Comparison

Field Guide to Clouds vs SOS Explorer

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

Head to head
About

Field Guide to Clouds

Identify clouds with this portable guide. Learn their formation, names, and weather implications. Test your knowledge with interactive quizzes. Available in English and Spanish.

Highlights
  • Cloud identification
  • Cloud formation details
  • Weather prediction insights
  • Interactive quizzes
  • Bilingual support (English/Spanish)
Features
Read full description

The UCAR Center for Science Education's Field Guide to Clouds is a portable guidebook to identifying clouds. Learn about the different clouds in the sky, including how they form, how they get their names, and what they can tell you about the weather. Test your cloud knowledge with quizzes. Available with English and Spanish text.

About

SOS Explorer

Explore interactive animated datasets of Earth and space phenomena, from planetary rings to climate change models. This app brings complex environmental processes to life in an intuitive and captivating way, making learning accessible anywhere.

Highlights
  • Streaming high-resolution datasets
  • Educational videos
  • User-guided tours
  • Analysis tools
  • 100+ datasets
  • Global and flat map views
Features
Read full description

SOS Explorer (SOSx) Mobile is a free, flat screen mobile app version of the popular NOAA Science On a Sphere (SOS). This revolutionary software takes SOS datasets, usually only seen on a 6-foot sphere in large museum spaces, and makes them accessible, portable, and interactive anywhere. SOSx Mobile can immerse the user in animated images such as Saturn’s rings, atmospheric storms, climate change, and ocean temperatures to help explain sometimes complex environmental processes in a way that is intuitive, captivating, interactive, and entertaining. A desktop version, called SOS Explorer, is also available. Thank you for using SOS Explorer (SOSx) Mobile. We are committed to continually improving our software and providing you with an engaging and educational experience. We hope you enjoy the new features and enhancements in version 1.2! Please continue to share your feedback with us as we work on improvements. We appreciate your patience and support. Features include: • Streaming, high-resolution datasets • Educational videos • User-guided tours • Analysis tools • 100+ datasets • Global and flat map views Sample datasets: • Recent Hurricane Seasons • Bird Migration • Earthquake Activity • Snow and Ice • Ocean Currents • Historical Tsunamis • Facebook Friendships • Air Traffic • Planets of the Solar System • Climate Change Models • 360 Underwater Imagery • Narrated Movies • ...and so much more!

Screenshots

Field Guide to Clouds4 screens
SOS Explorer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: SOS Explorer at 4.7 against Field Guide to Clouds's 4.3. SOS Explorer also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). Field Guide to Clouds's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 11 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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

SOS Explorer holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12 and 20 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 86% and 86% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Field Guide to Clouds ships an update every 2 months, SOS Explorer every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Field Guide to Clouds versus SOS Explorer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterField Guide to CloudsSOS Explorer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (12 ratings)4.7 (20 ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.7% of reviews85.7% of reviews
Number of ratings1220 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 11 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB249 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUniversity Corporation for Atmospheric ResearchUniversity of Colorado Boulder

Customer experience

Field Guide to Clouds

All ratings12 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%

SOS Explorer

All ratings20 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%

In-app purchases

None

Field Guide to Clouds

No in-app purchases

None

SOS Explorer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Field Guide to Clouds free?
Field Guide to Clouds is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SOS Explorer free?
SOS Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Field Guide to Clouds or SOS Explorer?
SOS Explorer is rated higher. Field Guide to Clouds averages 4.3 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while SOS Explorer averages 4.7 from 20 ratings.
Do Field Guide to Clouds or SOS Explorer have ads?
Neither Field Guide to Clouds nor SOS Explorer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Field Guide to Clouds or SOS Explorer?
Field Guide to Clouds ships an update every 2 months, and SOS Explorer every 11 months. Most recently, Field Guide to Clouds was updated on October 3, 2026 and SOS Explorer on October 9, 2026.

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