# Mars Info Lite vs ISS Explorer

The clearest difference is rating: ISS Explorer at 4.9 against Mars Info Lite's 4.4. ISS Explorer also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). Mars Info Lite's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 10 months) and ratings volume (200 vs 16). On price, review sentiment, 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 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mars Info Lite has 200 ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 96% of Mars Info Lite's written reviews are positive against 100% of ISS Explorer's.

Mars Info Lite ships an update every 3 months, ISS Explorer every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mars Info Lite | ISS Explorer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (200 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mars-info-lite/id1093071808/reviews) | **[4.9 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iss-explorer/id1429876038/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **200** | 16 |
| Positive reviews | 96.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 10 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 210 MB | 747 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Viktor Goltvyanytsya](https://appshunter.io/developer/556365139) | [NASA](https://appshunter.io/developer/355542146) |

## What reviewers say

### Mars Info Lite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mars-info-lite/id1093071808)

Explore the surface of the Red Planet with an interactive 3D globe. Discover significant locations like volcanoes, craters, and mountains, and view detailed information about each. This version offers a curated selection of points of interest.

**Highlights:** Interactive 3D Mars globe, Rotate, tilt, and zoom controls, Pinpoint key locations, View location details (name, type, size, coordinates), List of selectable locations

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to navigate and self-explanatory
- ✨ Fantastic graphics and useful information
- 🚀 Responsive navigation around Mars
- 💡 Great for learning about Mars
- 🌟 Awesome info graphics and data

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Pinpoints shifted 90 degrees in longitude
- 🔭 Can't zoom in close enough
- 🖼️ Picture can be unsteady when scrolling text

**Reported bugs**

- Pinpoints shifted 90 degrees in longitude
- Crashes immediately on iPhone 4s

**Requested features**

- Implement geomorphology data
- Add ability to zoom out and see Mars alignment with other planets
- Add VR support
- Add apps for other planets


### 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 Mars Info Lite free?

Mars Info Lite 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, Mars Info Lite or ISS Explorer?

ISS Explorer is rated higher. Mars Info Lite averages 4.4 out of 5 from 200 ratings, while ISS Explorer averages 4.9 from 16 ratings.

### Do Mars Info Lite or ISS Explorer have ads?

Neither Mars Info Lite nor ISS Explorer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mars Info Lite or ISS Explorer?

Mars Info Lite ships an update every 3 months, and ISS Explorer every 10 months. Most recently, Mars Info Lite was updated on October 16, 2026 and ISS Explorer on October 13, 2026.

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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.*