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Weather · head to head

NOAA Weather Radar Live vs Visual Crossing Weather

N

NOAA Weather Radar Live

Weather

Live NOAA radar with storm alerts and tracking

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Visual Crossing Weather logo

Visual Crossing Weather

Weather

Historical and forecast weather data for any location

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: NOAA Weather Radar Live limited to NOAA data sources in United States; Visual Crossing Weather sub hourly weather history, solar and wind energy elements, soil and evapotranspiration data and degree day calculations are excluded from the Professional plan
  • They diverge on capability: NOAA Weather Radar Live covers NOAA radar data, Visual Crossing Weather covers Historical weather.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which NOAA Weather Radar Live and Visual Crossing Weather actually diverge.

Attributes where NOAA Weather Radar Live and Visual Crossing Weather differ
AttributeNOAA Weather Radar LiveVisual Crossing Weather
PlatformsiOS, AndroidApi, Web
Founded20102003

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Weather).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in NOAA Weather Radar Live

  • NOAA radar data
  • Storm tracking
  • Precipitation maps
  • Severe alerts
  • Satellite imagery
  • NOAA data feeds
  • NWS warnings
  • Ios support

Only in Visual Crossing Weather

  • Historical weather
  • 15-day forecasts
  • Weather query builder
  • Bulk downloads
  • API access
  • REST API
  • Excel add-in
  • Python library

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

NOAA Weather Radar Live

  • Professional Worknot Visual Crossing Weather
  • Content Creationnot Visual Crossing Weather

Visual Crossing Weather

  • Pulling historical weather records for analysis and modellingnot NOAA Weather Radar Live
  • Adding forecast data to applications through a weather APInot NOAA Weather Radar Live
  • Weather driven analytics for energy, agriculture and logisticsnot NOAA Weather Radar Live

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

NOAA Weather Radar Live

  • Limited to NOAA data sources in United States

Visual Crossing Weather

  • Sub hourly weather history, solar and wind energy elements, soil and evapotranspiration data and degree day calculations are excluded from the Professional plan
  • Removing the attribution requirement needs the Corporate plan or above
  • Usage is metered in records rather than API calls, and the metered plan requires a cost calculator to work out the bill
  • Per record rates are not stated on the editions page
  • Enterprise terms are custom rather than published

Pricing, plan by plan

NOAA Weather Radar Live

Free
  • FreeFree
    • NOAA radar
    • Forecasts
    • Basic alerts
  • Premium$4.99/month
    • HD radar
    • No ads
    • Extended features

Visual Crossing Weather

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1,000 records/day
    • 15-day forecast
    • Historical data
  • Professional$35/month
    • 10,000 records/day
    • Full API
    • Support

Which should you pick?

Choose NOAA Weather Radar Live if

  • You need noaa radar data.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android.
  • You also want storm tracking.
NOAA Weather Radar Live review

Choose Visual Crossing Weather if

  • You need historical weather.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Api, Web.
  • You also want 15-day forecasts.
Visual Crossing Weather review

Questions people ask

Is NOAA Weather Radar Live or Visual Crossing Weather better?
Neither clearly leads. NOAA Weather Radar Live starts at Free and Visual Crossing Weather at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, NOAA Weather Radar Live or Visual Crossing Weather?
NOAA Weather Radar Live starts at Free and Visual Crossing Weather at Free.
Does NOAA Weather Radar Live or Visual Crossing Weather run on more platforms?
NOAA Weather Radar Live runs on iOS, Android. Visual Crossing Weather runs on Api, Web.
Can I use NOAA Weather Radar Live for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is NOAA Weather Radar Live best used for?
NOAA Weather Radar Live is most often used for professional work, content creation. Of those, professional work and content creation are not what Visual Crossing Weather is typically brought in for.
What can NOAA Weather Radar Live do that Visual Crossing Weather cannot?
NOAA Weather Radar Live covers NOAA radar data, Storm tracking, Precipitation maps, Severe alerts. Visual Crossing Weather covers Historical weather, 15-day forecasts, Weather query builder, Bulk downloads.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

NOAA Weather Radar Live: What does the Clime app do?

Clime (formerly NOAA Weather Radar Live) is a weather radar app that displays real-time NOAA radar data with precipitation alerts, satellite maps showing cloud cover, and push notifications for severe weather including hurricanes and tornadoes.

Visual Crossing Weather: Does Visual Crossing offer free weather data?

Yes, the first 1,000 daily records are free and include both historical and forecast data for commercial use.

Source
NOAA Weather Radar Live: Is the app free?

Clime offers both free and premium versions, with the free version providing basic radar and weather features, and premium features available through in-app purchases.

Visual Crossing Weather: Can I use Visual Crossing weather data for commercial purposes?

Yes, all Visual Crossing subscription tiers include commercial use rights.

Source
Visual Crossing Weather: What is the difference between the Metered and Corporate plans on Visual Crossing?

The Metered plan charges pay-as-you-go for unlimited records with 5 locations per query. The Corporate plan has unlimited records with fair use policy, 1,000 locations per query, advanced features like solar and wind energy, and premium support included.

Source
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