Weather · head to head
Weather Underground PWS vs Windy

Weather Underground PWS
Weather
World's largest personal weather station network
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Weather Underground PWS personal weather station network relies on community contributions; Windy windy Premium is required for the 1-hour and 15-day forecast outlook, 4-6x daily model updates, 24-hour radar/satellite loops with 1-year archives, and tide forecast maps, per the App Store listing; the free tier lacks these
- They diverge on capability: Weather Underground PWS covers Station network, Windy covers Weather visualization.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Weather Underground PWS and Windy actually diverge.
| Attribute | Weather Underground PWS | Windy |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | free | freemium |
| Platforms | Web, Mobile | Web, Ios, Android |
| Founded | 1995 | 2014 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), 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 Weather Underground PWS
- Station network
- Real-time upload
- Historical data
- Quality control
- Community rankings
- PWS devices
- Data APIs
- Weather apps
Only in Windy
- Weather visualization
- Wind forecasts
- Precipitation maps
- Interactive charts
- Real-time data
- Global weather models
- Satellite data
- Weather APIs
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Weather Underground PWS
- Community-sourced weather station networknot Windy
- Personal weather monitoring and forecastingnot Windy
- Historical weather data accessnot Windy
- Severe weather alerts and notificationsnot Windy
Windy
- Weather analysisnot Weather Underground PWS
- Flight planningnot Weather Underground PWS
- Wind pattern analysisnot Weather Underground PWS
- Meteorological researchnot Weather Underground PWS
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Weather Underground PWS
- Personal weather station network relies on community contributions
- Data accuracy varies by station quality
Windy
- Windy Premium is required for the 1-hour and 15-day forecast outlook, 4-6x daily model updates, 24-hour radar/satellite loops with 1-year archives, and tide forecast maps, per the App Store listing; the free tier lacks these
Pricing, plan by plan
Weather Underground PWS
Free- FreeFree
- Station registration
- Data upload
- Dashboard
Windy
Free- FreeFree
- Weather maps
- Wind forecasts
- Precipitation data
- Premium$5.99/month
- Advanced models
- Historical data
- API access
Which should you pick?
Choose Weather Underground PWS if
- You need station network.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Mobile.
- You also want real-time upload.
Choose Windy if
- You need weather visualization.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want wind forecasts.
Questions people ask
- Is Weather Underground PWS or Windy better?
- Neither clearly leads. Weather Underground PWS starts at Free and Windy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Weather Underground PWS or Windy?
- Weather Underground PWS starts at Free and Windy at Free.
- Does Weather Underground PWS or Windy run on more platforms?
- Weather Underground PWS runs on Web, Mobile. Windy runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Weather Underground PWS for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Weather Underground PWS best used for?
- Weather Underground PWS is most often used for community-sourced weather station network, personal weather monitoring and forecasting, historical weather data access, severe weather alerts and notifications. Of those, community-sourced weather station network and personal weather monitoring and forecasting are not what Windy is typically brought in for.
- What can Weather Underground PWS do that Windy cannot?
- Weather Underground PWS covers Station network, Real-time upload, Historical data, Quality control. Windy covers Weather visualization, Wind forecasts, Precipitation maps, Interactive charts. Both handle Web support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Weather Underground PWS: Is there a cost to join the Weather Underground Personal Weather Station network?
No cost is disclosed for joining the Weather Underground PWS network. The site encourages users to join and contribute weather data.
SourceRelated pages
More on Weather Underground PWS
Other head to heads
- Weather Underground PWS vs WeatherBug
- Weather Underground PWS vs AccuWeather
- Weather Underground PWS vs MyRadar
- Weather Underground PWS vs Ambient Weather Network
- Weather Underground PWS vs PurpleAir
- Weather Underground PWS vs AirVisual
- Weather Underground PWS vs Yr.no
- Weather Underground PWS vs RadarScope
- Weather Underground PWS vs Apple Weather (Dark Sky)
- Weather Underground PWS vs MeteoGroup
- Weather Underground PWS vs BreezoMeter
- Weather Underground PWS vs Atmotube
- Weather Underground PWS vs Clime: NOAA Weather Radar
- Weather Underground PWS vs EPA AirNow
- Weather Underground PWS vs Gro Intelligence
- Weather Underground PWS vs IQAir
- Weather Underground PWS vs ClearAg
- Weather Underground PWS vs The Weather Channel
- Weather Underground PWS vs Zoom Earth
- Weather Underground PWS vs 1Weather
- Weather Underground PWS vs Baron Weather
- Weather Underground PWS vs Aeris Weather
- Weather Underground PWS vs NOAA Weather Radar Live
- Weather Underground PWS vs Ventusky
- Weather Underground PWS vs Weatherstack
- Windy vs WeatherBug
- Windy vs AccuWeather
- Windy vs MyRadar
- Windy vs Ambient Weather Network
- Windy vs PurpleAir
- Windy vs AirVisual
- Windy vs Yr.no
- Windy vs RadarScope
- Windy vs Apple Weather (Dark Sky)
- Windy vs MeteoGroup
- Windy vs BreezoMeter
- Windy vs Atmotube
- Windy vs Clime: NOAA Weather Radar
- Windy vs EPA AirNow
- Windy vs Gro Intelligence
- Windy vs IQAir
- Windy vs ClearAg
- Windy vs The Weather Channel
- Windy vs Zoom Earth
- Windy vs 1Weather
- Windy vs Baron Weather
- Windy vs Aeris Weather
- Windy vs NOAA Weather Radar Live
- Windy vs Ventusky
- Windy vs Weatherstack

