# SOS Explorer vs Cosmic Hub

The clearest difference is update cadence: Cosmic Hub at every 2 days against SOS Explorer's every 11 months. SOS Explorer's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

SOS Explorer ships an update every 11 months, Cosmic Hub every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SOS Explorer | Cosmic Hub |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 249 MB | 190 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [University of Colorado Boulder](https://appshunter.io/developer/972210292) | [plusultra](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896739684) |

## 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


### Cosmic Hub

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cosmic-hub/id6770396244)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SOS Explorer free?

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

### Is Cosmic Hub free?

Cosmic Hub is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do SOS Explorer or Cosmic Hub have ads?

Neither SOS Explorer nor Cosmic Hub shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SOS Explorer or Cosmic Hub?

SOS Explorer ships an update every 11 months, and Cosmic Hub every 2 days. Most recently, SOS Explorer was updated on October 9, 2026 and Cosmic Hub on October 8, 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.*