Comparison

Explore & Play vs Planet Ice AR

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Explore & Play

Discover the challenges faced by Arctic and Indonesian rainforest animals through interactive AR and VR experiences. Learn about climate change impacts and how to help protect wildlife. Make climate action pledges and earn badges for your conservation efforts.

Highlights
  • AR/VR animal experiences
  • Climate change education
  • Arctic animal simulations
  • Rainforest conservation activities
  • Virtual drone exploration
  • Health check simulations
  • Climate action pledges
Read full description

"Dive into the free app “Explore & Learn” by Toronto Zoo to discover the challenges faced by animals in the Arctic and the rainforests of Indonesia, plus what you can do to help. In “On Thin Ice”, you will learn how climate change is disrupting the delicate balance of life in the Arctic. Shrinking sea ice is a huge problem for Arctic wildlife, especially polar bears. Polar bears cannot survive without sea ice. With “On Thin Ice”, you’ll get up close and personal with life-sized AR Arctic animals and learn about their amazing adaptations and the challenges they face due to climate change. You can even be a polar bear and hunt for seals in the VR sea ice game. Try to catch as many seals as you can and gain enough weight before the ice melts! At each stop, you can make a climate action pledge to protect polar bears and other Arctic animals. In “Rainforest Guardians”, you will learn how wild orangutans are guardians of the rainforests of Indonesia. They shape the ecosystem and help make it possible for all the other plants and animals to live there, too. Unfortunately, rainforests are under threat. Trees are cut down to make way for roads, logging, and palm oil plantations. As the only home for wild orangutans, we need to defend rainforests. Experience first-hand what it takes to be a Rainforest Guardian. You can search for plants and animals in a VR rainforest and unlock the bonus Nature Cam; fly a drone to search for orangutan nests; be like a Toronto Zoo Keeper and perform a health care check; and virtually shop for products made with sustainable palm oil. You can even observe the orangutans at the Toronto Zoo to help us better understand how they use their habitat. Complete each activity to earn your Rainforest Guardian badge!"

About

Planet Ice AR

Explore Ice Age history and interact with virtual prehistoric animals in your environment using augmented reality. Discover creatures like the Woolly Mammoth and Smilodon in snowy, icy settings. This educational experience is brought to you by the Canadian Museum of Nature.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality animal interactions
  • Virtual Ice Age creatures
  • Icy virtual environments
  • Snowy weather systems
  • Educational content from Canadian Museum of Nature
Features
Read full description

Explore 80,000 years of Ice Ages with the Planet Ice Augmented Reality app. See and play with virtual Ice Age animals in the world around you – Woolly Mammoth, Smilodon (sabre-toothed cat), Caribou, Muskox, Wolf, and Short-faced bear. Play with all of these amazing creatures through your device’s camera. There are icy virtual environments and snowy weather systems too! Planet Ice AR is brought to you by the Canadian Museum of Nature.

Screenshots

Explore & Play4 screens
Planet Ice AR4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Planet Ice AR at 40% against Explore & Play's 0%. Planet Ice AR also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Explore & Play ships an update monthly, Planet Ice AR every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Explore & Play versus Planet Ice AR: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExplore & PlayPlanet Ice AR
PriceFreeFree
Rating—2.6 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews40.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—5 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2.6 GB326 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTIMELOOPER INCSinking Ship Interactive Inc.

Customer experience

Explore & Play

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Planet Ice AR

All ratings5 ratings
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative40.0%

In-app purchases

None

Explore & Play

No in-app purchases

None

Planet Ice AR

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Explore & Play free?
Explore & Play is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Planet Ice AR free?
Planet Ice AR is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Explore & Play or Planet Ice AR have ads?
Neither Explore & Play nor Planet Ice AR shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Explore & Play or Planet Ice AR?
Explore & Play ships an update monthly, and Planet Ice AR every 2 weeks. Most recently, Explore & Play was updated on October 15, 2026 and Planet Ice AR on October 30, 2026.

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