Wow 4D+ vs Under the Bay
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Wow 4D+
Explore the wonders of the world and beyond, from dinosaurs to space. Bring special markers to life with augmented reality, stereoscope, VR, and Holoprism modes. Learn and play with interactive experiences, capturing your discoveries with photos and videos.
- Augmented reality experiences
- Interactive learning
- VR and Holoprism modes
- Capture photos and videos
- Explore diverse subjects
- Unlock instant experiences
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Будь ласка, перейдіть донизу цієї сторінки та натисніть "Веб-сайт розробника" (Developer Website), щоб прочитати опис додатка українською. Experience the wonders of our world and beyond, from walking with the dinosaurs to jetting into space. From exploring exotic wild-life to trying out a grown-up profession – all through this unique app! Scan in a special marker and watch as it comes alive! Do loads more with extra special modes like AR, stereoscope, VR and Holoprism. All just a touch away* We all love to play and learn, no matter how old we are. WOW4D+ takes you on a journey through discovery and curiosity with its unique combination and cutting-edge technology. Capture your discoveries with videos, photos, or selfies and show your friends what they are missing. Delve deeper with further imagery and facts about the subjects you have found. Try it now with instant experiences you can unlock within the app. Get ready to be WOWed! *extra accessories may be required.
Under the Bay
Experience the hidden world beneath the Chesapeake Bay through augmented reality. Point your device at water to reveal stories, hear original music, and see animations that change based on live environmental data.
- Augmented reality underwater exploration
- Live environmental data integration
- Dynamic music and animation
- Artist-narrated stories
- Selectable scenes
- Historical data playback
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“Under the Bay” tells the story of a world beneath the surface of the Chesapeake Bay and really all estuaries and oceans. In this augmented reality project a user can point their cell phone at the water — or anywhere in the world — like a microscope and see and hear the hidden invisibilities under the Chesapeake Bay. When they do, a series of stories between humans and non-humans emerge told by the artist Lisa Moren with original music by Dan Deacon. The narrator describes the Chesapeake Bay in both enlightenment and medieval terms where personal observation is intertwined with scientific knowledge unpacking recent political events and arguing for diversity broadly. Some episodes see microbes like faeries and the planet as an ensouled body soaked in a wet film that breaths like a living organism. Other meandering topics include cryonics, meditation, the origins of the Internet, monuments, protests, US elections, and algae blooms all describing a world out of balance. Underwater sensors located throughout the Chesapeake Bay collect data on the water’s oxygen and salt levels, pH, temperature, etc. This live data streams into the app allowing the stories, images, and electronic music to be driven by the current conditions of the Bay water. The data from the Bay will direct how the organisms appear and how the story is told. In addition to affecting the animation’s speed and color, originally composed music will change volume, reverb, EQ, and other parameters, based on the water conditions. For example, the narrator's voice will sound choppy, or even choking, when the oxygen is low or anoxic, but when oxygen conditions are good, the voice is clear. Behind the scenes, marine biologist, Dr. Tsetso Bachvaroff, shares his expertise on the Bay water, its data, and the DNA of the invisible organisms. Dinoflagellates and diatoms produce most of the world’s oxygen and are the ancestors of humans for hundreds of millions of years. Before they outlive humans, they reveal their remarkable survival strategies to us and inspire how we may learn to live in this project. Viewers may select one of 8 scenes with images and sounds evolving each time they open the app. In the evening the app offers originally composed music and animation inspired by bioluminescence that’s also affected by the incoming water data. A calendar will allow the user to go back in time to hear what the Bay was saying on a particular date, perhaps during an algae bloom. The user may also change sites in the Bay or turn off the data altogether to experience different effects. “Under the Bay”, tells a unique story for every user, changing over time, over seasons, but always influenced from the viewpoint of the water itself. TEAM Lisa Moren, Artistic Director + Script Writer Dr. Tsvetan Bachvaroff, Marine Biologist, Data Analysis Dan Deacon, Electronic Composer Marc Olano, Software Engineer + Developer John Boutsikas, Lead Programmer Austin Samson, Modeler + Animator William Forrest, Animator + Technical Artist Woody Lissauer, Voiceover Engineer + Narrator, Ted Nelson Ruskin Nohe-Moren, Narrator, Theodore Schwenk Aliyah Baruchin, Copy Editor + Fact Checker ++ This project is generously supported by the Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund at Johns Hopkins University and the R.W. Deutsch Foundation. THIS PROJECT ORIGINATED DURING AN ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM SUPPORTED BY THE INSTITUTE OF MARINE AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY [IMET] AND CIRCA AT UMBC. WE’RE GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORT FROM MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES; DANIELLE MCPHATTER AND HARVESTWORKS DIGITAL MEDIA ART CENTER, IRC AND CAHSS AT UMBC, AND ANTOINE CAYROL OF ATLAS V IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES IN AR, XR, AND VR.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Under the Bay at 5.0 against Wow 4D+'s 4.2. Wow 4D+'s advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 25 months) and ratings volume (6 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Under the Bay holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 2 respectively.
Wow 4D+ ships an update every 3 weeks, Under the Bay every 25 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Wow 4D+ | Under the Bay |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (6 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 7.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 25 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 184 MB | 930 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Octagon Studio Ltd | Lisa Moren |
Customer experience
Wow 4D+
Under the Bay
In-app purchases
Wow 4D+
No in-app purchases
Under the Bay
No in-app purchases






