# ISS Explorer vs ESA aeolus

The clearest difference is update cadence: ESA aeolus at every 4 months against ISS Explorer's every 10 months. ESA aeolus also leads on iOS requirement (10.0 vs 13.0). 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.

ISS Explorer ships an update every 10 months, ESA aeolus every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ISS Explorer | ESA aeolus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iss-explorer/id1429876038/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **16** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | **Every 4 months** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 747 MB | 152 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **10.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [NASA](https://appshunter.io/developer/355542146) | [ESA - European Space Agency](https://appshunter.io/developer/429660009) |

## What reviewers say

### ISS Explorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iss-explorer/id1429876038)

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.

**Highlights:** Interactive 3D ISS model, Rotate and zoom functionality, Selectable parts with isolation, Detailed information on components, Hierarchical part organization, Toggle parts and labels

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### ESA aeolus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esa-aeolus/id1584780880)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ISS Explorer free?

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

### Is ESA aeolus free?

ESA aeolus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do ISS Explorer or ESA aeolus have ads?

Neither ISS Explorer nor ESA aeolus shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ISS Explorer or ESA aeolus?

ISS Explorer ships an update every 10 months, and ESA aeolus every 4 months. Most recently, ISS Explorer was updated on October 20, 2026 and ESA aeolus on October 18, 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.*