ICS vs StraboTools
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ICS
Access authoritative geological time scale data and information on Global Boundary Stratotype Sections and Points (GSSPs). Explore charts, detailed GSSP information, and relevant statistics.
- Demonstration of ICS chart
- Detailed GSSP information
- GSSP statistics
- Authoritative data service
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ICS Timescale is the official APP of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). It is designed to provide authoritative data service of ICS. The main functions include: 1) Demonstration of the ICS chart. 2) Detail information about each GSSP. 3) Statistics of the GSSPs.
StraboTools
This app assists geologists in the field by analyzing photographs to provide quantitative data on rock fabric and mineral composition. It offers tools for measuring fabric orientation, determining color index, and detecting edges in rock images.
- Edge Fabric tool for orientation analysis
- Color Index tool for mineral composition
- Edge detection filter
- Analyzes photos in-app or imported
- Useful for plutonic and other rock types
- Supports thin section study
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StraboTools is designed to aid geologic field work by providing quantitative data that are otherwise difficult to estimate in the field. The app was developed for work in plutonic rocks such as granite, but it can be useful in field work in any type of rock and for study of thin sections as well. The app analyzes a photograph taken within the app or imported into it. •The Edge Fabric tool plots an ellipse that summarizes the orientations of image brightness gradients. In rocks with a fabric produced by deformation, this ellipse provides the orientation of the fabric and an axial ratio, which correlates with bulk deformation. The tool also reports the orientation in space of the line defined by the long axis of the ellipse. If, for example, the fabric being measured is planar, then these intersection lineations will lie on a great circle. Edge fabric diagrams are useful both in the field and for analysis of photomicrographs. •The Color Index tool allows quantitative determination of the color index (CI; area percent dark minerals) from a photograph. The user takes a photograph and then moves a slider to highlight those pixels darker than a certain threshold. The resulting area percent is displayed. Both adaptive and full-image thresholding are available. •Edge Detect applies an edge detection filter to the image. This can be useful in highlighting subtle features in an outcrop and in interpreting edge fabric ellipses.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: StraboTools at 100% against ICS's 50%. StraboTools also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (10 vs 3). ICS's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 12.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
StraboTools holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 10 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of ICS's written reviews are positive against 100% of StraboTools's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ICS | StraboTools |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (3 ratings) | 5.0 (10 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 10 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 20 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 隽轩 樊 | The University of Kansas |
Customer experience
ICS
StraboTools
In-app purchases
ICS
No in-app purchases
StraboTools
No in-app purchases



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