ISS Track 2 vs ISS Explorer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ISS Track 2
Track the International Space Station's live position on an interactive map or 3D globe. Discover when it will be visible from your location and watch live webcam streams from orbit.
- Live ISS position on interactive map/globe
- Visibility predictions for naked-eye viewing
- Live webcam stream from the ISS
- Precise orbital data updated every 3 seconds
- Multiple map/3D globe views
- Customizable units and formats
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ISS Track allows to see the position of the the International Space Station over an interactive map of the world or an interactive tridimensional representation of the globe. You will be able to know if the International Space station will be visible (naked eye) from your local position in the next hours and find it when over you. EASY TO USE Launching the app you can immediately see the position of the International Space Station over a map of the globe and see if it's near you inside the visible circle Knowing the position you can see it at naked eyes when it's over you at the right time of the day With a simple touch you can also see the live webcam stream coming from the International Space Station. You will watch the astronauts activities with video and audio, all live. FUN AND PRECISE ISS-Track is fun and precise at the same time. Calculation of the position of the station is very accurate, the app uses the latest NASA code optimized for iOS to calculate it. You don't get an approximated position, you get the EXACT position, speed and altitude of the Station updated any 3 second. The route path is visualized over the map to evaluate if the station is coming near your position in the next hours (when meteorological and light condition are adequate you can see it without any instruments, just observing the sky naked-eye). Time of day matters, you can't see it during the day but only when you have dark sky and the station still get the sun light, so usually after sunset for around 3 hours and before dawn (for a period of 3 hours) You have the possibility to see it many times in a month and many nights you have 2 valid passages in around 90 minutes(the time it spends for a world complete orbit at 27 000 Km/h - 17 000 MPH) After some time you will become expert to spot it in the sky as soon as it is on the horizon. FEATURES • Easy to use • Perfect results as using pro orbital software but in an easy to use app • Offers 6 different kind of map/3D globe • Customizable latitude/longitude format • Measure units in Km and Km/h or NM and MPH • Zoomable movable interactive Map and 3DGlobe showing also night/day areas • 'Keep Centered' function • Circle area of visibility moving with the station • Autodetect of your position and circle area of visibility around your position • Autoupdate of the NASA orbital parameters for an always perfect precise position calculation • macOS release available. Search on Mac App Store for 'International Space Station 2'
ISS Explorer
Explore a detailed 3D model of the International Space Station. Rotate, zoom, and select individual components to learn about their function and systems. Organize your view by turning parts and labels on or off.
- Interactive 3D ISS model
- Rotate and zoom functionality
- Selectable parts with isolation
- Detailed information on components
- Hierarchical part organization
- Toggle parts and labels
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The ISS explorer is an interactive tool for exploring the parts and pieces of the International Space Station (ISS). The application allows the user to view a 3D model of the ISS, rotate it, zoom into it, and select different parts and pieces. When the application starts, you can see a view of the entire ISS with category labels. Tabs are available on the left hand side of the screen which allow you access to information, the hierarchy, settings and application information. From this point, you can zoom into the station, revealing more labels of visible parts. The station can also be rotated to view from different angles. If a part is selected, the part is isolated so that you can focus on the specific piece. The information tab shows information about the currently isolated part. Inside the hierarchy tab, you can turn parts on or off, turn labels for parts on or off, turn parts transparent, or select a part to focus on. The parts are organized in a hierarchy to allow for systems to be described and displayed. This includes things such as truss, modules, and external platforms. The Information tab shows information about the current isolated part, system, or the full ISS if the entire station is shown.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ISS Explorer at 100% against ISS Track 2's 0%. ISS Explorer also leads on price (Free vs $4.99) and rating (4.9 vs 1.0). On ads, in-app purchases, 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
ISS Explorer is free to download; ISS Track 2 costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ISS Explorer holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ISS Explorer has 16 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of ISS Track 2's written reviews are positive against 100% of ISS Explorer's.
ISS Track 2 ships an update every 22 months, ISS Explorer every 10 months. Both last shipped on October 20, 2026.
| Parameter | ISS Track 2 | ISS Explorer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 1.0 (1 ratings) | 4.9 (16 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 16 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 22 months | Every 10 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 747 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Roberto Panetta | NASA |
Customer experience
ISS Track 2
ISS Explorer
In-app purchases
ISS Track 2
No in-app purchases
ISS Explorer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ISS Track 2 free?
Is ISS Explorer free?
Which has better reviews, ISS Track 2 or ISS Explorer?
Do ISS Track 2 or ISS Explorer have ads?
Which is updated more often, ISS Track 2 or ISS Explorer?
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