Big Bang AR vs HoppAR
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Big Bang AR
Embark on an interactive mixed reality journey through the universe's 13.8 billion-year history. Witness the formation of stars, our solar system, and Earth, and explore the fundamental particles that make up everything. Discover your connection to the cosmos and share your cosmic creations.
- Mixed reality universe exploration
- Interactive cosmic formation
- Learn about particles and stars
- Witness solar system creation
- Augmented reality experiences
- Shareable #starselfie feature
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Join Tilda Swinton and CERN scientists on an epic interactive journey through the birth and evolution of the universe - in mixed reality. Go back in time 13.8 billion years and discover how space, time and the visible universe came to be. See the universe form in the palm of your hand. Witness the formation of the very first stars, our solar system, and the planet we call home. Immerse yourself in the primordial mystery of the early universe in space and watch events unfold around you, in your own physical environment. Learn about the microscopic building blocks that make up everything - and everyone - we know, and find out if we really are made of stars. See the universe form as you stretch out your hand in front of your camera. Create the very first particles and atoms. Make a star explode, create a supernova and explore the nebula. See our solar system come together and hold the Earth in the palm of your hand. Find out how we are made from stars, take a #starselfie and share it with your friends. This app has options for subtitles. Augmented reality experiences require battery power- please make sure your device is fully charged before playing this AR experience. To show you where you are on Earth, Big Bang AR needs permission to access your location. The app also needs access to the camera and photo gallery on your device for the AR experience to work, and to save photos directly to your device. This data remains anonymous and will not be stored or shared externally from your device. Big Bang AR is a collaboration between CERN and Google Arts & Culture. With special thanks to Rolf Landua, Head of Global Engagement, CERN, and production partner Nexus Studios. Discover more about Big Bang AR CERN https://home.cern Google Arts & Culture https://artsandculture.google.com
HoppAR
Experience rocket launches and landings in augmented reality. Control thrust vectoring, perform engine test fires, and customize rockets with your own colors. Explore a variety of real spacecraft and space mission scenarios.
- Augmented reality rocket launches
- Manual thrust vectoring control
- Rocket engine test fires
- Customizable rocket coloring
- Variety of real spacecraft models
- Entry, Descent, and Landing simulations
- Indoor and Outdoor AR modes
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Launch and land your favorite rockets in Augmented Reality from your courtyard! Perform rocket engine test fires directly on your table. Manually control the Thrust Vectoring and perform your first landing at home! Color your favorite rocket and see it in action in Augmented Reality You can choose between many different rocket prototypes and real spacecrafts. Here are a few of them: the beloved StarHopper, the giant Starship MK1, and the hover test of the Dragon 2. Watch the Crew Dragon Demo Mission 2 leave the launch pad and the Falcon 9 first stage land back! Enjoy the Buran Orbiter and Energia Rocket conquer the sky, and many more spacecrafts to come! Not only rockets: enjoy the Perseverance Landing and the Sky-Crane maneuver in the "Last Minute of Terror" of the Entry Descend and Landing sequence. Fire a Raptor engine on your desk at home! Select between Indoor and Outdoor mode depending on where you are and the scale of the Rocket you want to launch. Apply filters to mimic the colors of your favorite planet and change the environmental conditions choosing among many different options: Rain, Thunderstorm, Snow and more Take a picture or record your best launch, share them with your friends with the #HoppAR hashtag and get into the Rocket Launcher's Social Wall Auto-renewable Subscription: Support app Development and new Rockets Addition (renewed on an annual basis) You get all mission unlocked with no limits for the time the subscription is active Non-Consumable Purchase: Instead of subscribing you might buy a single mission that will be unlocked with no time limit Let's HoppAR! (Disclaimer: This is app is not affiliated with any space company or its partners or customers)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Big Bang AR at none against HoppAR's 14. Big Bang AR also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). HoppAR's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (85% vs 68%). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. HoppAR sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per year. Big Bang AR asks for nothing beyond the download.
HoppAR holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 202 and 586 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Big Bang AR's written reviews are positive against 85% of HoppAR's.
| Parameter | Big Bang AR | HoppAR |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (202 ratings) | 4.8 (586 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 68.2% of reviews | 85.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 202 | 586 — better |
| Update frequency | — | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 200 MB | 372 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | CERN | Josef Grunig |
Customer experience
Big Bang AR
HoppAR
User reviews
Big Bang AR
From 202 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fantastic visuals
- 🎨 Beautiful graphics
- 🔊 Great narration
- 💡 Innovative AR experience
- 🏫 Educational and informative
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy and unstable
- 🔋 Battery draining issues
- 🚫 Camera access problems
- 📏 Short and limited content
- 🤕 Overheating device
HoppAR
From 586 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎮 Excellent AR simulation and gameplay mechanics
- 🎨 High-quality rocket models and realistic designs
- 🎵 Great music and audio (with some caveats)
- 📱 Well-made and polished app overall
- 🌟 Immersive and satisfying launch experience
Room to improve
- 💰 Premium rockets locked behind paywall
- 🐛 AR functionality issues on some devices
- 📱 Orientation requirement (vertical/horizontal) frustrating
- ⏱️ Limited gameplay - rockets auto-launch and auto-land
- 🎬 Short 5-second clips lack player control
Bugs and requests
Big Bang AR
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes on launch
- Camera access not working
- Glitchy and unstable performance
- Disappearing objects and elements
Requested features
5 requests- Longer and more in-depth content
- Compatibility with VR/AR headsets
- Ability to explore the universe in more detail
- Accessibility options for disabled users
- Expanded content on other scientific topics
HoppAR
Reported bugs
7 issues- Black screen on horizontal surface scanning
- Camera not working on certain devices
- App won't open or crashes on startup
- Gray screen display issue
- iPad AR compatibility problems
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- App performance issues causing crashes
- Sound/audio problems requiring fixes
Requested features
15 requests- Space Shuttle addition
- Manual control for Falcon 9 and Dragon
- Free access to premium rockets
- Launch towers for all rockets
- Soyuz rocket
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- Sea Dragon rocket
- Starship inclusion
- First-person/cockpit camera view
- Non-AR mode for gameplay
- VR mode support
- Ability to place objects in front of rockets
- Increased rocket size to fill room
- Enhanced smoke/rumble effects
- Original countdown voices per rocket
- More rocket variety overall
In-app purchases
Big Bang AR
No in-app purchases
HoppAR
- HoppAR Supporter$7.991 Year
- FALCON HEAVY$0.99
- STARSHIP Belly Flop$0.99
- SUPER HEAVY$0.99
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- DELTA IV HEAVY$0.99
- PERSEVERANCE$0.99
- DRONESHIP OCISLY$0.99
- NEW SHEPARD$0.99
- ARIANE 5$0.99
- ARTEMIS I$0.99
- SOYUZ$0.99
- ELECTRON$0.99
- SATURN V$1.99
- Control Feature$2.99








