Comparison

Backyard Apollo AR vs Big Bang AR

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

Head to head
About

Backyard Apollo AR

Experience a life-sized Apollo Saturn V rocket in augmented reality. Explore it from all angles, walk around it, and launch it with realistic sounds and visuals. Customize your rocket experience and share snapshots.

Highlights
  • Life-sized rocket model
  • 360-degree viewing
  • Augmented reality placement
  • Realistic launch sequence
  • Authentic mission sounds
  • Customizable rocket experience
  • Snapshot sharing
Read full description

Its the model rocket you’ve always wanted! See a life-sized Apollo Saturn V rocket up close from every angle walk under and around it, then blast it off! Authentic mission sounds using 3D positional audio — wear headphones for the coolest effect — combine with realistic high-detail graphics, physically-based rendering, and HDR audio recordings of real rocket launches to make the experience just like being there! You’ll be able to launch your rocket again and again, from anywhere you like. Just tap where you want your rocket to appear. It's that easy! Launch a tiny model on your desktop or a full-sized giant in a field! Backyard Apollo offers ways to customize your experience too, making it even more fun to launch your rockets and take snapshots for your friends. “3…2…1…Houston: we have liftoff”!

About

Big Bang AR

Embark on an interactive mixed reality journey through the universe's 13.8 billion-year history. Witness the formation of stars, our solar system, and Earth, and explore the fundamental particles that make up everything. Discover your connection to the cosmos and share your cosmic creations.

Highlights
  • Mixed reality universe exploration
  • Interactive cosmic formation
  • Learn about particles and stars
  • Witness solar system creation
  • Augmented reality experiences
  • Shareable #starselfie feature
Read full description

Join Tilda Swinton and CERN scientists on an epic interactive journey through the birth and evolution of the universe - in mixed reality. Go back in time 13.8 billion years and discover how space, time and the visible universe came to be. See the universe form in the palm of your hand. Witness the formation of the very first stars, our solar system, and the planet we call home. Immerse yourself in the primordial mystery of the early universe in space and watch events unfold around you, in your own physical environment. Learn about the microscopic building blocks that make up everything - and everyone - we know, and find out if we really are made of stars. See the universe form as you stretch out your hand in front of your camera. Create the very first particles and atoms. Make a star explode, create a supernova and explore the nebula. See our solar system come together and hold the Earth in the palm of your hand. Find out how we are made from stars, take a #starselfie and share it with your friends. This app has options for subtitles. Augmented reality experiences require battery power- please make sure your device is fully charged before playing this AR experience. To show you where you are on Earth, Big Bang AR needs permission to access your location. The app also needs access to the camera and photo gallery on your device for the AR experience to work, and to save photos directly to your device. This data remains anonymous and will not be stored or shared externally from your device. Big Bang AR is a collaboration between CERN and Google Arts & Culture. With special thanks to Rolf Landua, Head of Global Engagement, CERN, and production partner Nexus Studios. Discover more about Big Bang AR CERN https://home.cern Google Arts & Culture https://artsandculture.google.com

Screenshots

Backyard Apollo AR4 screens
Big Bang AR4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Backyard Apollo AR at 4.7 against Big Bang AR's 4.5. Backyard Apollo AR also leads on ratings volume (1.5K vs 202). Big Bang AR's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.6). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Backyard Apollo AR holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Backyard Apollo AR has 1.5K ratings behind it against 202, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Backyard Apollo AR's written reviews are positive against 68% of Big Bang AR's.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Backyard Apollo AR versus Big Bang AR: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackyard Apollo ARBig Bang AR
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.5K ratings) — better4.5 (202 ratings)
Positive reviews69.6% of reviews — better68.2% of reviews
Number of ratings1.5K — better202
Update frequencyEvery 7 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.611.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB200 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWobbleworks LLCCERN

Customer experience

Backyard Apollo AR

All ratings1,488 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral2.8%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews69 reviews
Positive69.6%
Neutral4.3%
Negative26.1%

Big Bang AR

All ratings202 ratings
Positive85.1%
Neutral4.0%
Negative10.9%
Written reviews110 reviews
Positive68.2%
Neutral9.1%
Negative22.7%

User reviews

Backyard Apollo AR

From 1.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Realistic rocket simulation
  • 👍 Engaging and educational experience
  • 💡 Potential for more rocket models
  • 👍 Free to download

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
  • 🐛 Camera authorization issues
  • 🔋 High memory and storage usage
  • 🐛 Compatibility problems on older devices

Big Bang AR

From 202 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fantastic visuals
  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics
  • 🔊 Great narration
  • 💡 Innovative AR experience
  • 🏫 Educational and informative

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and unstable
  • 🔋 Battery draining issues
  • 🚫 Camera access problems
  • 📏 Short and limited content
  • 🤕 Overheating device

Bugs and requests

Backyard Apollo AR

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Startup crashes and sensor reset loops
  • Rocket launch sequence freezes
  • Persistent audio issues after app closure

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add more rocket models and launch configurations
  • Implement video recording capability
  • Improve overall stability and performance

Big Bang AR

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes on launch
  • Camera access not working
  • Glitchy and unstable performance
  • Disappearing objects and elements

Requested features

5 requests
  • Longer and more in-depth content
  • Compatibility with VR/AR headsets
  • Ability to explore the universe in more detail
  • Accessibility options for disabled users
  • Expanded content on other scientific topics

In-app purchases

None

Backyard Apollo AR

No in-app purchases

None

Big Bang AR

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Backyard Apollo AR free?
Backyard Apollo AR is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Big Bang AR free?
Big Bang AR is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Backyard Apollo AR or Big Bang AR?
Backyard Apollo AR is rated higher. Backyard Apollo AR averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while Big Bang AR averages 4.5 from 202 ratings.
Do Backyard Apollo AR or Big Bang AR have ads?
Neither Backyard Apollo AR nor Big Bang AR shows ads.

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