RideByWeather vs Velowindow
Velowindow and RideByWeather start from the same idea — turn the forecast into one number a cyclist can act on — and then go in different directions. Velowindow stays deliberately small: open a browser, see a score, close the tab. RideByWeather treats the score as the front door to the rest of the ride.
What Velowindow does well
Velowindow is a genuinely good small tool and the discipline shows. It's free, it needs no account, it works on any browser, and it does something most scoring tools don't bother with: it re-weights the 0–100 score for road, gravel, MTB or commuting, because a gravel rider and a commuter don't care about the same conditions. It runs on Open-Meteo with an hourly breakdown, a 7-day view, sunrise and sunset, AQI and severe weather alerts. There is nothing to sign up for and nothing to pay.
- Platforms
- Web, responsive on phone and desktop
- Price
- Always free, no account required
- Site
- velowindow.com
Side by side
Ten questions a rider actually asks. Where Velowindow's own material doesn't say, we've written “not listed” rather than guessing.
| Question | RideByWeather | Velowindow |
|---|---|---|
| Is today worth going out, hour by hour? | Yes A 0–10 Ride Score for every hour, 48 hours out, re-weighted for your sport and bike type. | Yes 0–100 score, hourly, weighted for road, gravel, MTB or commuting. 7 days out, with confidence noted after day 4. |
| What will the weather do along my route? | Yes Route planner with the forecast on each leg; the 24-hour "best hour to leave this route" view is Pro. | No Scores a location rather than a route — no route import or per-route forecast is listed. |
| Which legs are into the wind? | Yes Headwind or tailwind called out per leg, with a reverse-the-loop suggestion when the wind turns. | No Wind feeds the score; no per-leg headwind or tailwind view is listed. |
| What should I put on? | Yes Photo-led what-to-wear from the live feels-like, and free without an account at /wear. | Not listed Not listed. |
| Does it do running and walking too? | Yes Cycling, running and walking each scored on their own weighting — dew point matters more than wind for a run. | No Cycling only — the disciplines are road, gravel, MTB and commute. |
| Is it on my watch or head unit? | Yes Garmin Connect IQ app for watch and Edge, plus Android and iPhone apps. | No Web only; no watch or head-unit app is listed. |
| Does it record the ride afterwards? | Yes Live ride screen, history, streaks, journal, and a training plan that moves your long day onto the better weather. | No Not listed — it forecasts rather than logs. |
| Does it warn me about what's on the road? | Yes Lightning map, air quality, pollen, reported hazards and road facts spoken to you as you ride. | Partly Air quality index and severe weather alerts are listed. |
| Does it know my city? | Yes 127 city ride guides with local prevailing wind and signature loops. | No Map and location search rather than written city guides. |
| Is there a real free tier? | Yes Free forever and completely ad-free — scores, forecast, routes, recording and gear all included. | Yes Entirely free with no account, which is a real advantage over signing up for anything. |
Compiled 2026-09-08 from velowindow.com. Products change — if we've got something wrong or out of date, tell us and we'll correct it.
So which one?
Choose Velowindow if…
Pick Velowindow if all you want is a fast, free number for where you are, with no account and nothing installed. If that's the whole of your need, it does it cleanly and anything more is overhead you didn't ask for.
Choose RideByWeather if…
Pick RideByWeather when the score stops being the end of the question — when you want the wind mapped onto an actual route, what to wear at that temperature, the ride recorded afterwards, the same thing for your runs and walks, a readout on your Garmin, or a warning about lightning and air quality before you clip in.
No ads on any tier. The free plan is permanent, not a trial.
Frequently asked
Is Velowindow good?
Yes, for what it sets out to do. It's a free, no-account, browser-based 0–100 cycling score that tunes itself to road, gravel, MTB or commuting, with an hourly and 7-day view, AQI and severe weather alerts. If a number for your location is what you need, it delivers it with no friction.
What does RideByWeather add over Velowindow?
The rest of the ride. Wind mapped onto an actual route leg by leg, what to wear from the live feels-like, running and walking scored on their own terms, a Garmin watch and Edge app, ride recording with history and streaks, safety alerts for lightning, air quality, pollen and reported road hazards, and written guides for 127 cities. Whether that's worth creating an account for depends entirely on whether you want any of it.
Do I need to pay for RideByWeather?
No. The free tier is permanent and ad-free and covers the Ride Score for all three sports, the 7-day forecast and hourly timeline, route planning with the wind on every leg, ride recording, what to wear, and the Garmin readout. Pro at $2.99 a month adds training plans, tomorrow's best window pushed the night before, spot ranking and a 14-day outlook.
Why 0–10 instead of 0–100?
Because a 0–100 score implies a precision the weather doesn't have — the difference between 71 and 74 isn't a difference you'd feel on the bike. Ten bands map onto decisions people actually make: great, fine, doable, don't bother.
Other comparisons
Free to install; $2.99/month or $19.99/year after a 30-day, 1,000-forecast trial
Free and ad-free; optional membership at $1, $3 or $5 a month
Free, donation-supported