Stretch and Squash vs Inside Earth
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Stretch and Squash
Visualize the effects of gravitational waves on space-time. This educational app exaggerates the stretching and squashing of distances between objects as these cosmic ripples pass through.
- Gravitational wave visualization
- Stretching and squashing effects
- Exaggerated visual emphasis
- Space-time ripple demonstration
- Educational physics concepts
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Stretch and Squash demonstrates how a passing gravitational wave would stretch and squash the distances between objects. Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of space-time. They are produced by violent cosmic events, such as the collision of black holes. These ripples then travel through the universe at the speed of light. If they pass through Earth they change the distance between objects ever so slightly. Gravitational wave detectors have been built to measure these waves using kilometer-sized laser interferometers. Stretch and Squash illustrates the different effects that gravitational waves in different polarisations would have on space. (Imagine the gravitational waves are passing straight through your computer screen!) The stretching and squashing is exaggerated visually in order to emphasise the effect.
Inside Earth
Explore the Earth's interior by virtually peeling back its layers. Understand the composition of the crust, mantle, and core. Learn about tectonic plates, volcanism, and earthquakes.
- Interactive layer peeling
- Tectonic plate visualization
- Volcanism and earthquake explanation
- Compositional learning
- Geological process discovery
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What's inside our planet? Peel away layers to discover their composition. Learn how earth's crust is divided into tectonic plates. Discover how volcanism and earthquakes occur wherever these plates meet.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Inside Earth at 4.7 against Stretch and Squash's 1.8. Inside Earth also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 11 months) and ratings volume (81 vs 16). Stretch and Squash's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.0). On price, review sentiment, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Inside Earth holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Inside Earth has 81 ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Stretch and Squash ships an update every 11 months, Inside Earth fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Stretch and Squash | Inside Earth |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.8 (16 ratings) | 4.7 (81 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 16 | 81 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 64 MB | 190 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Laser Labs | Sebastian Andre |
Customer experience
Stretch and Squash
Inside Earth
In-app purchases
Stretch and Squash
No in-app purchases
Inside Earth
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Stretch and Squash free?
Is Inside Earth free?
Which has better reviews, Stretch and Squash or Inside Earth?
Do Stretch and Squash or Inside Earth have ads?
Which is updated more often, Stretch and Squash or Inside Earth?
Other comparisons
