RideByWeather vs When To Ride
When To Ride answers the question in its name — is now a good time — with a 0–100 score, hourly and weekly, sorted into Good, Fair and Poor. It's free, it's ad-free, and it's funded by riders who choose to chip in. RideByWeather answers the same question and then stays with you through the rest of the ride.
What When To Ride does well
When To Ride deserves credit for how it's funded. It's free and ad-free for everyone, with three voluntary membership tiers — Drafter at $1 a month, Puller at $3, Pace Setter at $5 — that support the project rather than unlock features. That's an unusually honest model in a category full of paywalls, and it means nothing is held back from riders who can't pay. There's an hourly and weekly forecast, a clear Good/Fair/Poor read on the score, a way to report issues, and a view of riders around the world.
- Platforms
- Web
- Price
- Free and ad-free; optional membership at $1, $3 or $5 a month
- Site
- whentoride.com
Side by side
Ten questions a rider actually asks. Where When To Ride's own material doesn't say, we've written “not listed” rather than guessing.
| Question | RideByWeather | When To Ride |
|---|---|---|
| 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 ride score, hourly and weekly, banded into Good, Fair and Poor. |
| 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 Location-based; no route import or along-the-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. | Partly Wind feeds the score; no per-leg headwind or tailwind breakdown 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. |
| Is it on my watch or head unit? | Yes Garmin Connect IQ app for watch and Edge, plus Android and iPhone apps. | No Web; 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. |
| 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. | Not listed Not listed beyond the conditions in the score. |
| Does it know my city? | Yes 127 city ride guides with local prevailing wind and signature loops. | Partly A global view of riders and conditions, 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 Free and ad-free for everyone; membership is voluntary support, not a feature gate. |
Compiled 2026-09-08 from whentoride.com. Products change — if we've got something wrong or out of date, tell us and we'll correct it.
So which one?
Choose When To Ride if…
Pick When To Ride if you want a free, ad-free score with no account and no upsell, and you'd rather support a small project voluntarily than subscribe to anything. If you only ever needed the timing question answered, paying $3 a month to keep a tool like that alive is a good use of $3.
Choose RideByWeather if…
Pick RideByWeather if the timing answer is the start rather than the end — if you also want the wind mapped onto your route, gear guidance for the temperature, running and walking covered, a Garmin app, the ride recorded, or alerts for lightning and air quality on the road ahead.
No ads on any tier. The free plan is permanent, not a trial.
Frequently asked
Is When To Ride free?
Yes, and genuinely so — it's free and ad-free, and the three membership tiers ($1, $3 and $5 a month, named Drafter, Puller and Pace Setter) exist to support the project rather than to unlock anything.
How is RideByWeather different?
The scoring question overlaps almost exactly. The difference is scope: RideByWeather also does route planning with headwind and tailwind on each leg, what to wear from the live conditions, separate scoring for running and walking, a Garmin Connect IQ app, ride recording with history and streaks, lightning and air-quality alerts, and 127 written city guides.
Do I have to pay for RideByWeather?
No — the free tier is permanent and ad-free, and covers the score, forecast, route planning, recording and gear advice. Pro is $2.99 a month for training plans, the pushed best-window alert, spot ranking and the 14-day outlook.
Other comparisons
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