Explain 3D vs Encyclopedia
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Explain 3D
Explore the solar system and universe in a 3D environment with realistic models and animations. Learn about planets and spacecrafts, with an option to suggest new simulations. The free version offers basic solar system data, while the full version unlocks more celestial bodies and spacecrafts.
- Interactive 3D environment
- Realistic 3D models and animations
- Planet and spacecraft descriptions
- Engaging educational content
- Suggest simulation tool
- Full version with expanded content
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Explore the solar system and universe with simulations in 3D environment. With Explain3D: Explore the universe, you will have unique chance to explore solar system, planets and most famous spacecrafts in the history of world. Everything is created in amazing 3D environment with realistic 3D models. Start your journey now! FEATURES - interactive 3D environment with complex and realistic 3D models and animations - simple, intuitive, smooth and user friendly interface - description of main parts of planets and spacecrafts - great to make education more engaging and interesting - Want some special simulation? Use "Suggest simulation tool" and we will implement your ideas into application. Free version Real simulation of solar system with planet ecliptic orbits and main information about route, speed and other information. Planets: Sun Spacecrafts: Sputnik 1 FULL version Real simulation of solar system with planet ecliptic orbits and main information about route, speed and other information. Planets: Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune... Spacecrafts: Apollo, Cassini-Huygens, Galileo, Hubble space telescope, ISS, Pioneer, Sputnik, Vostok, Voyager...
Encyclopedia
Explore the solar system with extensive articles and high-definition images. This app offers comprehensive information, engaging content, and a user-friendly interface, making it suitable for both children and adults interested in space.
- Thousands of articles and HD photos
- Comprehensive solar system information
- Engaging and easy-to-understand content
- Offline availability
- Badge collection for reading
- Intuitive user interface
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Travel through our celestial neighborhood in 386 illustrated articles on the Sun, planets, moons, smaller bodies and the history of solar-system exploration. START WITH FIVE FREE ARTICLES New readers can choose any five different articles. Your chosen articles stay unlocked, and revisiting them never uses another choice. Existing readers keep previously granted access. MAKE DISCOVERIES YOUR OWN • Search article titles and full text • Follow links between related topics • Save articles and return to your reading position • Continue recent reading and track your progress • Explore connections through the timeline and graph • Find article sources and image credits inside the app CHOOSE YOUR ACCESS Own the full encyclopedia with a one-time purchase for complete offline reading. Or choose monthly or annual Premium for the full encyclopedia plus AI chat grounded in this subject's articles. Eligible new Premium subscribers receive a three-day introductory trial. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled through your App Store account. Current local prices and terms appear before purchase. Restore Purchases recovers eligible previous purchases. Earlier full-version ownership includes encyclopedia and offline access; Premium AI requires a subscription. Internet access is required for AI chat and purchases. AI answers may contain errors; consult the linked sources. Article text is derived from Wikipedia. Images come from appropriately licensed Wikimedia Commons and other open sources. Source links, licenses and credits are available in the app. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Encyclopedia at 83% against Explain 3D's 0%. Encyclopedia also leads on rating (3.8 vs 2.7) and update cadence (monthly vs every 5 months). Explain 3D's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Explain 3D sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Encyclopedia sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Encyclopedia holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 14 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Explain 3D's written reviews are positive against 83% of Encyclopedia's.
Explain 3D ships an update every 5 months, Encyclopedia monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Explain 3D | Encyclopedia |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.7 (7 ratings) | 3.8 (14 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 83.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7 | 14 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 205 MB | 322 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Explain 3D | Good Spider, LLC |
Customer experience
Explain 3D
Encyclopedia
In-app purchases
Explain 3D
- Unlock all simulations$3.99
Encyclopedia
- Full Version$2.99
Questions
Is Explain 3D free?
Is Encyclopedia free?
Which has better reviews, Explain 3D or Encyclopedia?
Do Explain 3D or Encyclopedia have ads?
Which is updated more often, Explain 3D or Encyclopedia?
Other comparisons
