Windy turns the weather into moving pictures. Open it and the globe swirls with animated wind lines, rain bands and cloud, and a slider lets you scrub forward through the next few days. Under the beauty sits serious kit: forecasts from several of the world’s main weather models side by side, radar, satellite, waves and thousands of webcams.
We like it for two specific reasons: you can compare models such as ECMWF, GFS and ICON for the same spot in seconds, which shows how sure (or unsure) a forecast really is, and the free version carries no adverts at all. Here is our Windy review: what is free, what Windy Premium adds, what it costs and how it compares with Ventusky and the Met Office app.
Windy Promo Code: None needed
Best deal: the free, ad-free version; Premium from £2.99 in the app
| Offer detail | What you get |
|---|---|
| Promo Code | None needed. Windy has no public promo code |
| Welcome offer | Free use of 50+ weather layers, forecast models and webcams, with no ads |
| Who qualifies | Anyone, on the web, iPhone or Android |
| Key terms | Premium is a subscription managed where you bought it; UK App Store price points are £2.99, £22.99 and £34.90 |
| How to claim | Open windy.com or the app; tap Premium to see the plans offered to you |
Windy: key facts
- Official website: windy.com
- Owner: Windyty, SE
- Headquarters: Prague, Czech Republic
- Founded: 2014
- Support: Live chat: no; Email: info@windy.com
- Ratings: App Store 4.8 (14k ratings, UK App Store); Google Play 4.7 (825k reviews, Google Play UK); Trustpilot 2.1 (58 reviews)
- Headline offer: Free and ad-free; Windy Premium from £2.99 (UK App Store)
- Promo Code: None needed (no public promo code)
- Price from: £2.99 (Windy Premium, lowest UK App Store price point; other points £22.99 and £34.90)
- Free plan or trial: Yes: 50+ weather layers, multiple forecast models, webcams, 3-hour forecast steps, no ads
- Payment methods: Apple App Store, Google Play, windy.com (web)
- Best features: Side-by-side comparison of ECMWF, GFS, ICON and regional models; 50+ animated layers including gusts, waves and radar; Thousands of live webcams
Windy at a glance
- Owner: Windyty, SE, Prague, Czech Republic
- Launched: 2014, by Ivo Lukačovič, founder of Seznam.cz
- Platforms: web, iPhone, Android, Apple Watch
- Free plan: yes, ad-free, with 3-hour forecast steps
- Paid from: £2.99 for Windy Premium on the UK App Store
- Offline use: no; only home-screen widgets stay visible without a connection
- Ratings: App Store (UK) 4.8/5 from 14k ratings; Google Play 4.7/5 from 825k reviews; Trustpilot 2.1/5 from 58 reviews
Our verdict
Windy is the weather app we would recommend to anyone whose plans depend on wind, rain or swell, rather than just whether to take a brolly. The free version is generous and ad-free, and model comparison alone teaches you more about forecasting than a dozen sunny icons. Premium is cheap and worth it for sailors, paragliders and keen walkers who want hourly detail and longer radar loops. Casual users can stay free, but should expect some features they once had to sit behind Premium now.
Pros
- No adverts on the free version
- Compare ECMWF, GFS, ICON and regional models on one screen
- More than 50 layers, from wind gusts to waves, snow depth and air quality
- Thousands of live webcams to check conditions with your own eyes
- Premium is inexpensive by weather-app standards
- Apple Watch app and home-screen widgets
Cons
- Hourly forecast steps moved behind Premium in 2023, which upset long-time users
- Needs a data connection; no offline forecasts
- Busy interface takes a while to learn
- App Store does not label how long each Premium price lasts
- Often confused with the unrelated Windy.app, which muddles reviews
What Windy does and who it is for
Windy is a weather visualisation tool. Pick a layer (wind, rain, temperature, clouds, waves, pressure), pick a model, and watch it move. Tap any point for a detailed forecast table and a “meteogram” of the days ahead.
