Weather · head-to-head
7Timer! vs RainViewer
7Timer! generates numerical weather forecasts from NOAA/NCEP's Global Forecast System across roughly 1.5 million global grid points, refreshed four times daily. Beyond standard meteorological fields (cloud cover, temperature, wind, precipitation), it produces astronomy-specific products like "astro seeing" and atmospheric transparency for stargazing/observation planning, with forecast ranges from 3 days (ASTRO) up to a 9-16 day overview product.
RainViewer aggregates and re-tiles third-party radar imagery from over 1,200 radar stations across 150+ countries, refreshed every 5 minutes, and exposes it as XYZ PNG tile pyramids plus a JSON timeline endpoint listing available past and short-term nowcast frames. Coverage isn't guaranteed to be permanent since individual source radar owners can request their feed be pulled, and the service is explicitly licensed for personal, educational, and small-scale community projects only.
| 7Timer! | RainViewer | |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication | None | None |
| Pricing | free | free |
| Formats | JSON, XML, PNG | JSON, PNG |
| CORS | no | yes |
| HTTPS | No | Yes |
RainViewer supports CORS, while 7Timer! doesn't — pick RainViewer for direct browser calls.