# SOS Explorer vs NOAA Exhibits

SOS Explorer and NOAA Exhibits are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SOS Explorer | NOAA Exhibits |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sos-explorer/id1358724422/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **20** | — |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | Every 11 months |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 249 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [University of Colorado Boulder](https://appshunter.io/developer/972210292) | [National Marine Sanctuary Foundation](https://appshunter.io/developer/1593422594) |

## What reviewers say

### SOS Explorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sos-explorer/id1358724422)

Explore interactive animated datasets of Earth and space phenomena, from planetary rings to climate change models. This app brings complex environmental processes to life in an intuitive and captivating way, making learning accessible anywhere.

**Highlights:** Streaming high-resolution datasets, Educational videos, User-guided tours, Analysis tools, 100+ datasets, Global and flat map views

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### NOAA Exhibits

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noaa-exhibits/id1593422592)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SOS Explorer free?

SOS Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is NOAA Exhibits free?

NOAA Exhibits is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do SOS Explorer or NOAA Exhibits have ads?

Neither SOS Explorer nor NOAA Exhibits shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SOS Explorer or NOAA Exhibits?

SOS Explorer ships an update every 11 months, and NOAA Exhibits every 11 months. Most recently, SOS Explorer was updated on October 9, 2026 and NOAA Exhibits on October 27, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*