Pro Weather vs CumulusMX: Which Is Right for You?

If you own a Davis weather station and want a real website for your data, you have likely come across two options: CumulusMX and Pro Weather. One is free, open source, and beloved by the hobbyist community. The other is a hosted service that handles everything for you. They take completely different paths to the same destination, and which one is right depends entirely on how much you enjoy tinkering.

This post puts them side by side across the factors that actually matter once the honeymoon period is over.

What is the difference between Pro Weather and CumulusMX?

CumulusMX is free, open-source software you install on your own always-on computer; it collects station data and generates web pages that you then host yourself. Pro Weather is a hosted service: you connect your Davis WeatherLink account with an API key, and it builds, hosts, and maintains the website for you.

CumulusMX runs on Windows, Linux, or a Raspberry Pi. It reads data from your station, stores it, and generates web pages. It supports many station brands, has an active community, and can be customized extensively through templates and settings.

Pro Weather connects to WeatherLink via its API, so there is nothing to install and no hardware needed at home beyond the station you already have. You paste your API key and your site goes live — a free WeatherLink Basic account is enough, though it helps to know what the WeatherLink Basic, Pro, and Pro+ plans include.

Which needs more effort and maintenance?

CumulusMX demands the most ongoing effort: an always-on PC or Raspberry Pi, a separate web host, and you as the system administrator whenever something breaks. Pro Weather needs none of that — it runs in the cloud and updates your site every 10 minutes without you touching anything.

CumulusMX needs a computer running 24/7 on your network. If that machine reboots for updates, loses power, or its SD card corrupts (a well-known Raspberry Pi failure mode), your site stops updating until you notice and fix it. You also need a separate web host to publish the generated pages, usually over FTP, which is another service to manage.

Pro Weather runs in the cloud. There is no computer at your house, no FTP uploads, and no server to maintain. Your site updates automatically whether you are home or not. If something goes wrong, the service handles it. The trade-off is that you are not in control of the hardware, but you also do not need to be.

Which offers more customization and control?

CumulusMX offers total control: every template, chart, and page is editable, and community skins abound. Pro Weather offers curated customization — logo, banner, colors, fonts, header style, tab order, dark mode, and a custom domain — but no arbitrary code. Tinkerers should lean CumulusMX; most others never miss template access.

With CumulusMX you can edit every template, tweak every chart, and install community skins. If you want a completely bespoke site and enjoy spending time on it, CumulusMX is the obvious choice.

Pro Weather's customization happens in its dashboard: logo, banner, colors, fonts, dark mode, tab layout, header style, and an about section. You can also add a custom domain with automatic SSL. What you cannot do is modify the underlying templates or add arbitrary code. The upside of that constraint is that everything just works across devices and screen sizes without you testing it.

What happens to your data history?

CumulusMX stores history on your own machine, so it lasts as long as your disk and your backup habits do. Pro Weather stores your data on its servers forever, building history forward from the day you connect — charts, records, and the almanac keep growing and never roll off.

With CumulusMX, how long your data survives depends on your setup, your disk space, and your backups. If that machine fails and you have no copy elsewhere, your history can disappear with it.

One honest caveat on the Pro Weather side: it does not import your existing CumulusMX archive. Your Pro Weather history starts the day you connect your station, so if you are considering a switch, connecting early — even while CumulusMX keeps running — means your hosted history starts accruing sooner.

How much does each really cost?

CumulusMX is free software, but running it means an always-on computer, its electricity, a web host at typically €3–10/month, and your time. Pro Weather is €5.99/month or €59/year all-in — hosting, custom domain, SSL, and unlimited data retention included — with a 14-day free trial and no credit card required.

The gap between "free" and €5.99/month is therefore smaller than it first appears, and for many people it inverts once you value the hours spent on setup, maintenance, and the occasional recovery weekend. We tallied the full self-hosted bill, line by line, in what running your own weather server really costs.

Feature comparison

Which should you choose?

Choose CumulusMX if you enjoy running a small server, want total control over every pixel, have a machine you are happy to leave on all day, and consider maintenance part of the hobby.

Choose Pro Weather if you want a beautiful, professional weather website without maintaining hardware, managing FTP, or worrying about your machine going offline. It is built specifically for Davis stations, and your site goes live in minutes.

And remember this is not a forced choice: because they read the same station through different paths, you can run both and decide later with real data in front of you.

Common questions

Can I run CumulusMX and Pro Weather at the same time?

Yes, and it is the easiest way to compare them. CumulusMX reads your station locally, while Pro Weather reads the WeatherLink cloud API — two independent paths to the same sensors, so neither interferes with the other. Many people keep CumulusMX running for local logging while Pro Weather serves the public website.

Can I import my CumulusMX history into Pro Weather?

No. Pro Weather builds your history forward from the day you connect your station; there is no importer for CumulusMX log files. Your CumulusMX data stays untouched on your own machine, so nothing is lost — the two histories simply start at different points. If a switch is on your mind, connect sooner rather than later so the hosted history starts growing.

Does Pro Weather work with the free WeatherLink Basic plan?

Yes. A free WeatherLink account and its free v2 API key are all Pro Weather needs — it auto-discovers your stations and sensors and starts building history from that moment. Paid WeatherLink plans add finer upload intervals on Davis's side, but they are not required for a full Pro Weather site.

What hardware does each one need?

CumulusMX needs a local link to your station — a WeatherLink Live, a console, or a data logger — plus the always-on computer it runs on. Pro Weather needs nothing at your house beyond a station that already reports to WeatherLink.com. If you are unsure which Davis interface you have, this comparison of WeatherLink Live, Console, and data loggers sorts them out.

If you are still deciding, read the broader comparison in Best Weather Station Software for a Personal Website or the walkthrough in How to Put Your Davis Weather Station Online.

Ready to skip the server? Start your Pro Weather site. It takes about five minutes.