It suits people who make decisions on the weather. Three examples:
- You have a ferry from Oban to Mull on Saturday. Windy’s gust and wave layers show whether the afternoon sailing is likely to be lumpy, and comparing models tells you how confident to be.
- A planned ridge walk in Snowdonia: check summit wind speeds rather than valley ones, and see when the rain band clears from the west.
- A surf trip to Cornwall. The swell period and direction layers, plus a beach webcam, show whether Fistral is worth the drive.
Is Windy free? Free vs Premium features
Yes, and more generously than most. Windy says most features stay free, including more than 50 weather layers, ten forecast models and its webcams, and the site remains ad-free. The free forecast moves in three-hour steps.
Windy Premium adds, according to the app listing and Windy’s own announcements:
- One-hour forecast steps on maps and in the detailed forecast
- Longer outlooks, with up to a 15-day view, and more frequent model updates (four to six times a day)
- 24-hour radar and satellite loops, plus a one-year archive
- Tide forecasts and extra maps
- Model comparison tools, higher-resolution maps, unlimited favourites and alerts
- A route planner and extra widgets, and a 3D globe on desktop
In January 2023 Windy moved several free features, including the one-hour view, to Premium. Its staff apologised for “the inconvenience caused by the recent change to our subscription model”, and many forum regulars were unhappy.
Windy price: plans and the cheapest way to pay
The UK App Store lists Windy Premium at three price points but does not say which length each covers. Windy says it sells monthly and annual subscriptions, managed on the platform where you buy them. Dollar and euro figures are conversions.
| Windy Premium (UK App Store) | UK price | US$ equivalent | € equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free version | Free | Free | Free |
| Premium, lowest price point | £2.99 | $3.98 | €3.55 |
| Premium | £22.99 | $30.64 | €27.28 |
| Premium | £34.90 | $46.51 | €41.42 |
Windy also accepts optional donations in the app, from £2.79 to £49.99.
The cheapest way to pay. Try the free version for a few weeks first; plenty of people never need more. If you only want hourly detail for a sailing week or an Alpine trip, the lowest price point is the cheap way in. If you check Windy daily, a yearly plan works out cheaper per month. Prices you see on the web may differ from the app, so compare before you buy.
Features that matter: models, radar, alerts and widgets
Model comparison. The heart of Windy. When ECMWF, GFS and ICON agree, trust the forecast more. When they disagree, plan a fallback. Windy staff say ECMWF data arrives four times a day for the first three days, then twice.
Radar and satellite. Rain radar where national services provide it, plus satellite views worldwide. Premium extends the loop and adds an archive.
Alerts. Set a threshold, such as wind under 15 knots at your mooring, and Windy tells you when the forecast matches.
Webcams. Thousands of live cameras let you check whether a “sunny” forecast matches the view on the ground.
Watch and widgets. There is an Apple Watch app. Widgets stay visible offline but cannot update, Windy’s moderators say; the app itself needs a connection.
Privacy and safety
Windy has long promoted itself as free of advertising and tracking cookies, and when it launched Premium in 2020 it promised subscribers an ad-free service even if adverts ever arrived for free users. Its Google Play listing says no data is shared with third parties and that you can ask for your data to be deleted. The App Store privacy label lists location, identifiers, user content and diagnostics as collected but not linked to your identity.
On ownership: Windyty is a private Czech company. In 2024 it took a majority stake in Meteoblue, the Swiss forecaster, giving it its own prediction model. Czech business site cc.cz reported 2022 revenue of CZK 140 million and said Lukačovič turned down a takeover approach from Microsoft.
On safety, Windy shows forecasts, not certainties. For sailing and mountains, cross-check with the Met Office’s shipping and mountain forecasts.
What users say about Windy
Windy scores 4.8 out of 5 from 14,000 ratings on the UK App Store and 4.7 from about 825,000 reviews on Google Play. Its Trustpilot score is 2.1 from just 58 reviews, and one reviewer there spotted why.
