Weather Station Test Results (2025)

Update, November 2026: These are our 2025 rankings, kept as a record and no longer updated. For our current picks, see Best Home Weather Stations of 2027.

2025 Weather Station Buyers Guide

Previous Years

International Guides

Additional Guides

Changes to Our Weighting

We placed more weight on value in last year’s weather station buyers’ guide, and there was a good reason for it. Inflation was close to 10%; people were not doing well. However, the economy has proved incredibly resilient, and as people get caught back up, we’re noticing that more expensive stations are once again attracting interest.

But it’s a little different this time. People are choosy, and pricier stations with a lot of functionality are selling. People are also showing increasing interest in more high-tech home weather stations. Since most stations are now generally user-friendly, we are slightly reducing the emphasis on that category for 2025.

The video below describes our changes in more detail. We used a whiteboard format to make it more interesting to watch.

Why are you changing the weighting?

This might seem like an effort to create drama (honestly, our list has been stale for the past few years), but I am actively trying to keep my personal biases out of these ratings, which have been too subjective for years. While some scores have changed dramatically, there is a reason behind those changes, which we detail below.

Changes to Scores and Stations We Recommend

We’ve made some changes to the value scores for Ambient Weather stations. We don’t have a specific category to rate support quality, but we’re aware of a definite increase in problems with WS-2902 and WS-2000 stations, often involving the sensor suite. We’ve noticed a rise in reports of customer service issues with getting support, which is concerning. As a result, these stations have lower durability scores than last year. Rolling support quality ratings into durability makes sense because both are equally important.

We are also changing our WS-5000 rating to base it on the console-less version, which debuted in the past year. Without the console, it’s a much better value, which is one reason it has returned (along with fixing a math error on our part; its score was too low!). We’re also saying goodbye to the WS-2902 and WS-2000 in favor of the WS-1553-IP, a station we admittedly missed even though it’s been out for four years!

The AcuRite Notos is being retired from our list, as it never met our basic requirements (it needs to measure temperature, humidity, wind, and rainfall). We had it in for several years because there were so few options, but that’s no longer true. It’s time for the Notos to move to the thermometer list because it is a glorified thermometer.

A caveat

Geopolitics could throw a massive wrench in our picks. The Trump administration is threatening tariffs on China, a source of parts for many home weather stations, and even where some, like the Wittboy, are manufactured. Should tariffs become a reality, we’ll need to revisit our picks. 25% of the score is value, which includes price.

October 2025 Update: While geopolitical concerns remain high, and some stations did increase in price, those increases were fairly uniform and did not affect our ratings. We have noted where price increases have occurred since our original roundup was published in late 2024. Note that while Davis stations have also increased, this is a result of Davis enforcing retail prices with resellers. The MSRP has not changed.

Below are ratings for all nine stations qualifying for our “best of” rankings.

/video

Since this is the second year of our 100-point system, we’re doing things differently. We’re presenting the list with their scores and the movement up or down since last year’s ratings in top-10 format (although many are new, keep that in mind). There are more solid options than ever before, so our list will reflect that. Below each, we’ll explain why each may have risen or fallen in our recommendations.

Understanding our Ratings

Each category is judged on a five-point scale:

  • 5 – Superior
  • 4 – Few or very minor issues
  • 3 – Minor issues
  • 2 – Major issues
  • 1 – Deficient

The Best of the Best

1. Best Home Weather Station of 2025 – Ambient Weather WS-5000

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The Best Ambient Weather Station

Ambient Weather WS-5000

Ambient Weather WS-5000

4.4 / 5 Editorial rating

The WS-5000 swaps the usual spinning cups for an ultrasonic anemometer, which measures wind as accurately with far less to wear out, and its sensors are the most accurate Ambient makes. It costs more than Ambient’s other stations, and for most people that premium is worth it.

Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.

