. The only issue we've ever had with this one is the radar refuses to load on occasion.

Accuweather

Price: Free / $2.99 / $8.99 per month

Accuweather by Accuweather.com is one of the more popular and good weather apps. It features the basics, including extended forecasts, hourly forecasts, and the like. Other features include radar, some of the best Wear OS support of any weather app, and more. It also includes a MinuteCast feature. It predicts rain on a minute-by-minute basis so you can plan your day a little easier. The app underwent a re-design in mid-2020 and introduced a bunch of new bugs that haven't been fixed yet. However, it should get better over the next year as they iron everything out. Additionally, the service has a subscription service for some users. We'll keep an eye on this one and re-evaluate when we update next to see if it gets to stay on the list.

Appy Weather

Price: Free / $3.99 per year

Appy WEtaher is the newest weather app on the list, comparatively speaking. It has a bunch of features and that includes most of the ones that every weather app has. Some of its more unique features include a much more personalized feed than most, a fun and fashionable UI, and hyperlocal weather. It uses Dark Sky's API for now, but should have other options in the near future. The subscription is fairly reasonable at $3.99 per year. It has a few bugs here and there, but it's quickly becoming a go-to option for many.

Google Assistant isn't one of the usual weather apps. It can show you weather, though. You simply ask Google for the forecast. You can ask for the current weather, weather alerts, and more. Just click on the weather card to get additional info on the web. It doesn't have a lot of the features as these other weather apps such as weather widgets or a built-in radar. However, it's excellent for quick checks, quick updates, and severe weather alerts. It's also entirely free. The app comes pre-installed on most Android devices as well.

MyRadar Weather Radar

Price: Free / $2.99 per month / $24.99 per year

MyRadar is a simple app that shows you a weather radar. It has a full range of features, including the ability to play animations so you can see if the rain is coming or going. The app itself is simple but you can buy additional feature as in-app purchases. Some of the additional features include a hurricane tracker and additional radar features. The radar on this one is one of the best we've ever seen and it's the only one that even comes close to how good Dark Sky was. However, it works best in combination with another weather app so you can get the normal weather features as well.

NOAA Weather Unofficial is an app that sources the NOAA and National Weather Service for its information. You can find things like the latest weather forecasts, hourly conditions, radar, and more. You can track several cities at once and there are weather widgets to choose from. The only downside is that the app doesn't support severe weather alerts. You can check those in the app, but that's about it. There's a free version and a paid version. We recommend the free one first.

Overdrop

Price: Free / Up to $7.49

Overdrop is one of the newer weather apps on the list, comparatively. It features a sleek design that is mostly minimal but just flashy enough to be enjoyable. The app also features real-time weather data, a 24-hour forecast, a seven day forecast, severe weather alerts, six themes, various widgets, and more. You can also choose between AccuWeather, WeatherBit, and even Dark Sky until the API closes down. It's one of the better ones for sure.

Storm Radar by The Weather Channel

Price: Free

Storm Radar is a little different from other weather apps. It work similarly. However, it puts a larger focus on severe weather such as tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, hurricanes, and other meteorological acts of God. The weather radar has 20 layers for a ton of customization. You get a lot of the extras like forecasts, current temperatures, and more. The irony is that this is from The Weather Channel and we think it's actually better than the regular Weather Channel app. It's completely free with ads if you're interested.

Today Weather

Price: Free / Up to $4.99

Today Weather was a pleasant surprise in 2017. It's a clean, functional, and quick weather app with more than enough features for most people. The app includes the usual suspects such as weather forecasts, humidity, actual temperature versus real feel, severe weather alerts, weather widgets, and other useful info like air quality index, moon cycles, and sunrise/sunset times. The radar is also one of the most gorgeous that we've used. The app is free to download and use with optional in-app purchases.

WeatherBug

Price: Free / $19.99

WeatherBug is one of the older weather apps. It features all of the stuff you'd expect from a weather app. That includes weather forecasts, temperature, radar, weather alerts, and more. It also features 18 different weather maps, a lightning alert system, traffic conditions, and more. There are weather widgets, but they are a separate download. It's a really solid, stable weather app with more than enough features for most people. The developers do a good job keeping the UI at least relatively modernized. The free version is more than good enough for most people.

Weather Channel is easily among the most recognizable weather apps out there. Thankfully, it covers all the basics. That includes current temperature, future forecasts, severe weather alerts, radar, and more. It also includes breaking news, lightning alerts, and pollen alerts. There are a variety of widgets, a separate tablet UI, and additional stuff. It doesn't cut any corners. That said, all of these features means The Weather Channel app is one of the biggest ones on the list and not a great option for fans of minimalism. Otherwise, it's perfectly functional.

What The Forecast?!!

Price: Free / $1.99

What The Forecast is one of the newer weather apps. You've probably seen screenshots of this app somewhere on social media. The app gives you funny quips that describe the weather outside. It boasts over 6600 phrases with an optional setting for profanity. Additionally, the app includes a seven day forecast, integration with AerisWeather, current temperature, the real feel, and more. This is definitely a fun weather app for those who need something basic but also unique. The profanity setting isn't for everyone, but you knew that already.

What The Forecast is one of the best weather apps and weather widgets for android

Yahoo Weather

Price: Free

Yahoo's weather app is probably their best app. It features a beautiful design, the essential weather information, weather alerts, a radar, and more. The app can track up to 20 cities. It shows gorgeous imagery from sources like Flickr. That's about all it does, though. It gives you the weather basics and looks really flashy. That's good if that's all you need. However, those needing something more serious may need to look elsewhere. Yahoo Weather is free with no in-app purchases. It does have ads, though.

YoWindow Weather

Price: Free / $2.99

YoWindow Weather is one of the more unique weather apps. It's quite flashy. You can move your finger across the UI to see the weather at any given point in the day. It also covers the basics fairly well. It's not as powerful as some weather apps. However, simplicity has its benefits as well. This is a great weather app for those who need something simple but also still looks good. You can pick up the app for free to try out most of the features. The paid version goes for $2.99. It's a reasonable price for what you're getting.

Weather Underground

Price: Free / $3.99 per month / $19.99 per year

Weather Underground underwent some big changes when IBM bought the company a while back. It gets the basics right, including the current forecast, a weather radar, the future forecast, and stuff like that. The app augments the experience by adding things like an air quality metric, sunrise and sunset times, hurricane tracking, and weather news. Additionally, the radar is fairly customizable with plenty of layers. The price is quite a bit steeper than it used to be and we understand if that price is too high for you, but the free version works the same with ads so it's not too big of a deal to go with the free version.