Answer · data from 3,090 iOS Weather apps
How much do weather apps make?
The category iOS supposedly killed quietly outearns most of the store. 20.5% of the 3,090 Weather-category apps we track show a revenue signal — 2.7× the store average — and 331 clear an estimated $1,000/month (a 10.7% winner rate vs 3.1% store-wide). The median winner makes an estimated $3,851/month.
Labeled estimates generated by GetAppNiche's proprietary model, snapshot July 12, 2026. Check any specific weather app free in the revenue checker.
Weather vs the store
Weather app economics at a glance
| Metric | Weather apps | Store average |
|---|---|---|
| Apps tracked | 3,090 (Weather category) | 744,659 |
| Show any revenue signal | 20.5% | 7.7% |
| Clear est. $1,000+/month | 331 apps (10.7%) | 3.1% |
| Median est. rev (apps ≥$1k/mo) | $3,851/mo | $4,500/mo |
| Median est. rev (all earning apps) | $1,179/mo | $643/mo |
| Top 10% of earners make | $11,571+/mo | $17,679+/mo |
| Median ratings of $1k+ apps | 5,757 | 5,285 |
| Freemium / paid-upfront share | 17.6% / 14.4% | 12.0% / 6.4% |
Source: GetAppNiche analysis of 744,659 iOS App Store apps, July 12, 2026 snapshot; App Store Weather category. Estimates, not audited figures — methodology in how app revenue estimation works.
Share of apps on each measure. Weather clears every bar well above the store — the dollar and rating rows stay in the table above. Labeled proprietary-model estimates, Jul 12 2026.
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Three takeaways before you build one
- "The OS solved it" is wrong — segmentation saved it. Sailors, pilots, farmers, storm watchers, and hikers all pay for depth Apple's general app doesn't ship. The winners serve one of those jobs, not "weather" in general.
- High floor, modest ceiling. A 10.7% winner rate is excellent, but the top 10% threshold ($11,571/mo est.) is below the store's — weather is a niche of many solid businesses, not unicorns. Budget for weather-data API costs from day one.
- Two monetization doors work here. Subscriptions for live data (radar, alerts) or a well-made paid-upfront app — Weather carries 2.2× the store's paid share. Compare specific incumbents in the revenue checker, then run the validation checklist.
FAQ
Weather app revenue — quick answers
How much money do weather apps make?
Much more often than you'd expect for a category iOS ships for free. Of the 3,090 apps in the App Store's Weather category we track, 20.5% show a revenue signal — 2.7× the store-wide 7.7% — and 331 clear an estimated $1,000/month (a 10.7% winner rate versus 3.1% store-wide). The median winner makes an estimated $3,851/month. Dollar figures are labeled proprietary-model estimates, snapshot July 12, 2026.
Why do people pay for weather apps when iOS has one built in?
Because 'weather' is really a dozen different jobs, and Apple's app serves only the general one. The paying niches are specific: radar and storm tracking, marine and aviation weather, agriculture and frost alerts, hyperlocal precipitation, severe-weather warnings, hiking and mountain forecasts. Buyers with a professional or safety stake — sailors, pilots, farmers, storm chasers — pay for depth and reliability the default app doesn't offer. Weather data licensing also costs real money, which sustains willingness to pay.
Is a weather app a good indie project?
It has honest pros and cons. Pros: a 10.7% winner rate (3.4× the store norm), a proven mix of subscription and paid-upfront monetization, and clearly segmented user needs. Cons: winners carry a median 5,757 ratings — slightly above the store average, so incumbents are established; the ceiling is lower than hot niches (top 10% at an estimated $11,571/month versus $17,679 store-wide); and your product depends on paid weather-data APIs, an ongoing cost most apps don't have. The winning pattern is a specific audience, not another pretty general forecast.
How do weather apps monetize?
A two-model niche, unusually. 17.6% of Weather apps are freemium (subscriptions for radar layers, alerts, extended forecasts) and 14.4% charge upfront — more than double the store's 6.4% paid share. Weather is one of the few categories where a polished paid-upfront app still works, because the buyer knows exactly what they're getting; the biggest earners, though, tend to be subscription products with recurring data costs baked into recurring pricing.
Are these numbers exact?
No — they are labeled estimates generated by GetAppNiche's proprietary multi-signal model, snapshot July 12, 2026, across 744,659 tracked iOS apps. The cohort uses the App Store's Weather category, which is cleaner than keyword matching for this niche. Nobody outside Apple has actual revenue figures; treat every number as directional.