MEGA Lab AR vs FathomVerse
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MEGA Lab AR
Explore interactive 3D models of marine life overlaid onto printed targets using augmented reality. This educational tool brings a coral reef environment to your device, with more models planned for future updates.
- View 3D marine life models
- Augmented reality interaction
- Printable AR targets
- Coral reef environment
- 7 pre-loaded models
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This application allows users to view and interact with 3D models generated by the MEGA Lab. To use, first print out AR targets using the "TARGETS" button in the app. After you've printed out the targets, hit the "START" button and point your camera at the target. The digital model will be augmented on top of the target. Currently, this functions only as an AR app but I’m working on implementing functionality to make it easier to interact with for people without a printer - non-AR capability is coming soon! The current iteration of this application comes loaded with 7 models - more coming soon! This application utilizes the Vuforia AR engine.
FathomVerse
Explore the ocean world through an immersive game that trains AI for scientific research. Discover and identify over 50 groups of ocean animals using real imagery collected by researchers. Contribute to science while playing minigames, completing quests, and earning badges.
- Play minigames with real ocean imagery
- Identify over 50 groups of ocean animals
- Save and share favorite images
- Participate in quests and earn badges
- Unlock awards for gameplay contributions
- Customize soundscape with Ocean Radio
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The ocean covers more than 70% of our planet, yet most of the life within it remains undiscovered. FathomVerse is changing that, one dive at a time. FathomVerse invites everyone to take part in real ocean exploration and discovery. Through interactive mini-games, FathomNauts identify animals in real underwater photos and contribute to a growing library of labeled images that helps scientists catalog and understand marine life. With FathomVerse, you can: - Be among the first to review real imagery collected in the ocean. - Learn to identify more than 70 groups of marine animals. - Help train AI models by labeling animals in underwater images. - Participate in quests, earn badges, and track your scientific contributions. - Save and share your favorite ocean images in a personal gallery. Whether you're a lifelong ocean lover or simply curious about what lives in the depths, FathomVerse makes it easy to contribute to meaningful scientific research.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: MEGA Lab AR at 5.0 against FathomVerse's 4.6. MEGA Lab AR also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 86%) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). FathomVerse's advantage is ratings volume (88 vs 8). 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.
MEGA Lab AR holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FathomVerse has 88 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of MEGA Lab AR's written reviews are positive against 86% of FathomVerse's.
MEGA Lab AR ships an update monthly, FathomVerse every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MEGA Lab AR | FathomVerse |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (8 ratings) — better | 4.6 (88 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 85.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 8 | 88 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.3 GB | 284 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alexander Spengler | Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute |
Customer experience
MEGA Lab AR
FathomVerse
In-app purchases
MEGA Lab AR
No in-app purchases
FathomVerse
No in-app purchases
