# Solar Coaster vs Eclipse Explorer

The clearest difference is rating: Solar Coaster at 5.0 against Eclipse Explorer's 4.0. Eclipse Explorer's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (10.3 vs 14.0). 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.

Solar Coaster holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

Solar Coaster ships an update every 3 months, Eclipse Explorer every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Solar Coaster | Eclipse Explorer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solar-coaster/id1218422388/reviews)** | [4.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/eclipse-explorer/id1252295023/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | — | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 37 MB | 47 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **10.3** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Steve Lidie](https://appshunter.io/developer/1869780159) | [Joshua Berlin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1252295022) |

## What reviewers say

### Solar Coaster

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solar-coaster/id1218422388)

Visualize the precise movements of the Sun and Moon with 3D graphs, eclipse details, and rise/set times. This app offers offline calculations for celestial positions and moon phases, making it ideal for astronomy enthusiasts.

**Highlights:** 3D movement graphs, Eclipse information and circumstances, Rise and set times, Moon phase and illumination, Offline astronomical data, Local horizontal coordinate system

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Eclipse Explorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/eclipse-explorer/id1252295023)

Explore solar eclipses with detailed circumstances for your location between 1900 and 2100. Features countdown timers, Sun and Moon simulations, and real-time shadow mapping. Overlay weather data to avoid clouds during totality.

**Highlights:** Location-based eclipse circumstances (1900-2100), Countdown timers to eclipse events, Sun and Moon position simulation, Real-time Moon shadow mapping, Satellite and radar weather overlays, Offline map functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Solar Coaster free?

Solar Coaster is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Eclipse Explorer free?

Eclipse Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Solar Coaster or Eclipse Explorer?

Solar Coaster is rated higher. Solar Coaster averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Eclipse Explorer averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Solar Coaster or Eclipse Explorer have ads?

Neither Solar Coaster nor Eclipse Explorer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Solar Coaster or Eclipse Explorer?

Solar Coaster ships an update every 3 months, and Eclipse Explorer every 5 days. Most recently, Solar Coaster was updated on September 22, 2026 and Eclipse Explorer on June 1, 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.*