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AccuWeather Review

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Should I use AccuWeather?

[ Go Back ](/pwa) - accuweather.com

· 5 days ago

The free app is fine for checking weather if you accept its ads and data practices. Privacy-sensitive users and developers relying on its free API look elsewhere.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 24 public sources; several review snippets were truncated.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo usable support evidence in sources
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Free

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
PremiumNot disclosed in reviewed sources
Premium+Not disclosed in reviewed sources

Best for

  • Casual daily forecasts, free
  • Severe-weather alert seekers
  • Businesses needing storm warnings
  • Hourly forecast planners

Not for

  • Privacy-conscious users
  • Anyone tempted by Premium+, free rivals match it
  • Developers building on its free API
  • Accuracy sticklers. User comparisons often favor Google or Apple Weather

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

2017 location-data scandal: shared location with a monetization firm despite opt-out; practices changed only after EPIC suit in 2019

medium

Free API retirement will break hobbyist and smart-home integrations

medium

Paid Premium tiers exist but value is openly debated; no transparent pricing in sources

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free forecasts with radar and hourly detail
  • Available across iOS, Android, and web
  • SkyGuard business alerts target weather-vulnerable industries like healthcare

Cons

  • Caught sending location data even when users opted out (2017)
  • Users report temperature discrepancies versus Google Weather
  • Free API is being retired, breaking third-party integrations
  • Mixed user reputation on reliability

Sources & method

- 13 sources - Checkered: 2017 location-data scandal plus a 2025 XSS CVE in its RSS widget.

official x2review x4security x3news x4
  • CVE-2025-5015: AccuWeather RSS Widget XSS, Cross-site scripting vulnerability in the AccuWeather RSS widget; also covered by a CISA ICS advisory (June 2025).
  • Location data shared despite opt-out (2017), App sent location data to a monetization firm even when sharing was disabled; class-action investigations followed, and practices changed after an EPIC suit by November 2019.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 3/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 13

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 3/5. Free tier fine; Premium value disputed
  • Ease of use: 3/5. Handy on the go, but flaws noted
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Radar, hourly, alerts, business APIs
  • Support quality. No usable support evidence in sources
  • Security posture: 2/5. Location-data scandal plus 2025 widget CVE
  • 541 Trustpilot reviews Customer service reviews of accuweather.com
  • Yes Free tier Ad-supported free forecasts
  • 2 Paid tiers Premium and Premium+ subscriptions
  • 1 Public CVEs XSS in RSS widget (2025)

Pricing

Free

$0

  • Forecasts and radar
  • Ad-supported

Premium

Not disclosed

  • Details not stated in sources

Premium+

Not disclosed

  • Advanced severe weather alerts

Security

Checkered: 2017 location-data scandal plus a 2025 XSS CVE in its RSS widget.

  • CVE-2025-5015: AccuWeather RSS Widget XSSCross-site scripting vulnerability in the AccuWeather RSS widget; also covered by a CISA ICS advisory (June 2025).³
  • Location data shared despite opt-out (2017)App sent location data to a monetization firm even when sharing was disabled; class-action investigations followed, and practices changed after an EPIC suit by November 2019.²

What users say

Opinions are mixed: users like the radar and hourly detail but question accuracy, consistency, and the paid tiers.

“Accuweather has been weird lately”
Reddit, r/weather

Alternatives

Compare AccuWeather with each alternative.

  • The Weather Channel

    Comparable consumer app; frequent head-to-head comparisons

  • Google Weather

    Free and minimal; users cite fewer accuracy gaps

  • Apple Weather

    Built into iPhones; users often prefer its accuracy

    AccuWeather vs Apple Weather

Companies that use it

Full analysis

Based on 24 public sources; several review snippets were truncated.

Decent free weather app with a data-privacy past; skip Premium+ and note the free API is going away.

Methodology

Based on 24 public sources; several review snippets were truncated.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. Read Customer Service Reviews of www.accuweather.comtrustpilot.com
    review
  2. AccuWeather Is Tracking You Even When You Don't Give It Permissiongizmodo.com
    security
  3. CVE-2025-5015: AccuWeather RSS Widget XSSsentinelone.com
    security
  4. Parsons AccuWeather Widget — CISA ICS Advisorycisa.gov
    security
  5. Following EPIC Suit, AccuWeather Changes Location Practicesarchive.epic.org
    news
  6. AccuWeather free API going awayforums.homeseer.com
    news
  7. AccuWeather vs The Weather Channel compared (2026)softwr.com
    review
  8. AccuWeather SkyGuard healthcare notificationsaccuweather.com
    official
  9. AccuWeather: Hacking the Weather at Penn Statecloud.google.com
    official
  10. AccuWeather vs Google Weather accuracyfacebook.com
    review
  11. Accuweather has been weird latelyreddit.com
    review
  12. Utilizing hourly forecasts with the AccuWeather appyahoo.com
    news
  13. AccuWeather — Wikipedia summary of serviceswikiwand.com
    news

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