# Hello Mars vs ISS Explorer

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ISS Explorer at 100% against Hello Mars's 57%. ISS Explorer also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.6). Hello Mars's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 10 months) and 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 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 22 and 16 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Hello Mars's written reviews are positive against 100% of ISS Explorer's.

Hello Mars ships an update every 3 days, ISS Explorer every 10 months. Both last shipped on September 7, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hello Mars | ISS Explorer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.6 (22 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hello-mars/id1097625079/reviews) | **[4.9 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iss-explorer/id1429876038/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **22** | 16 |
| Positive reviews | 57.1% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Every 10 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 227 MB | 747 MB |
| Requires iOS | **6.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lockheed Martin](https://appshunter.io/developer/400687539) | [NASA](https://appshunter.io/developer/355542146) |

## What reviewers say

### Hello Mars

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hello-mars/id1097625079)

Explore the stars and journey to Mars with real-time weather data directly from the Curiosity Rover. Track planetary positions and share your cosmic adventures.

**Highlights:** Real-time weather from Curiosity Rover, Accurate planetary tracking, Share experiences on social media, Explore Mars on your phone

**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 Hello Mars free?

Hello Mars 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, Hello Mars or ISS Explorer?

ISS Explorer is rated higher. Hello Mars averages 3.6 out of 5 from 22 ratings, while ISS Explorer averages 4.9 from 16 ratings.

### Do Hello Mars or ISS Explorer have ads?

Neither Hello Mars nor ISS Explorer shows ads.

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

Hello Mars ships an update every 3 days, and ISS Explorer every 10 months. Most recently, Hello Mars was updated on September 7, 2026 and ISS Explorer on September 7, 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.*