Weather · head-to-head
AviationWeather vs RainViewer
The legacy Text Data Server referenced by the original dataserver URL has been discontinued and replaced by the new Aviation Weather Center Data API, reachable at aviationweather.gov/data/api. It serves worldwide METAR/TAF, US/North-Atlantic PIREPs, global SIGMETs, and CONUS G-AIRMETs (which replaced text AIRMETs in January 2025) in raw text, JSON, GeoJSON, CSV, XML, or IWXXM, with no authentication but a 100-requests/minute rate limit.
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.
| AviationWeather | RainViewer | |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication | None | None |
| Pricing | free | free |
| Formats | JSON, GeoJSON, XML, CSV, Text | JSON, PNG |
| CORS | no | yes |
| HTTPS | Yes | Yes |
RainViewer supports CORS, while AviationWeather doesn't — pick RainViewer for direct browser calls.