WebVetted Beta
Recommendation
Proceed
Overall Summary
Safe
Why we think so

WeatherBug (weatherbug.com) is a long-running, U.S.-focused weather site (registered in 1999) that draws roughly 6 million monthly visits and uses mainstream infrastructure (AWS/CloudFront, Amazon registrar, Mimecast mail). SSL is valid and no Google Safe Browsing or crypto scam blacklists flagged the domain. That said, security forums and past app reports flag WeatherBug’s desktop/mobile installers as potentially unwanted/adware and note aggressive data collection and ads. Overall verdict: ✅ Safe to use for weather information, but avoid bundled installers and review app permissions and privacy settings.

Confidence Score
88%

Risk Insights

🛡️

Established, high-traffic weather publisher

Registered in 1999 with ~6M monthly visits.
US-focused audience (~95% traffic from the United States).
Active news and alerts show ongoing editorial activity.
⚠️

Privacy & adware friction

Community reports call some WeatherBug installers PUP/adware.
Data collection and third-party ad platforms are in use—expect targeted ads.
Prefer official app stores and inspect permissions before installing.

Contradictory Signals

The site is operational and widely used, but some installers and ad behavior have caused security-community concerns. This is a reputation/privacy issue, not evidence of direct financial fraud.

Signal A: High traffic, long domain age, valid SSL, no blacklist matches (signals of legitimacy).

Signal B: Community/security reports and app reviews flag PUP/adware and privacy concerns (signals of risk).

Category Scores

Identity 85/100
Reputation 80/100
Technical 90/100
Content 90/100
Legal 80/100
Business Validity 90/100

Red Flags & Warnings

  • Community/security forum reports and removal guides label WeatherBug installers as PUP/adware, citing bundled software and intrusive ads.
  • Privacy concerns: multiple sources note data collection and third-party sharing common to free weather apps.
  • WHOIS uses an identity-protection service (registrant masked), which lowers direct owner transparency.

🔎 Detailed Checks & Analysis

Domain age & WHOIS

Score: 90/100
Passed

"Registered 1999 with Amazon Registrar; registrant details are masked via an identity-protection service (common but reduces owner transparency)."

Reason: Domain registered in 1999; long history supports authenticity.

Traffic & popularity

Score: 88/100
Passed

"SimilarWeb and SimilarTech report ~6M monthly visits and global rank around 10,517; audience heavily U.S.-based (~95%)."

Reason: High monthly visits (~6M) and stable rank indicate a real audience.

Technical infra & security

Score: 92/100
Passed

"Hosting and CDN via Amazon infrastructure; valid SSL (Amazon RSA) with no immediate expiry concerns and proper MX/TXT records for email verification."

Reason: Uses AWS/CloudFront, Route 53 and has a valid SSL certificate.

Reputation & blacklist checks

Score: 88/100
Passed

"Google Safe Browsing and crypto scam sniffer returned no matched threats; third-party reputation tools list WeatherBug as legitimate though some flag PUP/adware concerns."

Reason: No Google Safe Browsing or crypto-scam blacklist detections.

Contact info & transparency

Score: 80/100
Passed

"Support emails (customerfeedback@weatherbug.com) and social profiles present; no verifiable physical location in Google Places data from this scan."

Reason: Public emails and social channels are listed, enabling user contact.

Trademark / brand impersonation

Score: 95/100
Passed

"USPTO search returned no matching trademark records for the query used, lowering impersonation risk in trademark registry."

Reason: No USPTO trademark conflicts or identical-registrations found.

User complaints & legal signals

Score: 75/100
Passed

"App reviews cite intrusive ads, ad-free purchase issues, and support delays; no class-action or large regulatory penalties surfaced in the provided search results."

Reason: Some app-store and forum complaints about ads, PUP and support responsiveness, but no major fraud/legal actions found.

Your Next Steps

  • 1
    If you install the app or desktop client, download only from official app stores (Apple App Store, Google Play) or the site’s official links and avoid third-party bundlers.
  • 2
    Before installing, review app permissions (location, contacts) and limit access you don’t need.
  • 3
    Use an ad-blocker or script blocker if intrusive ads are a concern, and consider the paid/ad-free app only from official vendors.
  • 4
    If privacy is important, review WeatherBug’s privacy policy and opt out of tracking where possible or use location-level controls.
  • 5
    Report any suspicious charges or unsolicited emails to your bank and to the site’s support email (customerfeedback@weatherbug.com).

Evidence & Citations