Comparison

iSeismometer vs The Earth by Tinybop

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

Head to head
About

iSeismometer

Transform your iPhone into a sensitive seismometer to detect and visualize vibrations. Explore its educational and data-collecting capabilities for fun or serious applications.

Highlights
  • Converts iPhone to seismometer
  • Detects and visualizes vibrations
  • Data collecting capabilities
  • Educational use
  • Adjustable frequency settings
  • Re-track previous data
  • X-Y-Z illustrated graphs
Features
Read full description

iSeismometer turns your iPhone or iPad into a seismograph. Set it on a table, tap the desk, and watch the ground move. You will be surprised how sensitive your phone is. It has been doing that since the App Store opened in 2008, when it reached #1 in Education in Japan, Austria, Finland, and Greece. Version 1.7 is a complete rebuild: faster, clearer, and finally a real instrument. LIVE SEISMOGRAPH • Three axes at up to 100 samples per second, drawn like a strip-chart recorder • Scroll back through up to an hour of history while it keeps recording • Gravity filter with a real corner frequency, so slow tilt disappears and earthquakes stay • Live spectrum: see the frequency of footsteps, a washing machine, or a passing truck at a glance • Dark mode and a full iPad layout EVENT DETECTION • A seismologist's STA/LTA trigger flags every tremor with its peak acceleration, duration, and dominant frequency • Three sensitivity levels, from "only real shakes" to "every footstep" • Events are shaded on the traces and listed so you can jump straight to them RECORDINGS • Every session is saved automatically as compact raw data, split into hourly files • Browse by day, open any recording, scrub to its events, and see its spectrum • Export CSV, or pick up the raw files in the Files app and in Finder • Keep them for a day, a week, a month, or forever WAS THAT AN EARTHQUAKE? • Live USGS feed on a globe, filtered by time window and magnitude • Tap a quake for its depth, time, and the official USGS page STREAM TO YOUR MAC • Open iSeismometer on a Mac on the same Wi-Fi and your phone finds it by itself • The Mac shows every device streaming to it side by side, with its own recordings and event detection • Reconnects on its own after the screen locks, the network drops, or the Mac restarts Made for fun and for learning. A phone carries a MEMS accelerometer, not a broadband seismometer, so it feels footsteps and trucks far better than distant earthquakes. Put it on a solid floor, plug it in, keep the screen awake, and you have a home seismic station. iSeismometer is not a substitute for official earthquake early warnings or emergency alerts. Questions and ideas: info@objectgraph.com "This is a novelty app but one that also helps you learn something new... one of those things that is very captivating once you've looked at it once." — The Independent Guide to the iPhone 3GS

About

The Earth by Tinybop

Explore geology and ecology with an interactive Earth model. Kids can simulate geological forces, witness landform creation, and learn about conservation through hands-on activities. Develop foundational science literacy through engaging STEM exploration.

Highlights
  • Interactive Earth model
  • Simulate geological forces
  • Explore Earth's layers
  • Shape landforms
  • Learn conservation
  • Discover fossils
  • Experiment with volcanoes
Features
Read full description

This app is for all junior geologists. ***** Children's Technology Review Editor's Choice ***** The Earth is an interactive model that lets kids study geology and ecology. Kids explore and play with the geological forces that change the Earth—above and below the surface, in minutes and over millions of years. Kids can also learn about conservation as they test clean energy sources, clean up beaches, and preserve forests. The Earth is No. 5 in Tinybop’s Explorer’s Library. Each Explorer’s Library app lets kids explore the invisible and awesome wonders of STEM. Kids (and kids at heart!) develop foundational science literacy. "This is a great way to let children informally and playfully discover some of the big ideas they’ll encounter later on in their school curriculum. Apps like this one are good reminders for why you spent hundreds of dollars on a phone or tablet for your child." — Warren Buckleitner, editor, Children's Technology Review Features: * Investigate how landforms are created. * See the Earth transform over time, from a sphere of boiling rock to the continents we live on today. * Dig under the surface and observe the Earth’s layers from the crust to core. * Weather, erode, and deposit rocks and sediment. Shape the land with your fingertips! * Make a river meander. Make a glacier recede and advance. Create sand dunes, sea stacks, and beaches. Trigger a rockslide! * Discover fossils as you investigate rock formations. * See how plants weather the Earth by making your own garden. * Discover mysteries like frost wedging, stalactites and stalagmites, and hotspots. * Experiment with four different types of volcanoes. * Earth Day ecology bonus interactions about conservation: test clean energy sources, clean up beaches, and preserve forests. * Learn new vocabulary in 40+ languages with interactive labels in close-up scenes. * Original artwork by Sarah Jacoby. * Intuitive, safe, and kid-friendly design. * Entertaining for kids and adults alike — play together and learn together! FREE handbook Our expert-reviewed handbook is full of facts, interaction tips, and discussion questions to support learning in this app, in the classroom or at home. Download in your app or at: http://tinybop.com/handbooks. Privacy policy We take your and your child’s privacy seriously. We do not collect or share personal information about your child. We do not allow any third-party advertising. When the camera, microphone, and other services are used within an app, your information is not collected or distributed outside of the app. Read our complete privacy policy at tinybop.com. Tinybop, Inc. is a Brooklyn-based studio of designers, engineers, and artists. We make apps for curious, creative, and kind kids. We’re all over the internet. Visit us: www.tinybop.com Follow us: twitter.com/tinybop Like us: facebook.com/tinybop Peek behind the scenes: instagram.com/tinybop We love hearing your stories! If you have ideas, or something isn’t working as you expect it to, please contact us: hi@tinybop.com. Psst! It's not Tiny Bop, or Tiny Bob, or Tiny Pop. It's Tinybop. :)

