Comparison

Solar Coaster vs Engineering & Tech Animations

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

Head to head
About

Solar Coaster

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
Read full description

Solar Coaster provides accurate position, time, motion and eclipse information for Earth's nearest star, Sol, our Sun, and nearest celestial body, Luna, our Moon. Information includes 3D movement graphs, upcoming eclipses and their circumstances, rise and set times, positions, distances and velocities, moon phase, illumination and crescent rotation. Solar Coaster automatically updates its state every minute, or you can examine minutes randomly. The simulation uses a local horizontal coordinate system when displaying information, which essentially means that your current position is the center of the Universe and all calculated values are relative to you. Sun and Moon positions are also available in equatorial coordinates. Solar Coaster stores enough onboard astronomical data to keep it running through the year 2100 AD, which means that all calculations can be performed locally without the need of a network connection — useful while in the wild chasing an eclipse. Algorithms are accurate at all longitudes, and latitudes between -61° south and +60° north (roughly speaking, locations outside the Polar regions). Of course, you must have Location Services enabled and allow Solar Coaster to access your position for accurate simulation results, and to properly detect eclipses visible at your location. You can also allow Notification Center to keep you informed when those eclipses will occur. Solar Coaster comes in various flavors: for iOS a native App; and for macOS a native App, Screen Saver and Web App.

About

Engineering & Tech Animations

Features
Read full description

Science Animations: Engineering and Technology animations is for learners in technical high schools as well as first year engineering students. This app will help them to get a better understanding of basic concepts in engineering. The concepts are explained in a visual, dynamic and interactive way. This app does not replace the teacher/lecturer or handbook but is a valuable additional source for teachers/lecturers. It is also important that learners should play on their own with this app. Topics covered by the app include the following: Force, Frameworks and Acceleration; Stress, Pressure and Bending Moment; Vibrations; Alternating Current; Thermodynamics; Bernoulli's Principle; Cubic Crystal Structures; Phase Diagrams; Orthographic Projections; Gears; and Engines.

Screenshots

Solar Coaster4 screens
Engineering & Tech Animations4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Solar Coaster at Free against Engineering & Tech Animations's $15.99. Solar Coaster also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 9 months). Engineering & Tech Animations's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Solar Coaster is free to download; Engineering & Tech Animations costs $15.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Solar Coaster ships an update every 3 months, Engineering & Tech Animations every 9 months. Both last shipped on November 2, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Solar Coaster versus Engineering & Tech Animations: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSolar CoasterEngineering & Tech Animations
PriceFree — better$15.99
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 9 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB30 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperSteve LidieWillie van Schalkwyk

In-app purchases

None

Solar Coaster

No in-app purchases

None

Engineering & Tech Animations

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Solar Coaster free?
Solar Coaster is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Engineering & Tech Animations free?
Engineering & Tech Animations costs $15.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Solar Coaster or Engineering & Tech Animations have ads?
Neither Solar Coaster nor Engineering & Tech Animations shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Solar Coaster or Engineering & Tech Animations?
Solar Coaster ships an update every 3 months, and Engineering & Tech Animations every 9 months. Most recently, Solar Coaster was updated on November 2, 2026 and Engineering & Tech Animations on November 2, 2026.

Other comparisons