This is the best alternative to Pixel Weather app

Weather apps are an often underrated part of our daily tech toolbox. Checking whether the sky is falling or the sun is beating down is as important to my morning routine as a strong cup of coffee. Some weather apps offer better coverage for certain areas, while others excel at providing easy-to-understand information. These factors make choosing the perfect weather app an extremely personal decision. With its new Pixel Weather app, Google is hoping you’ll opt in (by getting a Pixel 9), but as slick as the app is, you’ll be spoiled for choice when picking an alternative to the Pixel Weather app.

As described in our hands-on review, Google’s new Weather app is a surprisingly comprehensive solution. It offers smart summaries, shows detailed daily indicators, and has a precipitation map for major cities. If you have an Android 14 device or an older Pixel, you can install the APK and give it a try. However, there are so many comprehensive alternatives that I had a hard time deciding which app would meet my needs.

After reviewing my favorite weather apps and picking out some new examples, one stands out as a worthy competitor to Pixel Weather: Weawow.

It’s difficult to recommend an alternative to the Pixel Weather app, as there is no equivalent replacement. This is especially true if you’re using a Pixel phone. The highlight is the use of Gemini to provide short forecast snippets, making cloud-watching easier. But beyond this novelty, Weawow offers much more for those who prefer a more customizable and information-rich experience.

The design philosophies of the two apps couldn’t be more different. Aside from the untimely death of the frog, Pixel Weather’s design has grown on me since I started using it. I don’t understand the great Pixel features, but with its clean lines and smooth textures, it’s a modern Google app through and through. Weawow offers sharper angles and sleeker fonts that might appeal to some and turn off others. It’s not the prettiest weather app, but I’d choose functionality over aesthetics any day.

Weawow displays the current conditions and hourly forecast at the top of the homepage, with a real-world image below reflecting the current conditions contributed by its users. Some may like this feature, but I’m not a fan of it. Thankfully, you can turn it off.

The hourly forecast graphically displays predicted temperature, rain and wind conditions for the next 24 hours. Tapping this section opens a stack of charts (or a table, if you prefer) showing hourly information on key indicators up to three days in advance. The layout is wonderfully dense, and I understand if that’s too much for some, but this arrangement provides a broader graphical representation of conditions in the near future. It also makes it easier to spot key turning points in conditions – important for planning outfits and activities.

This focus on dense information seeps into the breakdown of weather providers – my favorite feature of Weawow. Scroll to the bottom of the homepage and tap Weather providerand the app shows a stack of local and global weather sources on top of each other. All the major providers are represented here, including NHS, Dark Sky/Apple, OpenWeatherMap, and MET Norway. You can also donate to the developer to unlock AccuWeather and Foreca. I appreciate the ability to switch between temperature, precipitation, snowfall, wind, and other indicators that Pixel Weather doesn’t show. The option to view this weather data in a summary, daily, or hourly format is pretty awesome too.

Note that all providers offer slightly different forecasts. This screen makes it much easier to choose the best option for your area. If you are in doubt about your choice, you can easily view the alternative forecasts. The only provider of Pixel Weather is weather.com. You cannot select an alternative.

The weather map may be Pixel Weather’s best feature, but Weawow’s implementation is simply smarter. Pixel Weather limits its map to specific cities (and even continents) and only offers a precipitation visualization, but Weawow’s map offers a global view and multiple indicators. While I usually rely on Windy, Ventusky, or Zoom Weather for radar and higher resolution visualizations, Weawow’s map is cleaner, faster to load, and easier to use. I also appreciate the huge two-week time frame.

As mentioned, one of Weawow’s main strengths is its ability to customize. The app’s layout can be customized to your liking, with forecasts, indicators, and segments moving up and down the home page as you wish. Text size, design, and other display options can also be selected. You can even set the home page to display Celsius and Fahrenheit side by side.

The extent of Weawow’s extensive customization extends to its widgets and continuous notification feature as well. There are 14 widgets in total, more than enough for even the most demanding user, and each offers similar customization options within the app. There are options to display specific weather indicators, change the fonts and base colors, and adjust the widget size. Continuous notification is just as customizable, and even allows users to display a graph in the notification area. Neat!

Despite its strengths, Weawow isn’t perfect. Other apps offer better verbal summaries and a more modern interface and layouts, but Weawow strikes an important balance. It’s more accessible than most weather apps without being too thin for enthusiasts. As a result, Weawow is an excellent alternative to the Pixel Weather app for virtually anyone, Pixel 9 user or not. Not only is it free, but it’s chock-full of customization options, data from multiple providers, and great widgets. Its weather map is endlessly useful, covering a wide timescale and various indicators, making it perfect for tracking systems early.

Besides the more popular alternatives like Weather Underground, Windy, AccuWeather and the other best weather apps on the market, here are some alternatives to the Pixel Weather app that are also worth considering:

• Weather Today: My favorite weather app for bite-sized information. Weather Today offers a clean interface with up-to-date weather alerts and an hourly forecast. It cleverly uses icons and small indicators to alert users to strong gusts or heavy rain, and includes a weather map. Unfortunately, this was always the most unreliable part of the app for me. However, the forecast feature, with a “Next 7 Days” overview section highlighting the week’s most important weather events, makes up for this minor oddity.
• Breezy Weather: This open-source weather app offers a nice and clean Material You-inspired layout with a detailed breakdown of indicators for up to 16 days in advance. The app lacks a live weather map and the selection of alternative weather sources is far more complicated than it needs to be. However, it is a solid secondary weather app.
• Rain: If you miss the frog from the previous Google Weather app, Rain might help. While you won’t see the amphibian in this particular app, you do get an adorable weather character in the Current Conditions section. If it’s clear, you’ll see a bright, happy sun or cozy moon. If it’s raining, you’ll see a whiny cloud. Along with these cute touches, Rain also displays some information you won’t find on Pixel Weather, including hourly shortwave radiation and a breakdown by precipitation type.
• Bura: Another weather app that almost won my favor is Bura. It offers the cleanest layout of any app on this list, with an hourly breakdown at the top and the weekly forecast below. Tapping on a specific day will open a graphical display of temperature, chance of precipitation, and totals. Bura doesn’t let you switch providers, nor does it offer AQI or dew point information. Still, it’s completely ad-free and perfect for those who value simplicity above all else.
• Meteogram Weather Widget: Last but not least, Meteogram is the best weather app available for anyone who can’t help but tinker around. The learning curve is steep and newbies may find it difficult to read, but it offers so much information that I would be remiss to neglect it. Unlike the apps above, it only displays weather information in chart form. Users can customize the chart’s date range, choose from a variety of indicators to display, choose from a dizzying number of providers, and customize the chart style. Best of all, the developer is responsive and the premium subscription is downright affordable for what it offers.

Do you agree with my pick for the best alternative to Pixel Weather app? I’d love to hear your opinion on your favorite weather app or Pixel Weather itself. Be sure to vote in the poll above and leave a comment below.