Eclipse Explorer vs Solar Eclipse Live
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Eclipse Explorer
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide full description
Eclipse Explorer is a free mobile app that allows you to view the circumstances for solar eclipses that occur between 1900 and 2100 using your GPS defined location. It uniquely features countdown timers to eclipse events at your specific location, simulates the position of the Sun and Moon, and draws the location of the Moon's shadow on the Earth in real-time. A solar eclipse is one of nature's most amazing spectacles, however, clouds can ruin your day. Use this app to overlay satellite and radar data on the day of the eclipse to make sure you stay within the path of totality and away from the clouds! Find out exactly when the eclipse starts and finishes for your location with countdown timers. Be ready for the total eclipse in August of 2017! Free, with minor ad support. Only one full page ad will be displayed per app start, then one banner ad, which will automatically close in less than 20 seconds. Please check out my website for full details and instructions on how to use the app. http://www.solareclipseapp.com Please keep in mind this is a CPU/GPU intensive app. Recommended for phones a tablets made within the last 2 years. Full Release Notes Welcome to Eclipse Explorer version 3! Now has a beautiful material design. Multi-threaded performance improvements. Improved accuracy. Improved shadow details. Newly designed map. Map works offline. Show weather overlays on the eclipse map. Optionally, show eclipse circumstances, map, and simulation on a single screen. Your all-in-one app for the Great American Eclipse of 2017. Full version history: v3.4.1 Fixed: iOS only: Upside down orientation fix. v3.4.0 New: Lunar limb profile for improved contact times (TSE2017 only) New: Solar corona shown during total phase in eclipse simulation Improved: GPS time correction sync. (Green clock is GPS time) Fixed: Offline map does not load in some situations. v3.3.0 New: Moon's shadow speed shown in realtime or during animation, only when (ant)umbral shadow is touching Earth. New: Distance to totality/annularity or distance to eclipse centerline shown. New: Max duration of totatlity/annularity at closest point along centerline shown. New: Info ball shows click for hint. Fixed: Another timezone crash bug. Fixed: Offline map sometimes did not display after app restart. Changed: Hints last longer. v3.2.0 New: Voice cue and three cue beep audio event indications. New: Next occurring circumstance will scroll to visibility and flash in realtime. New: App user hints and tips. Fixed: Realtime tag did not appear on simulation screen when it should have. Fixed: Zoom in button did not work in certain screen orientations. Fixed: Map may not display on app restart in offline mode. Fixed: Next visible eclipse selects day-of eclipse. Fixed: Animations tags may show up circumstance page when they should not. Fixed: Certain timezones caused app crash. Improved: Realtime shadow lag. Improved: Hardened code to ensure realtime shadow and simulation start on day of eclipse. Changed: Time travel mode will now sequence to 15 seconds prior to event. Total or annular begins event is 60 seconds. v3.1.0 Added: App maintains state through restart/refresh. Added: Location Freeze mode, long press location icon to freeze manual location. Long press to unfreeze. Improved: Shadow animations while GPS is on. Fixed: Race condition when selecting certain eclipses. Fixed: Draw all eclipse lines no matter which thread completes first. v3.0.5 Fixed location change while zooming. Made circumstance page more readable / flexible Various bug fixes v3.0.4 Fixed location change while zooming. Made circumstance page more readable / flexible Various bug fixes v3.0.2 * Made map more responsive to location change touches. * Fixed version code in about page v2.0.2 Fixed: Google Maps API Key added, Google maps feature should work. Improved: Built against latest Apache Cordova and latest Android SDK. Update: jQueryMobile v1.4.5
Solar Eclipse Live
Explore all solar eclipses until the year 2200 for any location on Earth. Preview eclipses from your current or a selected location with highly accurate NASA ephemeris data. A countdown widget keeps you informed about the next celestial event.
- Explore solar eclipses until 2200
- Location-based eclipse previews
- Accurate NASA ephemeris data
- Countdown to next solar eclipse
- Home screen widget
Read full descriptionHide full description
This app lets you explore all solar eclipse until the year 2200 for any location on Earth. You can preview each eclipse from your current location (or select a location manually). The app uses the most accurate research-grade NASA ephemeris data (DE440) to calculate the most accurate eclipse timings possible. The predictions have an error of less than one second. A new home screen widget shows you a countdown to the next solar eclipse based on your current location.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Solar Eclipse Live at 5.0 against Eclipse Explorer's 4.0. Solar Eclipse Live also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and update cadence (daily vs every 5 days). Eclipse Explorer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (10.3 vs 16.0). On price, ads, monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Solar Eclipse Live sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Eclipse Explorer asks for nothing beyond the download.
Solar Eclipse Live holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Solar Eclipse Live has 20 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Eclipse Explorer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Solar Eclipse Live's.
Eclipse Explorer ships an update every 5 days, Solar Eclipse Live daily. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Eclipse Explorer | Solar Eclipse Live |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (20 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 20 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 10.3 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 47 MB | 50 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Joshua Berlin | Hanno Rein |
Customer experience
Eclipse Explorer
Solar Eclipse Live
In-app purchases
Eclipse Explorer
No in-app purchases
Solar Eclipse Live
- Developer Appreciation Coffee$1.99