Accuracy (25%)Value (25%)Durability (20%)Feature Set (20%)Ease of Use (20%)Total Score
4.5/55/54.5/54.5/55/596/100

MSRP: $351.99 at the time of review, now $449.99

2. Tempest Weather System

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Tempest Weather System

Tempest Weather System

4.5 / 5 Editorial rating

The Tempest has no moving parts, runs on solar power, and is the only station on our list with lightning detection built in. In our testing its lightning data tracked the professional detection networks closely, and it picked up distant strikes sooner than any other station we tried. It is also the easiest to fit into a smart home. The one weak spot is the haptic rain sensor, which can over- or under-count in some conditions; our Tempest rain gauge guide shows how to correct it. The reason why we’re moving it back to our top spot is simple: beginning in 2026, all Tempests have a replaceable battery, eliminating a common failure point in the 3-5 year period of ownership for many.
Accuracy (25%)Value (25%)Durability (20%)Feature Set (20%)Ease of Use (20%)Total Score
4/55/54.5/55/55/593/100

MSRP: $339.00 at the time of review, now $349.00

3. (TIE) – Best Value Home Weather Station – Ecowitt Wittboy

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Ecowitt Wittboy

Ecowitt Wittboy

4.3 / 5 Editorial rating

The Wittboy does nearly everything the Tempest does for less: haptic rain, light and UV, ultrasonic wind, and temperature and humidity in one sensor, with a Wi-Fi hub that sends your data to Weather Underground. It lacks the Tempest’s built-in lightning detection. Our best value pick again.

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Accuracy (25%)Value (25%)Durability (20%)Feature Set (20%)Ease of Use (20%)Total Score
4/55/54.5/55/55/592/100

MSRP: $199.99

3. (TIE) Davis Vantage Pro2 Plus

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Davis Vantage Pro2 Plus

Davis Vantage Pro2 Plus

4.3 / 5 Editorial rating

The Pro2 Plus is the research-grade Davis station, adding UV and solar radiation sensors to the Vantage Pro2. It updates every 2.5 seconds, transmits up to 1,000 feet, and its anemometer can sit up to 40 feet from the rest of the sensors. Davis’s WeatherLink Console finally gave it a modern display, which is what moved it onto our list. It is the most expensive station here, and the right one if accuracy matters most.

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Accuracy (25%)Value (25%)Durability (20%)Feature Set (20%)Ease of Use (20%)Total Score
5/54/55/54.5/54.5/592/100

MSRP: $1,640

The Contenders

5. Ambient Weather WS-2902

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Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.

Accuracy (25%)Value (25%)Durability (20%)Feature Set (20%)Ease of Use (20%)Total Score
4/55/53.5/55/55/589/100

MSRP: $149.99 at the time of review, now $199.99

7. (TIE) Davis Vantage Pro2

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Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.

Accuracy (25%)Value (25%)Durability (20%)Feature Set (20%)Ease of Use (20%)Total Score
5/53.5/55/54/54.5/588/100

MSRP: $995

7. (TIE) Ambient Weather WS-4000

We earn a commission when you buy through some links on this page. Cirrusly Weather is our sister store, owned by the same people as The Weather Station Experts. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.

Accuracy (25%)Value (25%)Durability (20%)Feature Set (20%)Ease of Use (20%)Total Score
4/54/54.5/55/55/588/100

MSRP: $369.99 at the time of review, now $374.99

9. Davis Vantage Vue

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Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.

Accuracy (25%)Value (25%)Durability (20%)Feature Set (20%)Ease of Use (20%)Total Score
4.5/53.5/55/54/54.5/585/100

MSRP: $695 at the time of review, now $735

However, the Vantage Vue’s durability, like the Vantage Pro 2, is market-leading. While we love ours, we would have opted for the Vantage Pro2 instead if we had the money. That said, we got eight years out of our Vue before it needed its first significant overhaul, which is twice the lifespan of most Ambient Weather stations.

Davis Vantage Vue home weather station
Taken in 2016

About Our Reviews

We have experience with all the products and companies we recommend here on TWSE. Our review staff includes degreed meteorologists and scientists, some of whom have owned the products they review for several years. Our staff has reviewed home weather gadgets for over a decade on TWSE and elsewhere.

We’d love to hear what you think or if you have any suggestions. Leave a comment below.

So, let’s first explain what’s different about this year’s testing and ratings.