Space by Tinybop vs GPlates
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Space by Tinybop
Explore our solar system and visit each planet up close. Discover their surfaces, characteristics, and orbits through interactive play. Test atmospheres, gravity, and observe planetary spins and seasons.
- Visit 8 planets and the sun
- Study planet surfaces up close
- Discover planet characteristics
- Test atmospheres and gravity with meteorites
- Compare planet sizes and masses
- Observe planetary orbits and moon phases
- Explore Mars with rovers and chopper
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Travel into space and visit tiny Mercury, fierce Venus, friendly Earth, dusty Mars, stormy Jupiter, elegant Saturn, hazy Uranus, and mysterious Neptune. Perfect for future astronomers everywhere. "Space should more accurately be called "Hands On With the Solar System." — Children's Technology Review *** KAPi Best App for Older Children *** *** Children's Technology Review Editor's Choice *** Hurl meteorites through the atmosphere. Spin around the sun and zoom onto its surface. Jump into a whirling space storm. Boldly go where no kid has gone before in 3, 2, 1…. liftoff! Space is No.8 in Tinybop’s award-winning Explorer’s Library. Kids can discover new worlds in other Explorer’s Library apps, including The Human Body, Plants, Simple Machines, The Earth, Weather, Homes, and Skyscrapers. FEATURES + Visit 8 planets and the sun! + Study the surface of each planet and the sun up close. + Discover the characteristics of each planet with a helpful snowman. + Throw meteorites at each planet to test their atmospheres and gravity. + See how big and massive each planet and the sun are by comparing them side-by-side. + Play with and observe each planet’s orbit around the sun. + Follow the moon’s orbit to discover the phases of the moon. + See how quickly or slowly each planet spins on its axis and how long each day is. + Peek inside each planet’s rocky crust or gassy outer layer. + Move the Earth’s axis to see how it affects seasons. + Explore Mars’ rocky surface with NASA’s Curiosity, Pathfinder rovers. + Fly the Ingenuity Chopper on Mars. + Experience wild weather and more on Venus. + Find out why Mercury has so many craters. + See what Saturn’s rings are made of and make them spin. + Discover diamonds on Neptune and Uranus. + Interactive text labels in 50+ languages teach vocabulary. + FREE Space Handbook has technology tips and basic info for teachers and parents. + Original artwork by Jessie Sattler. + Original sound design. + Open-ended activities with no rules. Curiosity and creativity are rewarded. + Multi-user system. + Fun for all ages. + No third-party advertising. FREE handbook Our expert-reviewed handbook is full of facts, interaction hints, and discussion questions to support learning in this app, in the classroom, or at home. Download in your app or at: http://tinybop.com/handbooks. Privacy Policy We take your and your child’s privacy very seriously. We do not collect or share personal information about your child, nor do we allow any third-party advertising. When the camera, microphone, and other services are used within an app, your information is neither collected nor distributed outside of the app. Read our complete privacy policy at tinybop.com. Tinybop, Inc. is a Brooklyn-based studio of designers, engineers, and artists. We make toys for tomorrow. We’re all over the internet. Visit us: www.tinybop.com Follow us: twitter.com/tinybop Like us: facebook.com/tinybop Peek behind the scenes: instagram.com/tinybop We love hearing your stories! If you have ideas, or something isn’t working as you expect it to, please contact us: hi@tinybop.com. Psst! It's not Tiny Bop, or Tiny Bob, or Tiny Pop. It's Tinybop. :)
GPlates
Explore Earth's geological history by reconstructing and visualizing spatial data through geological time. This tool offers an intuitive interface for students, teachers, researchers, and enthusiasts to understand our planet's evolution.
- Reconstruct spatial data
- Visualize geological time
- Intuitive interface
- Explore Earth's history
- Plate reconstruction software
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The GPlates App is a powerful tool designed to enable users to reconstruct and visualise spatial data through geological time. Built on top of the acclaimed plate reconstruction software, GPlates, the App benefits from the feature-rich web APIs and the flexible software architecture of its underlying technology. With its intuitive interface and advanced capabilities, the GPlates App is an invaluable tool for anyone seeking to gain a deeper understanding of the Earth's geological history. Whether you are a student, teacher, researcher, or just a curious enthusiast, the GPlates App is the perfect tool to explore our ever-evolving planet.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: GPlates at Free against Space by Tinybop's $3.99. Space by Tinybop's advantage is rating (4.3 vs 2.7) and review sentiment (67% vs 44%). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
GPlates is free to download; Space by Tinybop costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Space by Tinybop holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Space by Tinybop has 72 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Space by Tinybop's written reviews are positive against 44% of GPlates's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Space by Tinybop | GPlates |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (72 ratings) — better | 2.7 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better | 44.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 72 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 255 MB | 57 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tinybop Inc. | Xiaodong Qin |
Customer experience
Space by Tinybop
GPlates
In-app purchases
Space by Tinybop
No in-app purchases
GPlates
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Space by Tinybop free?
Is GPlates free?
Which has better reviews, Space by Tinybop or GPlates?
Do Space by Tinybop or GPlates have ads?
Which is updated more often, Space by Tinybop or GPlates?
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