Comparison

National Forest Explorer vs Mobile SSP

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

Head to head
About

National Forest Explorer

Discover U.S. Forest Service lands and heritage sites with this official exploration tool. Access detailed information, offline maps, and recreational opportunities for your next adventure. Stay updated on closures and events with push notifications.

Highlights
  • Discover nearby forests and grasslands
  • Explore points of interest
  • Access forest facts and heritage information
  • Offline and GPS maps
  • Information on recreational opportunities
  • Educational audio tours
  • Push notifications for alerts
Features
Read full description

This official app is a portal for exploring the diverse lands and heritage sites managed by the U.S. Forest Service. A powerful exploration tool, this app allows you to discover forests near you and can help you explore each destination's points of interest. Use this app for easy access to forest facts, natural, cultural, and historic information, offline and GPS maps, recreational opportunities, and other essential visitor information to enjoy our National Forests and Grasslands. The perfect companion for your next forest adventure or armchair travels, each app was developed by the forest unit’s rangers and interpretive staff and features a variety of content, including educational audio tours and natural and historic imagery. Plan your itinerary of things to see and do with easy access to information regarding recreational opportunities, trails, maps, and visitor centers. Each forest destination can be downloaded individually from the portal, allowing you to stay up to date with your favorite destinations through push notifications alerts for closures and events. Connect with Visitor Centers and Ranger Stations using one-tap calling and submit valuable feedback or report concerns with surveys. OnCell has worked closely with each forest as the official provider of their mobile apps. You can expect additional forests to be added to this app over time, as the U.S. Forest Service continues it's commitment to provide exciting and relevant visitor information in easy to access formats.

About

Mobile SSP

This app provides a digital Safety & Security Playbook for facility crisis response and planning. It offers an easy-to-navigate interface, direct emergency dialing, and access to updates and blog posts through an integrated social platform.

Highlights
  • Crisis response planning
  • Facility safety protocols
  • Direct emergency dialing
  • Integrated social platform
  • Latest updates and blog posts
Features
Read full description

Our proprietary Safety & Security Playbook is a powerful tool in building the foundation of your facility's crisis response and planning. Our mobile apps puts this information into the palm of your hand with an easy to navigate interface, direct emergency dialing and more! Also included is access to our social platform where you can receive the latest updates, blog posts and more! Start your journey towards safety & security today! Privacy Policy: https://www.timatosystems.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

National Forest Explorer4 screens
Mobile SSP3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Mobile SSP at 5.0 against National Forest Explorer's 4.5. Mobile SSP also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). National Forest Explorer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (736 vs 1). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Mobile SSP sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. National Forest Explorer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mobile SSP holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: National Forest Explorer has 736 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

National Forest Explorer ships an update every 3 months, Mobile SSP monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
National Forest Explorer versus Mobile SSP: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNational Forest ExplorerMobile SSP
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (736 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews30.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings736 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size109 MB431 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperToby BloomTimothy Adams

Customer experience

National Forest Explorer

All ratings728 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral3.7%
Negative7.4%
Written reviews63 reviews
Positive30.2%
Neutral7.9%
Negative61.9%

Mobile SSP

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

National Forest Explorer

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login issues
  • Compatibility problems with older devices
  • Broken links and missing content

Requested features

4 requests
  • More national forests and recreation areas
  • Offline maps and content
  • Better search and filtering options
  • Integration with other outdoor apps

Mobile SSP

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

National Forest Explorer

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Mobile SSP

Subscriptions1
  • Safety & Security Playbook$4.991 Month

Questions

Is National Forest Explorer free?
National Forest Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Mobile SSP free?
Mobile SSP is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, National Forest Explorer or Mobile SSP?
Mobile SSP is rated higher. National Forest Explorer averages 4.5 out of 5 from 736 ratings, while Mobile SSP averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do National Forest Explorer or Mobile SSP have ads?
Neither National Forest Explorer nor Mobile SSP shows ads.
Which is updated more often, National Forest Explorer or Mobile SSP?
National Forest Explorer ships an update every 3 months, and Mobile SSP monthly. Most recently, National Forest Explorer was updated on November 2, 2026 and Mobile SSP on October 30, 2026.

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