Best kite weather apps (honest review)
Every kite weather app answers one question differently. Ours answers it directly; the others hand you forecast data and make you do the work. Here's the honest field.
DirectoryThe apps, compared
| App | Platform | Free | What it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Should I Fly a Kite? | Web | Yes | One verdict: a 0–100 kite score for any location, plus monthly climate for 536 cities |
| Windy | Web + iOS/Android | Free + Pro | Animated wind maps and forecast layers; the raw data view |
| Windfinder | Web + iOS/Android | Free + Pro | Wind and waves forecasts for thousands of spots; the kitesurfing standard |
| Windy.app | iOS/Android | Free + Pro | Mobile-first wind forecasts with pressure, waves and gusts |
| ikitesurf | Web + iOS | Subscription | Live kiteboarding conditions and crowdsourced spot reports |
| Met Office / NWS | Web + apps | Yes | The national forecaster — official, reliable, generic |
How to pick
- You want one answer ("should I fly?") — use ours. It reads wind, gusts, rain and temperature into a single kite score.
- You want the full forecast picture — Windy or Windfinder.
- You kitesurf — ikitesurf for live conditions, Windfinder for forecasts.
- You want official data — Met Office (UK) or NWS (US).
Why trust us to say this
Because we have the least incentive to fudge it: our whole product is one score, and if the forecast were bad the app would be pointless. Our weather API is built on the same Open-Meteo data most of these apps use — so the differences come down to presentation, not data quality. And unlike the rest, we rank every location by how many good kite days it gets per month.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best kite weather app for beginners?
For a straight yes/no before you go out, Should I Fly a Kite? — it turns wind, gusts and rain into one kite score. If you want to understand the raw forecast, Windy is the best free teaching tool.
Is there a free kite weather app?
Yes. Should I Fly a Kite? is free, Windy's free tier covers most needs, and Windfinder has a generous free plan. You only need to pay for advanced kiteboarding features.
What wind speed do I need to fly a kite?
8–25 mph suits most kites. Below about 5 mph most kites won't lift; above 25 mph you're over-flying the gear and gusts start to snap lines. Full numbers in our wind speed guide.