Screenshots

iSeismometer4 screens
The Earth by Tinybop4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: iSeismometer at Free against The Earth by Tinybop's $3.99. iSeismometer also leads on review sentiment (76% vs 45%). The Earth by Tinybop's advantage is rating (4.3 vs 3.6) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 7 months). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

iSeismometer is free to download; The Earth by Tinybop costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Earth by Tinybop holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 170 and 81 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 76% of iSeismometer's written reviews are positive against 45% of The Earth by Tinybop's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iSeismometer ships an update every 7 months, The Earth by Tinybop every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
iSeismometer versus The Earth by Tinybop: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriSeismometerThe Earth by Tinybop
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating3.6 (170 ratings)4.3 (81 ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.4% of reviews — better45.5% of reviews
Number of ratings170 — better81
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB400 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperObjectGraph LLCTinybop Inc.

Customer experience

iSeismometer

All ratings170 ratings
Positive61.2%
Neutral11.2%
Negative27.6%
Written reviews271 reviews
Positive76.4%
Neutral9.2%
Negative14.4%

The Earth by Tinybop

All ratings81 ratings
Positive79.0%
Neutral9.9%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews222 reviews
Positive45.5%
Neutral9.0%
Negative45.5%

User reviews

iSeismometer

From 170 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Sensitive and accurate
  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 💡 Useful for various applications (e.g. monitoring vibrations, detecting heartbeat)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes or freezes on newer devices
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🔒 Lacks security/privacy features (e.g. no option to disable data transmission)

The Earth by Tinybop

From 81 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Beautiful, detailed graphics and art style
  • 🧠 Educational content about Earth's geology and natural processes
  • 🎮 Interactive exploration mechanics with engaging animations
  • 🌍 Comprehensive coverage of Earth science topics (volcanoes, earthquakes, layers, etc.)
  • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Appeals to wide age range from young children to teenagers

Room to improve

  • ❓ Lacks clear instructions and tutorials for navigation
  • ⏱️ Limited content with quick completion time (5-30 minutes)
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing issues
  • 😕 Not intuitive for users to understand what to do
  • 🎯 No clear objectives or goals provided

Bugs and requests

iSeismometer

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Buttons/controls not working on newer iOS versions
  • Keyboard not appearing in text input fields
  • Inconsistent performance across device models

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add sensitivity control
  • Implement zero control for reference plane
  • Increase recording time
  • Improve UI/UX (e.g. color coding, scrolling, chart speed control)
  • Implement Richter scale or other measurement units
Show 1 more
  • Add data export/sharing options (e.g. email, save to file)

The Earth by Tinybop

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App crashes frequently on various iOS devices
  • Screen freezes and becomes unresponsive
  • Phone crashes to Apple logo on some devices
  • Blank white screen on launch
  • Incompatibility with iPhone 4 and older iOS versions
Show 5 more
  • Layout issues on smaller screens (SE model) with cut-off text
  • Slow performance and glitchy animations
  • Payment window pops up repeatedly and requires device reboot
  • Buttons and controls not functioning properly
  • Issues with timeline feature not being fully functional

Requested features

10 requests
  • Tutorial or guided learning instructions for new users
  • Ability to explore Earth's timeline and early stages properly
  • Space exploration feature to complement Earth exploration
  • More interactive structures and objects to manipulate
  • Mariana Trench addition with marine life details
Show 5 more
  • Persistent changes to landscape after events (earthquakes, volcanoes)
  • Summary information explaining what children are learning
  • More content and activities to extend gameplay duration
  • Visibility of volcano hole in X-ray view
  • Additional Tinybop app integrations

In-app purchases

None

iSeismometer

No in-app purchases

None

The Earth by Tinybop

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iSeismometer free?
iSeismometer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Earth by Tinybop free?
The Earth by Tinybop costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iSeismometer or The Earth by Tinybop?
The Earth by Tinybop is rated higher. iSeismometer averages 3.6 out of 5 from 170 ratings, while The Earth by Tinybop averages 4.3 from 81 ratings.
Do iSeismometer or The Earth by Tinybop have ads?
Neither iSeismometer nor The Earth by Tinybop shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iSeismometer or The Earth by Tinybop?
iSeismometer ships an update every 7 months, and The Earth by Tinybop every 3 months. Most recently, iSeismometer was updated on September 17, 2026 and The Earth by Tinybop on September 24, 2026.

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