Comparison

Solar Book vs Eclipse Explorer

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Solar Book

This app provides detailed information about solar eclipses, including timings for different phases based on your location. It allows you to view sequential images and star charts for planning and observation.

Highlights
  • Solar eclipse phase timing
  • Location-based eclipse calculations
  • Sequential eclipse image display
  • Star chart visualization
  • Past and future eclipse planning
Read full description

The Solar Book is an app for smart-phones and tablets for a solar eclipse. The Solar Book shows at what time each portion of the Sun is covered by the Moon during a solar eclipse. The beginning time of a solar eclipse, time of the maximum phase of the solar eclipse and the ending time of the solar eclipse will change depending on the location of your observing area. The Solar Book will show you the eclipse phases at your location. Your location for observing the solar eclipse can be designated with use of the location setup dialog box. This allows you to plan in advance the progression of the eclipse. Sequential images of the solar eclipse will be displayed in the appropriate order when you tap on the eclipse thumbnail images icon on the lower right of the screen. Solar eclipses can be displayed by designating the date of a solar eclipse in the past or the future if you cannot find it in a list of the selection. The Solar Book will show you a star chart of the sky at your place of observation if the solar eclipse is not selected.

About

Eclipse Explorer

Explore solar eclipses with detailed circumstances for your location between 1900 and 2100. Features countdown timers, Sun and Moon simulations, and real-time shadow mapping. Overlay weather data to avoid clouds during totality.

Highlights
  • Location-based eclipse circumstances (1900-2100)
  • Countdown timers to eclipse events
  • Sun and Moon position simulation
  • Real-time Moon shadow mapping
  • Satellite and radar weather overlays
  • Offline map functionality
Features
Read full description

Eclipse Explorer is a free mobile app that allows you to view the circumstances for solar eclipses that occur between 1900 and 2100 using your GPS defined location. It uniquely features countdown timers to eclipse events at your specific location, simulates the position of the Sun and Moon, and draws the location of the Moon's shadow on the Earth in real-time. A solar eclipse is one of nature's most amazing spectacles, however, clouds can ruin your day. Use this app to overlay satellite and radar data on the day of the eclipse to make sure you stay within the path of totality and away from the clouds! Find out exactly when the eclipse starts and finishes for your location with countdown timers. Be ready for the total eclipse in August of 2017! Free, with minor ad support. Only one full page ad will be displayed per app start, then one banner ad, which will automatically close in less than 20 seconds. Please check out my website for full details and instructions on how to use the app. http://www.solareclipseapp.com Please keep in mind this is a CPU/GPU intensive app. Recommended for phones a tablets made within the last 2 years. Full Release Notes Welcome to Eclipse Explorer version 3! Now has a beautiful material design. Multi-threaded performance improvements. Improved accuracy. Improved shadow details. Newly designed map. Map works offline. Show weather overlays on the eclipse map. Optionally, show eclipse circumstances, map, and simulation on a single screen. Your all-in-one app for the Great American Eclipse of 2017. Full version history: v3.4.1 Fixed: iOS only: Upside down orientation fix. v3.4.0 New: Lunar limb profile for improved contact times (TSE2017 only) New: Solar corona shown during total phase in eclipse simulation Improved: GPS time correction sync. (Green clock is GPS time) Fixed: Offline map does not load in some situations. v3.3.0 New: Moon's shadow speed shown in realtime or during animation, only when (ant)umbral shadow is touching Earth. New: Distance to totality/annularity or distance to eclipse centerline shown. New: Max duration of totatlity/annularity at closest point along centerline shown. New: Info ball shows click for hint. Fixed: Another timezone crash bug. Fixed: Offline map sometimes did not display after app restart. Changed: Hints last longer. v3.2.0 New: Voice cue and three cue beep audio event indications. New: Next occurring circumstance will scroll to visibility and flash in realtime. New: App user hints and tips. Fixed: Realtime tag did not appear on simulation screen when it should have. Fixed: Zoom in button did not work in certain screen orientations. Fixed: Map may not display on app restart in offline mode. Fixed: Next visible eclipse selects day-of eclipse. Fixed: Animations tags may show up circumstance page when they should not. Fixed: Certain timezones caused app crash. Improved: Realtime shadow lag. Improved: Hardened code to ensure realtime shadow and simulation start on day of eclipse. Changed: Time travel mode will now sequence to 15 seconds prior to event. Total or annular begins event is 60 seconds. v3.1.0 Added: App maintains state through restart/refresh. Added: Location Freeze mode, long press location icon to freeze manual location. Long press to unfreeze. Improved: Shadow animations while GPS is on. Fixed: Race condition when selecting certain eclipses. Fixed: Draw all eclipse lines no matter which thread completes first. v3.0.5 Fixed location change while zooming. Made circumstance page more readable / flexible Various bug fixes v3.0.4 Fixed location change while zooming. Made circumstance page more readable / flexible Various bug fixes v3.0.2 * Made map more responsive to location change touches. * Fixed version code in about page v2.0.2 Fixed: Google Maps API Key added, Google maps feature should work. Improved: Built against latest Apache Cordova and latest Android SDK. Update: jQueryMobile v1.4.5

Screenshots

Solar Book3 screens
Eclipse Explorer2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Solar Book at 4.7 against Eclipse Explorer's 4.0. Solar Book also leads on ratings volume (3 vs 1). Eclipse Explorer's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 14 months) and iOS requirement (10.3 vs 12.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Solar Book holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Solar Book ships an update every 14 months, Eclipse Explorer every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Solar Book versus Eclipse Explorer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSolar BookEclipse Explorer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (3 ratings) — better4.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews—66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings3 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 14 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.010.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVixen Co.,Ltd.Joshua Berlin

Customer experience

Solar Book

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Eclipse Explorer

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

Solar Book

No in-app purchases

None

Eclipse Explorer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Solar Book free?
Solar Book is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Eclipse Explorer free?
Eclipse Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Solar Book or Eclipse Explorer?
Solar Book is rated higher. Solar Book averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Eclipse Explorer averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Solar Book or Eclipse Explorer have ads?
Neither Solar Book nor Eclipse Explorer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Solar Book or Eclipse Explorer?
Solar Book ships an update every 14 months, and Eclipse Explorer every 5 days. Most recently, Solar Book was updated on October 3, 2026 and Eclipse Explorer on September 16, 2026.

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