# Rocket Lab vs ISS Explorer

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ISS Explorer at 100% against Rocket Lab's 23%. ISS Explorer also leads on rating (4.9 vs 2.9) and device support (3 vs 1). Rocket Lab's advantage is iOS requirement (6.0 vs 13.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ISS Explorer holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 16 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 23% of Rocket Lab's written reviews are positive against 100% of ISS Explorer's.

## The numbers

| Metric | Rocket Lab | ISS Explorer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.9 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rocket-lab/id1071252785/reviews) | **[4.9 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iss-explorer/id1429876038/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 13 | **16** |
| Positive reviews | 23.1% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | — | Every 10 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 218 MB | 747 MB |
| Requires iOS | **6.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Smithsonian Institution](https://appshunter.io/developer/370564865) | [NASA](https://appshunter.io/developer/355542146) |

## What reviewers say

### Rocket Lab

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rocket-lab/id1071252785)

Design, build, and launch virtual rockets as a rocket engineer. Make critical decisions about components like propellant and control systems to ensure mission success. Explore suborbital, orbital, and escape velocity missions with this educational simulation.

**Highlights:** Design virtual rockets, Choose rocket components, Personalize rocket name, Launch and observe flight, Modify for mission success, Explore different mission types

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### ISS Explorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iss-explorer/id1429876038)

Explore a detailed 3D model of the International Space Station. Rotate, zoom, and select individual components to learn about their function and systems. Organize your view by turning parts and labels on or off.

**Highlights:** Interactive 3D ISS model, Rotate and zoom functionality, Selectable parts with isolation, Detailed information on components, Hierarchical part organization, Toggle parts and labels

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Rocket Lab free?

Rocket Lab is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ISS Explorer free?

ISS Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Rocket Lab or ISS Explorer?

ISS Explorer is rated higher. Rocket Lab averages 2.9 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while ISS Explorer averages 4.9 from 16 ratings.

### Do Rocket Lab or ISS Explorer have ads?

Neither Rocket Lab nor ISS Explorer shows ads.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*