When comparing The Weather Channel vs AccuWeather [free], the Slant community recommends The Weather Channel for most people. In the question“What are the best weather apps for iOS?” The Weather Channel is ranked 6th while AccuWeather [free] is ranked 8th. The most important reason people chose The Weather Channel is:
The overall theme of The Weather Channel app is bright with a consistent amount of Weather Channel blue. Fortunately the app also performs well. The app shares a similar design to the Google Play Store with scrolling tabs for "radar," "now," "videos," and "forecast." The scrolling tabs are very fluid and each tab is quick to load.
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Bright and quick user interface
The overall theme of The Weather Channel app is bright with a consistent amount of Weather Channel blue. Fortunately the app also performs well. The app shares a similar design to the Google Play Store with scrolling tabs for "radar," "now," "videos," and "forecast." The scrolling tabs are very fluid and each tab is quick to load.
Pro Solid offering of widgets
The Weather Channel widgets are attractive and functional. The widgets are available in 1x1, 2x2, and 4x1 sizes and even follow their own application's design language instead of following HTC like many others.
Pro Solid radar maps
The Weather Channel app's maps provide a descent amount of radar options but the overall design is very confusing and the in app tutorial hint is useless.
Pro Video forecasts
The Weather Channel with its large TV presence offers an impressive amount of weather forecasts videos in the app. Although many of the videos in the app such as "Lady and the Shark!" have absolutely nothing to do with weather.
Pro Travel based information
The Weather Channel application allows you to input a starting point and destination on a radar map and then predict if you will encounter any type of storms along the route. The feature needs work and doesn't always work properly but the idea is promising if improved.
Pro Offers a 2-hour forecast specifically for you
AccuWeather will when stuff like rain or snow start or stop in your current location.
Pro Clean design
Pro Radar maps
Pro Daily forecasts
Pro 25-day forecast (paid)
Cons
Con Focused more on features than actual weather
A lot of the developers time for The Weather Channel app has not gone toward better weather forecasts but many unnecessary features like weather achievements and the annoying mPOINTS reward system.
Con Unremovable advertisements
The Weather Channel app includes banner advertisements like most weather applications but unlike other applications that let you pay a dollar or two to remove them, The Weather Channel forces them on you. Even worse is that they are positioned conveniently at the bottom of the application right where you are likely to accidentally open them.
Con Gets their info free from government and then wants government to stop its free publication to the public so that it can establish a monopoly
Con Secretely logs and shares private location information
Con Information could be displayed in a more simpler manner
Information can be displayed in a much more simple and streamlined format. While the graphical features are very cool and attract the eye, the app can also be visually distracting for someone who just wants the weather information conveyed to them as efficiently as possible.