# SOS Explorer vs Inside Earth

The clearest difference is update cadence: Inside Earth at fortnightly against SOS Explorer's every 11 months. Inside Earth also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 86%) and ratings volume (81 vs 20). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for SOS Explorer against 4.7 for Inside Earth. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 81 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of SOS Explorer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Inside Earth's.

SOS Explorer ships an update every 11 months, Inside Earth fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SOS Explorer | Inside Earth |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sos-explorer/id1358724422/reviews) | **[4.7 (81 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/inside-earth-crust-to-core/id1600729183/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 20 | **81** |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 249 MB | 190 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) | [Sebastian Andre](https://appshunter.io/developer/1131259796) |

## 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


### Inside Earth

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/inside-earth-crust-to-core/id1600729183)

Explore the Earth's interior by virtually peeling back its layers. Understand the composition of the crust, mantle, and core. Learn about tectonic plates, volcanism, and earthquakes.

**Highlights:** Interactive layer peeling, Tectonic plate visualization, Volcanism and earthquake explanation, Compositional learning, Geological process discovery

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SOS Explorer free?

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

### Is Inside Earth free?

Inside Earth is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, SOS Explorer or Inside Earth?

Inside Earth is rated higher. SOS Explorer averages 4.7 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Inside Earth averages 4.7 from 81 ratings.

### Do SOS Explorer or Inside Earth have ads?

Neither SOS Explorer nor Inside Earth shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SOS Explorer or Inside Earth?

SOS Explorer ships an update every 11 months, and Inside Earth fortnightly. Most recently, SOS Explorer was updated on October 9, 2026 and Inside Earth on October 24, 2026.

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