The first question most forecasters ask is: what does it actually cost?
The short answer: you can publish forecasts, build a subscriber list, and get your predictions scored against actual weather data for free. That's not a 30-day trial or a capped preview — it's the core product, with no expiration date.
Paid plans unlock subscriber management tools, advanced analytics, and the monetization features that let you charge your audience for premium content. If you're building a side income or a full business around forecasting, the upgrade path is there. But you don't need to pay anything to establish yourself as a credible forecaster with a verifiable track record.
Here's exactly what you get at each level.
The free tier: what's included
ForecasterHQ's free plan is designed around a specific principle: the core workflow of forecast publishing and verification should never be gated. Forecasters shouldn't have to pay to do the thing that builds their credibility.
On the free plan, you can:
Publish unlimited forecasts — both storm forecasts (regional accumulation predictions with timing phases) and multi-day general forecasts (daily outlook for each region over 3, 5, 7, or 10 days). There's no monthly posting limit.
Build interactive forecast maps — draw your geographic coverage regions, attach specific prediction values (accumulation ranges, temperature windows, precipitation type), and publish a structured forecast with a permanent URL.
Collect email subscribers — ForecasterHQ captures subscribers on every public forecast page and profile. When you publish a new forecast, subscribers get notified automatically. You own that subscriber list.
Get your forecasts verified — after a storm event passes, ForecasterHQ pulls NWS observation data from stations within your forecast regions and compares it against your predictions. Your accuracy score is calculated and displayed on your public profile.
Maintain a public profile — your forecaster profile page shows your published forecast history, verification scores, and subscriber count. This is the public-facing track record that builds your credibility over time.
Embed your forecasts — every forecast has an embeddable widget (iframe and JavaScript versions) you can place on any external site — a local news page, community board, or your own website.
Generate social OG images — each forecast automatically gets a social card with a map snapshot. Share it directly to X, Bluesky, Facebook, or anywhere else your audience is.
The free tier is not a watered-down version of the product. It's the product. If you're starting out or you're primarily building your track record and growing an audience, the free plan is where you'll spend most of your early time.
What paid plans unlock
Paid plans on ForecasterHQ are designed for forecasters who are ready to turn their audience into revenue — or who need the management tools to run a larger subscriber operation.
Subscriber management and export
The free plan lets you collect subscribers and notify them of new forecasts. Paid plans unlock the full subscriber management interface: search and filter your subscriber list, edit subscriber details, bulk manage entries, and export your list as CSV.
The CSV export is the key unlock for forecasters who want to cross-post their subscriber list to an email tool like Mailchimp or Beehiiv, or who need their own backup of their audience data.
Paid subscriber tiers
The monetization feature that most established forecasters eventually want: the ability to gate premium forecast content behind a subscription. Paid plans let you create subscriber tiers (monthly or annual pricing), designate certain forecasts or content as "clients only," and accept recurring payments from your audience through Stripe.
This is the OpenSnow model applied to your coverage area. Your free forecasts remain public. Your premium analysis — extended-range outlooks, detailed storm tracks, early-access forecasts — lives behind a paid tier.
Advanced analytics
Paid plans include detailed analytics: which forecasts drove the most new subscribers, which regions of your coverage area generate the most engagement, where your subscribers are coming from, and how your accuracy scores have trended over time. This data helps you refine what you publish and when.
Priority verification
As storm events occur, verification data pulls are processed across all accounts. Paid plans get priority processing on verification data pulls — relevant during active storm events when many forecasters are waiting for post-event observation data simultaneously.
A full pricing comparison
| Feature | Free | Plus | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Publish storm forecasts | ✅ Unlimited | ✅ Unlimited | ✅ Unlimited |
| Publish multi-day forecasts | ✅ Unlimited | ✅ Unlimited | ✅ Unlimited |
| Interactive forecast maps | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Email subscriber collection | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Subscriber notifications | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Forecast verification (NWS data) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Public forecaster profile | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Embeddable forecast widget | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Social OG image generation | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Subscriber management + search | ❌ | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| CSV subscriber export | ❌ | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Paid subscriber tiers | ❌ | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Advanced analytics | ❌ | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Priority verification | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ Yes |
Current pricing is on the plans page. The free plan is free forever — no trial period, no automatic upgrade, no credit card required to start.
When to upgrade
The free plan is enough to publish, verify, and grow your audience. Most forecasters spend their first season entirely on the free tier — the output is the same, the subscriber notifications work the same, the verification scoring works the same.
Upgrade when you're ready to monetize. Specifically:
- When you want to charge for premium content — you need a paid plan to create subscriber tiers and accept payments
- When you need to manage or export your subscriber list — paid plans unlock the full subscriber management interface
- When you're publishing at high frequency and want detailed analytics — knowing which forecasts drive the most subscriber growth is only visible on paid plans
Don't upgrade before you need to. The verification record and subscriber base you build on the free plan transfers directly to paid plans — there's no migration, no disruption, no subscriber list rebuild. Upgrade when the features justify the cost.
The business model philosophy
ForecasterHQ keeps the core product free because forecast credibility isn't something that should cost money to build. A forecaster who can't afford a monthly subscription still deserves a way to establish a verifiable track record. And frankly, forecasters who've built credibility and audiences on the free tier are the ones most likely to upgrade when they're ready to monetize.
The comparison that often comes up is OpenSnow, which charges for forecast access. ForecasterHQ's structure is different: ForecasterHQ is the platform where forecasters publish. What you charge your audience (if anything) is up to you.
Some forecasters will build a free public audience for years before adding a paid tier. Some will launch with paid content from day one. Some will stay free forever and use the track record to land other opportunities — consulting, media appearances, partnerships. The platform supports all of these paths.