Comparison

CREDO Detector vs First Light

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

Head to head
About

CREDO Detector

This citizen science app uses your phone's camera to detect cosmic-ray particles. By contributing data globally, it helps researchers explore uncharted phenomena in astrophysics and fundamental physics.

Highlights
  • Detect cosmic-ray particles with device camera
  • Contribute to global citizen science project
  • Explore uncharted cosmic-ray phenomena
  • Publicly available source code
  • Join a network of global users
Features
Read full description

What is CREDO Science? Cosmic-Ray Extremely Distributed Observatory (CREDO) — Citizen Science collaborative project which enables a strategy for a global analysis of cosmic-ray data to reach the sensitivity to extremely extended cosmic-ray phenomena, we call them Cosmic-Ray Ensembles (CRE), invisible for individual detectors or observatories. So far, the cosmic-ray research has been oriented on detecting single air showers only, while the search for CRE is a scientific terra incognita. We aim at exploring this uncharted realm. Observation of CRE would have an impact on cosmology, fundamental particle interactions and ultra-high energy astrophysics. A large role in the CREDO project is the CREDO Detector mobile app, which uses the camera's matrix to register cosmic-ray particles. By creating a network of users around the globe, we get a cosmic-ray telescope the size of the whole Earth. All application code is public and available on our GitHub. CREDO is an open Citizen Science collaborative project and all collected data are public. In the project participate schools and institutions from 5 continents. If you think your school should join the program, contact us at contact@credo.science. If you have an idea and desire to implement it, you are welcome to join us!

About

First Light

Explore the universe's earliest light with real cosmic microwave background data. Pan across the oldest light in the universe, switch between satellites, and observe shifts in frequency bands. This educational app brings real science and cosmic history to your mobile device.

Highlights
  • Explore cosmic microwave background data
  • Immersive sky exploration via phone movement
  • Switch between COBE, WMAP, and Planck satellites
  • Adjust frequency bands to see universe shifts
  • Utilizes real scientific data
Features
Read full description

Look up. What you're seeing isn't the night sky. It's the afterglow of the Big Bang, captured by three of the most important space missions ever launched. First Light turns real cosmic microwave background data from COBE, WMAP, and Planck into an immersive sky you can explore by simply moving your phone. Pan across the oldest light in the universe. Switch between satellites. Dial through frequency bands and watch the universe shift. This is real data. Real science. And it fits in your pocket.

Screenshots

CREDO Detector3 screens
First Light4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: First Light at 100% against CREDO Detector's 0%. First Light also leads on rating (5.0 vs 1.4) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). CREDO Detector's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

First Light holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of CREDO Detector's written reviews are positive against 100% of First Light's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CREDO Detector ships an update every 3 months, First Light every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
CREDO Detector versus First Light: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCREDO DetectorFirst Light
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.4 (5 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB75 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMichal FrontczakThomas Sola

Customer experience

CREDO Detector

All ratings5 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative80.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative75.0%

First Light

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

CREDO Detector

No in-app purchases

None

First Light

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CREDO Detector free?
CREDO Detector is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is First Light free?
First Light is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, CREDO Detector or First Light?
First Light is rated higher. CREDO Detector averages 1.4 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while First Light averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do CREDO Detector or First Light have ads?
Neither CREDO Detector nor First Light shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CREDO Detector or First Light?
CREDO Detector ships an update every 3 months, and First Light every 3 weeks. Most recently, CREDO Detector was updated on November 3, 2026 and First Light on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons