Comparison

DISCS vs Pocket Planets

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

Head to head
About

DISCS

Contribute observations about local crop conditions and drought impacts to a scientific community. View your reports alongside data from NASA satellites, NOAA rainfall, and ground sensors.

Highlights
  • Report crop conditions
  • Upload photos
  • View drought data
  • See rainfall information
  • Monitor vegetation health
  • Observe satellite data
Read full description

The smartphone app “Drought Information Supported by Citizen Scientists” (DISCS) was created by researchers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center to facilitate the sharing and delivery of hydrologic and agricultural information from citizen scientists to the scientific community and partners involved in the monitoring of drought conditions. Users, as Citizen Scientists, are encouraged to contribute photos of local crop conditions along with information about crop type, crop health, soil moisture conditions, and other notes about drought impacts. In exchange, users of the app can observe their reports alongside reports of other Citizen Scientists, and view their information in the context of drought information from the U.S. Drought Monitor, recent rainfall data from NOAA, soil moisture information from ground sensors or through NASA modeling approaches, and view information about vegetation health and stress as observed from NASA’s constellation of satellites.

About

Pocket Planets

Explore our solar system with detailed information on planets, moons, and astronauts. Track who is currently in space and receive notifications for new launches. Access NASA images and compare celestial body characteristics.

Highlights
  • Detailed planet and moon data
  • Astronaut information and missions
  • Real-time space occupancy
  • Launch notifications
  • NASA image gallery
  • Celestial body comparisons
Features
Read full description

Pocket Planets gives you all the information you need about our solar system and human activity in space. Learn more about all 565 astronauts who been to space. What was their mission? How long had they been up there? See who is in space now! Get notified when somebody goes into space. Get up to date information about every planet and moon in the solar system. Including: - Physical characteristics: mass, radius, density, gravity, escape velocity - Orbital characteristics: real-time distance from the Sun and Earth, orbital period, orbital speed, eccentricity, apsis, periapsis, visualise orbit - Atmosphere: pressure, atmospheric composition - Images from Nasa - Moons: compare their size and distance

Screenshots

DISCS4 screens
Pocket Planets4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Pocket Planets at 4.6 against DISCS's 2.0. Pocket Planets also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 50%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). DISCS's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pocket Planets holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket Planets has 22 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of DISCS's written reviews are positive against 67% of Pocket Planets's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DISCS ships an update every 2 months, Pocket Planets every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
DISCS versus Pocket Planets: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDISCSPocket Planets
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.0 (3 ratings)4.6 (22 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings322 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB66 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNASAAd Lunam Kereskedelmi es Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag

Customer experience

DISCS

All ratings3 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral33.3%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Pocket Planets

All ratings22 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral4.5%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%

In-app purchases

None

DISCS

No in-app purchases

None

Pocket Planets

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DISCS free?
DISCS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pocket Planets free?
Pocket Planets is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, DISCS or Pocket Planets?
Pocket Planets is rated higher. DISCS averages 2.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Pocket Planets averages 4.6 from 22 ratings.
Do DISCS or Pocket Planets have ads?
Pocket Planets shows ads; DISCS does not.
Which is updated more often, DISCS or Pocket Planets?
DISCS ships an update every 2 months, and Pocket Planets every 3 weeks. Most recently, DISCS was updated on October 1, 2026 and Pocket Planets on October 24, 2026.

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