Have Pixel Weather app FOMO? This is the best alternative

Andy Walker / Android Authority

Weather apps are an often underappreciated part of our daily tech toolkit. Checking whether the sky is falling or the sun is beating down is as integral to my morning routine as a strong cup of coffee. Some weather apps provide better coverage for particular areas, while others excel at offering easily comprehensible information. These factors make picking the perfect weather app an acutely personal decision. With its new Pixel Weather app, Google hopes you’ll choose it (by picking up a Pixel 9), but as nifty as the app is, you’re spoiled for choice when selecting a Pixel Weather app alternative.

As detailed in our hands-on, Google’s new weather app is a surprisingly comprehensive solution. It offers smart summaries, displays detailed daily indicators, and boasts a precipitation map for major cities. If you own an Android 14 device or an older Pixel, you can install the APK and give it a go. However, there are so many comprehensive alternatives out there that I struggled to decide which app fits the bill.

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

Weawow is the best Pixel Weather app alternative

Andy Walker / Android Authority

It’s tricky recommending a Pixel Weather app alternative, as there isn’t a pound-for-pound substitute. This is especially true if you’re using a Pixel phone. Its party piece is the use of Gemini to provide brief forecast snippets, simplifying the cloud-watching experience. However, beyond this novelty, Weawow offers much more to those who prefer a more customizable and info-rich experience.

The two apps couldn’t have more divergent design philosophies. Besides the frog’s untimely death, Pixel Weather’s design has grown on me since I started using it. I don’t get those sweet Pixel features, but it’s a modern Google app through and through, with its clean lines and soft textures. Weawow offers sharper angles and leaner fonts that may appeal to some and dissuade others. It’s not the prettiest weather app, but I’d take functionality over aesthetics any day of the week.

Weawow frontloads the current conditions and hourly forecast at the top of the homepage, below a real-world image that mirrors the current conditions contributed by its users. Some might like this feature, but I’m not a fan. Thankfully, it can be disabled.

The hourly forecast graphs the predicted temperature, rain, and wind conditions for the upcoming 24 hours. Tapping this section opens a stack of graphs (or a table, if you prefer) displaying hourly information on key indicators up to three days ahead. The layout’s wonderfully dense, and I understand if some find this too much for some, but this arrangement offers a broader graphical representation of near-future conditions. It also makes identifying major turning points in conditions is easier — important for planning outfits and activities.

The weather provider breakdown is by far Weawow's best feature, allowing quick comparison of popular weather sources.

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

Note how all the providers offer slightly different forecasts. This screen makes picking the best option for your given area much easier, and if you are doubtful about your choice, viewing the alternative forecasts is as simple as pie. Pixel Weather’s sole provider is weather.com; you cannot select an alternative.

While the weather map might be Pixel Weather's best feature, Weawow's implementation is simply smarter.

While the weather map might be Pixel Weather’s best feature, Weawow’s implementation is simply smarter. Pixel Weather limits its map to certain cities (and even continents) and only provides a precipitation visualization, but Weawow’s offers a global view and multiple indicators. While I usually rely on Windy, Ventusky, or Zoom Weather for higher-resolution radar and visualizations, Weawow’s map is slicker, quicker to load, and easier to use. I appreciate the massive two-week time scale, too.

As mentioned, one of Weawow’s main strengths is its customization options. The app’s layout can be tweaked to your liking, with forecasts, indicators, and segments moving up and down the homepage as desired. Text size, theme, and other display options can also be selected. You can even force the homepage to display Centigrade and Fahrenheit side-by-side.

Weawow is more approachable than most weather apps without being too thin for enthusiasts.

The scope of Weawow’s broad adjustments also flavors its widgets and ongoing notification feature. There are 14 widgets in total, more than enough for even the most discerning user, and each offers similar customizations available in-app. There are options to display particular weather indicators, change the fonts and base colors, and adjust the widget’s size. The ongoing notification is as customizable, even allowing users to display a graph in the notifications section. Nifty!

Are there any other great Pixel Weather app alternatives out there?

Andy Walker / Android Authority