Comparison

Rockd vs Stereonet Mobile

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

Head to head
About

Rockd

Discover and document the geology around you. Access global geologic maps, 3D globes, and detailed summaries of your surroundings. Contribute your own observations and track your exploration of Earth's geologic history.

Highlights
  • Interactive global geologic maps
  • 3D virtual globe exploration
  • Field observation logging
  • Offline map caching
  • Paleogeographic map access
  • Stratigraphic column viewing
  • Geologic literature integration
Features
Read full description

Explore, learn about, and document your geologic surroundings! Whether you are a professional geoscientist or curious about the rocks around you and the stories they tell, Rockd allows you to explore and learn about the geologic record, contribute your own observations, and log your journey through the geologic record. Features: - Instant access to geologic and geographic summaries of your current location via a Dashboard - Interactive global access to more than 290 geologic maps, with more being added weekly - Explore the landscape with a dynamic, 3D virtual globe - Save maps for use in the field with a built-in map caching system - See your past location and explore paleogeographic maps from C.R. Scotese and GPlates - View Macrostrat stratigraphic columns where available (beta) - Explore published literature containing mentions of mapped geologic units (when available) via xDD (formerly, GeoDeepDive) - Elevation data for most points on Earth from digital elevation models (DEMs) - Add your own field observations even offline; tag features from Macrostrat and the Paleobiology Database - Record strike/dip or trend/plunge for geologic features, using your phone's compass - Track your progress through the geologic record privately, or share it with others - See the public activity of other users and share your own and other public checkins using unique URLs Rockd is produced by the Macrostrat lab in the Department of Geoscience at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Support provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Dept. of Geoscience. Experiencing issues? Send an email to contact@rockd.org and we will do our best to help you resolve it.

About

Stereonet Mobile

This app assists geologists in collecting, visualizing, and analyzing geological orientation data. It offers automatic data entry using device sensors and augmented reality, manual input options, and various plotting and calculation tools for geological features.

Highlights
  • Automatic data entry via device orientation
  • Augmented reality for strike and dip measurement
  • Manual data entry via stereonet or text fields
  • Plotting of lines and planes with user-defined types
  • Basic geological calculations (rotations, angles, slope stability)
  • Plotting of mean vectors, rose diagrams, and contour lines
  • View plots from any orientation
Features
Read full description

Stereonet Mobile is designed to help you collect, visualize, and analyze geological orientation data. It is a companion to my Stereonet program for desktop computers. As such I have tried to incorporate the basic functionality of that program, taking into account the inherent limitations of mobile devices. Some of the basic tasks that one can perform with Stereonet Mobile include: • Provide automatic data entry as a geologist's compass by reading the iOS device orientation and converting it to strike and dip of planes and/or trend and plunge of lines. It is the only geology compass app that can use augmented reality to record the strike and dip of planes using the sighting method and the device camera. • Provide manual data entry via either tapping and dragging on the stereonet or by typing values into text fields • Plot lines and planes, which can be tagged using one of as many user defined data types (e.g., bedding, cleavage, slickensides, etc.) as you want • Carry out basic calculations such as: rotations about any axis, planes from poles or poles from planes, measure angles between lines and between planes, and basic slope stability calculations • Plot mean vectors, cylindrical best fits, rose diagrams, and contour lines. • View the plots from any orientation, not just looking straight down into the lower hemisphere • See the location of a datum on a map or satellite image (if you have an internet connection) • Show realtime changes to the stereonet projection to help students understand the geometry of the device better • Provide basic input and output of data using standard iOS conventions • Works on iPhones or iPads. The program will work on iPods or iPads lacking a cellular data connection but those devices have fewer sensors and thus cannot be used in automatic data collection mode.

Screenshots

Rockd4 screens
Stereonet Mobile4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Stereonet Mobile at monthly against Rockd's every 3 months. Rockd's advantage is ratings volume (187 vs 13). On price, rating, review sentiment 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Rockd against 4.5 for Stereonet Mobile. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rockd has 187 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 74% and 73% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rockd ships an update every 3 months, Stereonet Mobile monthly. Both last shipped on November 2, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Rockd versus Stereonet Mobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRockdStereonet Mobile
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (187 ratings)4.5 (13 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.6% of reviews — better72.7% of reviews
Number of ratings187 — better13
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size259 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison Shared AppsRichard Allmendinger

Customer experience

Rockd

All ratings185 ratings
Positive82.2%
Neutral7.6%
Negative10.3%
Written reviews91 reviews
Positive73.6%
Neutral13.2%
Negative13.2%

Stereonet Mobile

All ratings12 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive72.7%
Neutral9.1%
Negative18.2%

Bugs and requests

Rockd

Reported bugs

17 issues
  • Black map display in airplane mode and online
  • Persistent error dialogs that cannot be dismissed
  • GPS not tracking in real-time
  • Offline check-ins not syncing properly
  • Sign-up page jumps between fields and login page
Show 12 more
  • Fossils button not working
  • Map returns to user location after viewing check-ins
  • App crashes and becomes unresponsive
  • Data loss after app reinstall or logout
  • Maps fail to load after recent updates
  • Location search functionality broken
  • Android version windows not visible
  • Straight lines appear when zooming
  • Formations stop at state lines
  • Check-in screen stuck with no exit option
  • App won't load after initial use
  • Geological overlay won't upload to base map

Requested features

16 requests
  • Follow/friend mechanic to track other users' check-ins
  • Rock identification tool from photo uploads
  • Offline map download with customizable zoom levels
  • Stereonet tool for structural geology
  • Groundwater/aquifer information section
Show 11 more
  • Map legend/key for geological features
  • Spanish language support
  • Ability to move dashboard to different locations
  • Latitude/longitude search functionality
  • Multiple photo attachments per location
  • Strike and dip data visualization
  • Fault line labeling on maps
  • Better Android version compatibility
  • Tutorial or short course for advanced features
  • Black contact lines between formations toggle
  • Personal photo upload focus with mineral variations

Stereonet Mobile

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Rockd

No in-app purchases

None

Stereonet Mobile

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Rockd free?
Rockd is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Stereonet Mobile free?
Stereonet Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Rockd or Stereonet Mobile?
Stereonet Mobile is rated higher. Rockd averages 4.4 out of 5 from 187 ratings, while Stereonet Mobile averages 4.5 from 13 ratings.
Do Rockd or Stereonet Mobile have ads?
Neither Rockd nor Stereonet Mobile shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Rockd or Stereonet Mobile?
Rockd ships an update every 3 months, and Stereonet Mobile monthly. Most recently, Rockd was updated on November 2, 2026 and Stereonet Mobile on November 2, 2026.

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