Comparison

GlobeViewer 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

GlobeViewer

Explore Earth with a high-resolution 3D globe and topography maps. View surface, underwater, and topographical details, with real-time event overlays. Access extensive geographical data for offline use.

Highlights
  • Interactive 3D globe
  • High-resolution topography maps
  • Surface and underwater views
  • Real-time event overlays
  • Offline data caching
  • Extensive place names and geographical features
Features
Read full description

GlobeViewer is a high resolution 3D terrestrial globe with topography and surface maps. This app enables a high-quality view of the surface of our blue planet. It is divided into two areas: the rotatable, global view as an interactive globe and a high-resolution 3D map representation of the Earth's topography. - Interactive 3D globe with surface, underwater and topography maps - High-resolution 3D topography map set of the entire Earth's surface - divided into 22,912 individual tiles. You can load 110 different regions onto the interactive globe, which then present the many individual tiles in a meaningful, connected way and reload them automatically. The app initially only contains the textures for the globe in low resolution. All required downloads are automatically loaded from our server. A total of around 105 GB of data is available. The data remains in the cache on your device for offline use, but can be deleted at any time in the main menu. Furthermore, all events recorded by the GDACS, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, etc., are entered on the globe. The 3D topography map is based on the elevation data from the NASA Terra probe, which recorded 83° of the northern and southern hemispheres between 2000 and 2013 - this is the result of the ASTER3-DEM. With version 0.10.0, the map is enriched with around 7.5 million place names from geonames.org. This means that all the towns, mountains, lakes, deserts and many other geographical features entered there are shown on the map. From version 0.12.0, data from OpenStreetMaps (buildings, borders, streets...) is also available on the tiles - but only for the demos and the purchased maps. Use the tutorial in the app to get started quickly or read the manual to find out which functions are included in this app. Since the app is still under development, some functions may still change. We hope you enjoy using GlobeViewer!

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

GlobeViewer4 screens
Pocket Planets4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Pocket Planets at 4.6 against GlobeViewer's 3.4. Pocket Planets also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 11) and review sentiment (67% vs 33%). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. GlobeViewer sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Pocket Planets asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pocket Planets holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 22 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of GlobeViewer's written reviews are positive against 67% of Pocket Planets's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

GlobeViewer ships an update every 6 weeks, Pocket Planets every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
GlobeViewer versus Pocket Planets: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGlobeViewerPocket Planets
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (5 ratings)4.6 (22 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings522 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size236 MB66 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRAB-SoftwareAd Lunam Kereskedelmi es Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag

Customer experience

GlobeViewer

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

Pocket Planets

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

In-app purchases

11 purchases

GlobeViewer

One-time11
  • 4K & Polar Regions$0.99
  • 4K & South America$2.99
  • 4K & Pacific$2.99
Show 8 more
  • 4K & Japan/Korea/Taiwan$2.99
  • 8K & North America$4.99
  • 8K & Australia$4.99
  • 8K & China$4.99
  • 8K & Russia$4.99
  • 8K & Europe$4.99
  • 8K Pass$8.99
  • Professional Version$14.99
None

Pocket Planets

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is GlobeViewer free?
GlobeViewer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pocket Planets free?
Pocket Planets is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, GlobeViewer or Pocket Planets?
Pocket Planets is rated higher. GlobeViewer averages 3.4 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Pocket Planets averages 4.6 from 22 ratings.
Do GlobeViewer or Pocket Planets have ads?
Both GlobeViewer and Pocket Planets show ads.
Which is updated more often, GlobeViewer or Pocket Planets?
GlobeViewer ships an update every 6 weeks, and Pocket Planets every 3 weeks. Most recently, GlobeViewer was updated on October 8, 2026 and Pocket Planets on September 8, 2026.

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