Camilla H. from Great Britain wrote on Trustpilot in June 2026: “Many of the reviews here seem to refer to windy.app (blue Windy) which is a different app and website from windy.com”. It is a fair warning: Windy.app is a separate company with a similar name.
Fans are loyal. On Google Play in September 2026, Paddy N. said: “Windy app is probably one of the few apps that I would pay for.” Critics focus on the paywall and redesigns. Klant, from the Netherlands, wrote on Trustpilot in June 2026: “Shame on windy… it became pay for everything….rip off.” On Google Play in August 2026, Jamie F. was unimpressed with a change: “Sorry, guys, but I do not like that new widget. It’s horrible!”
How to get started with Windy, and how to cancel
Getting started
- Download Windy.com from the App Store or Google Play (check the developer is Windyty, SE), or open windy.com.
- Allow location, or search your town, harbour or summit.
- Switch layers from wind to rain, gusts or waves, and use the model picker to compare ECMWF, GFS and ICON.
- Save favourites, add a widget, and set an alert if your plans hinge on a threshold.
Cancelling Premium
- iPhone: Settings, tap your name, Subscriptions, Windy, Cancel subscription.
- Android: Play Store, profile picture, Payments and subscriptions, Subscriptions, Windy, Cancel.
- Bought on windy.com: cancel on windy.com; Windy says each subscription is managed on the platform where it was bought.
Refunds for store purchases are handled by Apple or Google under their own rules.
Windy vs Ventusky vs Met Office: which weather app suits you
When DailyStoke compared the three, each had a clear job: Windy for model geeks and outdoor sports, Ventusky for a cleaner map, the Met Office for straightforward UK forecasts and warnings.
| Windy | Ventusky | Met Office | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, ad-free | Yes | Yes, with ads |
| Paid from | £2.99 (Premium) | £4.99 a month or £19.99 a year | £7.99 a year (ad-free) |
| Best for | Wind, waves, model comparison | Clear, attractive weather maps | UK forecasts and official warnings |
| Offline | No | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| App Store (UK) | 4.8 (14k) | 4.8 (7.5k) | 4.6 (642k) |
Pick Windy if wind, waves or mountain weather drive your plans. Pick Ventusky if you want similar maps with a simpler layout. Pick the Met Office if you mostly want a reliable UK forecast and the official weather warnings.
Windy alternatives
- Ventusky: a Czech-made rival with polished weather maps; Premium from £19.99 a year.
- Met Office: the UK’s national forecaster, with free forecasts and official warnings.
- Windy.app: a different company, popular with kitesurfers and anglers; not to be confused with Windy.com.
- Meteoblue: detailed Swiss forecasts, now majority-owned by Windy.
- Surfline: surf forecasts and spot cams, and the home of Magicseaweed’s old users since 2023.
Windy FAQs
Is Windy free?
Yes. The web and app versions are free and ad-free, with 50+ layers, several forecast models and webcams. Premium adds hourly steps and extras.
How much is Windy Premium in the UK?
The UK App Store lists Windy Premium at £2.99, £22.99 and £34.90. Check the length on the purchase screen before you pay.
Is Windy Premium worth it?
For sailors, surfers, pilots and keen walkers, usually yes: hourly forecast steps and longer radar loops make a real difference. Casual users can stay free.
Which weather model is most accurate on Windy?
No single model wins everywhere. ECMWF is a strong global choice; regional models such as AROME can be sharper for local detail. Comparing them is the point.
Is Windy.com the same as Windy.app?
No. They are different companies with different apps. Windy.com is made by Windyty, SE in Prague.
Does Windy work offline?
No. Widgets stay visible without a connection but do not update.
Does Windy have an Apple Watch app?
Yes, the iPhone app supports Apple Watch.
How do I cancel Windy Premium?
Cancel where you subscribed: in your Apple or Google Play subscriptions, or on windy.com for web purchases.
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