RadarOmega launched around 2018 and gained popularity through YouTube meteorologist Ryan Hall‘s endorsement before he moved onto another software provider. RadarOmega seems to be chasing the “everything” weather app mission: high-resolution radar, satellite, weather models, lightning, and more. Is this the all-in-one multitool of weather apps?
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What Is RadarOmega?
RadarOmega layers Level-2/3 NEXRAD, HRRR & NAM 3 km model runs, GOES satellite imagery, nationwide lightning data, surface observations onto a detailed street map. In theory, it can replace three separate apps (radar viewer, model viewer, and lightning tracker) if you’re willing to tinker with it.
RadarOmega offers deep customizations, from color tables to custom base layers. You can layer as many datasets as your heart desires. And, if you’re in need of more advanced data, RadarOmega offers three subscription packages and some add-ons that could meet your needs.
Who Is Behind RadarOmega?
RadarOmega is built by SDS Weather Inc., a small Georgia-based weather-tech company that spun out of the founder’s storm-restoration business. SDS now sells the RadarOmega app, weather station hardware, and custom data services for emergency managers.
Here’s what concerns me: as of August 2025, RadarOmega hasn’t seen any updates on iOS or macOS in over a year. The team keeps a low public profile, so there’s limited information about their long-term plans. Before investing time or money into any weather app, you need to ensure it’s going to be reliable long-term. RadarOmega is still working as expected, but the lack of updates raises questions about its future.
The Good
I used RadarOmega for almost a year, including their Alpha subscription package. (I paid cash money for it; no freebies or sponsored content here!) Here’s what I liked:
Lots of data: It’s rare to have an app that provides this amount of data in one place. You can overlay real-time surface temperatures on top of model output with hydrologic outlooks and power outages, if you wanted. During winter weather events, you can use multiple layers to determine freezing levels, ground truth, and radar data to figure out what frozen precipitation is occurring.
Lightning data: Lightning data is expensive and limited in many apps due to industry costs. RadarOmega checks nearly every box most people would have for localized lightning data, including custom range selection and all-clear timers with an Alpha subscription. The main drawback? No notifications that I could figure out. You have to go looking for lightning data if you want it.
Quick model data: I don’t stare at weather models all day; I leave that to my meteorologist friends to do professionally. But occasionally I’d like to see what various weather models suggest will happen with a specific event. RadarOmega makes it rather easy with only a few clicks.
The Not-So-Good
At times, RadarOmega seems to have embraced a “quantity over quality” approach. Here’s how I’ve seen that play out:
Busy-day latency: On days with significant severe weather, I’ve seen radar timestamps drift 10-20 minutes behind other apps. A dashboard light shows data age, but 10-20 minute-old data during a tornado event is cause for concern. RadarOmega offers RapidSweep, a $7.99/month tool that claims faster radar data, though I haven’t tried it yet.
Occasional crash-loop: Sometimes when I open the app, I’m greeted with “icon wallpaper” bugs where nothing can be seen but thousands of the same icon repeating. This resolves with a force-quit, but it’s annoying.
Desktop needs work: The desktop app (available only with a monthly subscription) appears to be just the tablet version ported inside a browser. Taking advantage of more screen real estate would help greatly.
Confusing pricing: The pricing model is similar to RadarScope and other apps: base app plus optional subscriptions. But, it’s not easy to figure out what’s in each package, even though RadarOmega’s website lists every difference.
No recent updates: As mentioned above, over a year without app updates raises reliability concerns for any app you’re depending on for severe weather.
My Wishlist for RadarOmega
If I could wave a magic wand, I’d add:
- Lightning push notifications (this would put RadarOmega head-and-shoulders above other apps)
- Better data caching to keep scans real-time during peak times
- Regular app updates, even minor bug fixes and security patches
- One-tap, user-definable layer presets
- More guidance on getting started in RadarOmega. (RadarOmega offers a user guide PDF, but it would be easier for a few tips and tricks to display inside the app.)
Final Verdict
Let’s start with who RadarOmega is not for: casual weather observers just wanting a quick check of the radar. My mom would not enjoy this app. To be fair, that’s not the market RadarOmega is targeting.
RadarOmega is designed for people with intermediate or greater meteorology knowledge (or a desire to get there). Do I think they’re successful with this mission? Actually, yes.
RadarOmega is designed to make life easier by bringing many disparate weather data sources together in one app. Generally, I think they do a decent job with that.
But three things concern me: lack of updates in over a year, bugs in the app, and design challenges regardless of device.
So, I don’t think RadarOmega is the all-in-one multitool weather app…yet. When it works, it’s quite nice, and I still use it from time to time. If SDS Weather irons out the bugs and continues to innovate, I think this app could have a bright future.
Recommended for: Weather enthusiasts who want lots of data in one place and don’t mind tinkering
Skip if: You want simple, reliable radar or need an app that’s actively maintained
Featured image: logo courtesy RadarOmega.com, screenshots of the RadarOmega desktop app on macOS