# Minerals Center vs Stone Identifier

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Minerals Center at none against Stone Identifier's 10. Minerals Center also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). Stone Identifier's advantage is ratings volume (1.1K vs 352). On price and rating there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Stone Identifier sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Minerals Center asks for nothing beyond the download.

Minerals Center holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 352 and 1.1K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of Minerals Center's written reviews are positive against 23% of Stone Identifier's.

Minerals Center ships an update weekly, Stone Identifier every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Minerals Center | Stone Identifier |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (352 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/minerals-center/id1531110109/reviews)** | [4.3 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stone-identifier/id6443684085/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 352 | **1.1K** |
| Positive reviews | **40.9% of reviews** | 23.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 134 MB | 64 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.4** | 16.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wilko Thomassen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1439772843) | [Apps Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/1648354195) |

## What reviewers say

### Minerals Center

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/minerals-center/id1531110109)

Easily identify minerals, rocks, crystals, and stones using photo recognition. Search for specimens based on their characteristics and organize your findings on a personal checklist.

**Highlights:** Mineral identification via photo, Rock, crystal, and stone identification, Search by characteristics, Personal checklist for findings, Detailed mineral information

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Free to use
- 💡 Informative about minerals
- 🤝 Community discussion feature
- ✨ Good for reference point
- 🌟 Potentially good for specific jobs

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- ❌ Does not work at all
- ❌ Unresponsive to input
- ❌ Incorrectly identifies rocks
- ❌ Inaccurate readings/percentages

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes
- App is non-responsive
- Menus are not pressable
- App hung up when trying to take a photo
- App never identified as fake

**Requested features**

- Show the name of the rock
- Show less options
- Show more info about the rock
- Show cost of the rock
- Larger database


### Stone Identifier

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stone-identifier/id6443684085)

Instantly identify rocks, stones, gems, and crystals by taking a photo or uploading an image. Get accurate results in seconds with a rich database and user-friendly interface. Perfect for both geologists and enthusiasts.

**Highlights:** Identify Rocks, Gems, and Crystals, Accurate identification results, Fast and convenient tool, Extensive learning database, User-friendly interface, Record geological findings

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rock Identifier | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Rock ID | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Rock Identifier | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Rock ID | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Sale annual subscription | $9.99 | per year |
| Rock Identifier | $9.99 | per month |
| Stone ID | $14.99 | per month |
| Stone Identifier | $19.99 | per year |
| Rock ID | $19.99 | per year |
| Stone Identifier | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Accurate rock identification
- 🔍 Comprehensive mineral classification
- 👍 User-friendly interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤔 Inconsistent or inaccurate results
- 💰 Paywall for full functionality
- 🚫 Limited free scans
- 📚 Inability to identify rare/mixed gems

**Reported bugs**

- Misidentifies known mineral samples
- Provides incorrect or confusing results

**Requested features**

- Expand free scan limit
- Improve accuracy and precision
- Add history/save feature
- Enhance identification for rare/mixed gems


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Minerals Center free?

Minerals Center is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Stone Identifier free?

Stone Identifier is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Minerals Center or Stone Identifier?

Minerals Center is rated higher. Minerals Center averages 4.5 out of 5 from 352 ratings, while Stone Identifier averages 4.3 from 1.1K ratings.

### Do Minerals Center or Stone Identifier have ads?

Stone Identifier shows ads; Minerals Center does not.

### Which is updated more often, Minerals Center or Stone Identifier?

Minerals Center ships an update weekly, and Stone Identifier every 3 months. Most recently, Minerals Center was updated on October 24, 2026 and Stone Identifier on October 25, 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.*