Software · head to head
Weather Underground vs Awair
Weather Underground
Software
Crowdsourced hyperlocal weather from personal stations
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Awair
Software
Smart indoor air quality monitor for healthy spaces
- From
- $149/one-time
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Weather Underground has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Weather Underground free public API discontinued as of December 31, 2018 with no new developer accounts accepted; Awair a hardware purchase, with the Element at $299 before any software value
- They diverge on capability: Weather Underground covers Personal weather stations, Awair covers 5-factor monitoring.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Weather Underground and Awair actually diverge.
| Attribute | Weather Underground | Awair |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $149/one-time |
| Pricing model | freemium | one-time |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Mobile web, Personal Weather Station network | Ios, Android, Hardware |
| Founded | 2003 | 2013 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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
- Personal weather stations
- Hyperlocal data
- Historical records
- Webcams
- Community forums
- PWS networks
- Smart home
- APIs
Only in Awair
- 5-factor monitoring
- Awair Score
- Personalized tips
- Historical trends
- Smart displays
- Alexa
- Google Home
- IFTTT
Both cover
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Weather Underground
- Professional Worknot Awair
- Content Creationnot Awair
Awair
- Indoor air quality monitoring at homenot Weather Underground
- Tracking CO2, humidity, temperature, VOCs and particulatesnot Weather Underground
- Workplace air quality monitoring across a building with Omninot Weather Underground
- Correlating air quality with sleep or productivitynot Weather Underground
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Weather Underground
- Free public API discontinued as of December 31, 2018 with no new developer accounts accepted
- Previous enterprise pricing was expensive at $150/month for Cumulus Drizzle plan
- No longer competitive for developers needing reliable weather API access
- Service is in wind-down phase with limited future development
Awair
- A hardware purchase, with the Element at $299 before any software value
- The consumer Element tracks 5 environmental factors against 7 on the business Omni
- Business deployments run on subscriptions, and Omni pricing is not published
Pricing, plan by plan
Weather Underground
Free- FreeFree
- PWS data access
- Forecasts
- Historical data
- Ad-Free$1.99/month
- No advertisements
- Premium features
Awair
$149/one-time- Element$149/one-time
- 5 air factors
- Smart home integration
- App access
- Omni$299/one-time
- Enterprise features
- API access
- Advanced analytics
Which should you pick?
Choose Weather Underground if
- You need personal weather stations.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Mobile web, Personal Weather Station network.
- You also want hyperlocal data.
Choose Awair if
- You need 5-factor monitoring.
- You work on Ios, Android, Hardware.
- You also want awair score.
Questions people ask
- Is Weather Underground or Awair better?
- Neither clearly leads. Weather Underground starts at Free and Awair at $149/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Weather Underground or Awair?
- Weather Underground has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Weather Underground and $149/one-time for Awair.
- Does Weather Underground or Awair run on more platforms?
- Weather Underground runs on Web, Mobile web, Personal Weather Station network. Awair runs on Ios, Android, Hardware.
- Can I use Weather Underground for free?
- Yes. Weather Underground has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Awair starts at $149/one-time.
- What is Weather Underground best used for?
- Weather Underground is most often used for professional work, content creation. Of those, professional work and content creation are not what Awair is typically brought in for.
- What can Weather Underground do that Awair cannot?
- Weather Underground covers Personal weather stations, Hyperlocal data, Historical records, Webcams. Awair covers 5-factor monitoring, Awair Score, Personalized tips, Historical trends. Both handle Ios support, Android support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Weather Underground: What happened to the Weather Underground API?
The free public API was discontinued on December 31, 2018, after IBM acquired The Weather Company. The service is now in a wind-down phase with no new developer accounts accepted.
SourceWeather Underground: Can I still use Weather Underground's data?
Free API keys are still available for Personal Weather Station (PWS) owners who upload data to the network. General developers need to migrate to alternative weather API providers.
SourceWeather Underground: What was the pricing for Weather Underground's Cumulus plans?
The Cumulus Drizzle plan cost $150/month, which many developers found prohibitively expensive for weather data compared to modern alternatives.
SourceWeather Underground: Does Weather Underground still offer a consumer-facing service?
Yes. The consumer website continues to provide weather forecasts, news, alerts, and access to personal weather station data through the PWS network.
Source