# SOS Explorer vs WeatherSats AR

The clearest difference is rating: WeatherSats AR at 5.0 against SOS Explorer's 4.7. WeatherSats AR also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 11 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 86%). SOS Explorer's advantage is ratings volume (20 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

WeatherSats AR holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SOS Explorer has 20 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of SOS Explorer's written reviews are positive against 100% of WeatherSats AR's.

SOS Explorer ships an update every 11 months, WeatherSats AR every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SOS Explorer | WeatherSats AR |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sos-explorer/id1358724422/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/weathersats-ar/id6444034201/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **20** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 249 MB | 252 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) | [NASA](https://appshunter.io/developer/355542146) |

## 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


### WeatherSats AR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/weathersats-ar/id6444034201)

Explore Earth-monitoring satellites in augmented reality. Engage in missions to understand how these satellites observe weather phenomena and transmit data to your forecast. Learn about the electromagnetic spectrum and the instruments used to study our planet.

**Highlights:** Immersive AR experience, Interactive space journey, Satellite instrument exploration, Data transmission explanation, Electromagnetic spectrum learning, Weather phenomena observation

**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 WeatherSats AR free?

WeatherSats AR is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, SOS Explorer or WeatherSats AR?

WeatherSats AR is rated higher. SOS Explorer averages 4.7 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while WeatherSats AR averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do SOS Explorer or WeatherSats AR have ads?

Neither SOS Explorer nor WeatherSats AR shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SOS Explorer or WeatherSats AR?

SOS Explorer ships an update every 11 months, and WeatherSats AR every 3 months. Most recently, SOS Explorer was updated on November 2, 2026 and WeatherSats AR on November 5, 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.*