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Which weather service should you use in Carrot Weather and other iPhone weather apps?

Published Feb 1st, 2024 2:22PM EST
Image: José Adorno for BGR

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Choosing a weather service is a pain. Whether you use Carrot Weather, Apple’s Weather app, or other third-party alternatives, it doesn’t mean you’ll have the best service available. Why? Because it all depends on which weather service has the most accurate information.

At the end of the day, it’s less about the app you choose and more about the weather forecast providers you can access. That’s why Carrot Weather offers more provider options if you subscribe to a higher tier, while Apple only lets you access data from The Weather Channel.

But how can you discover which weather service offers the most accurate forecast to your region? Well, instead of switching to different providers, there’s a website that shows the most accurate forecast for every region.

Discover the best weather service for your location

To help you discover the perfect weather service for your location, you should try ForecastAdvisor‘s website. There, you can enter your zip code, city, or state to discover which weather provider is offering the most accurate data.

Imagine you’re in Los Angeles. According to ForecastAdvisor data, The Weather Channel (90.59%) was the most accurate provider for December, followed by AerisWather (90.32%) and Weatherbit (89.94%). Microsoft (88.33%) and AccuWeather (85.65%) closed the top five providers.

Best weather service by ForecastAdvisorImage source: ForecastAdvisor

More interestingly, if you look at the forecast accuracy for all of 2023, The Weather Channel maintains its lead (91.97%), but Microsoft (91.42%) takes second place. AccuWeather and AerisWeather are in the fourth and fifth places, respectively.

What I think is the most interesting feature of this website is that it breaks down which weather provider makes right the most. For example, in December, The Weather Channel was usually more right about precipitation, while Microsoft got higher temperatures better. Lower temperatures were better identified by AccuWeather. Nice, right?

You shouldn’t use LA’s top provider in New York

That said, while The Weather Channel is likely the right answer for sunny California, in New York, you’re probably better informed with Microsoft, as it had an 88.20% accuracy in December. Foreca/Vaisala was also a great option for New Yorkers.

Microsoft is also a better option for Austin, Texas, than The Weather Channel. But ultimately, it all depends on where you live and the general accuracy of these providers.

How to choose the best weather app for your region?

Now that you know how to discover the best weather service, you need to find the app that uses the data you want to see.

Fortunately, BGR compiled the best weather apps when you’re tired of using Apple’s Weather app option. Before downloading them, check which providers they offer to get the most optimal solution for your needs in your region.

José Adorno Tech News Reporter

José is a Tech News Reporter at BGR. He has previously covered Apple and iPhone news for 9to5Mac, and was a producer and web editor for Latin America broadcaster TV Globo. He is based out of Brazil.