Comparison

DrakeEQ vs CatalogueMessier

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

Head to head
About

DrakeEQ

Explore the possibility of extraterrestrial life with a visually stunning calculator based on the Drake Equation. This app allows you to manipulate the equation's parameters and visualize galaxies in motion, offering an educational and entertaining experience.

Highlights
  • Drake Equation calculator
  • Interactive 7 parameter manipulation
  • Beautiful 3D galaxy visualizations
  • Galaxene Galaxy Engine
  • Educational and entertaining simulator
  • Universe exploration
Features
Read full description

Are we alone? We created DrakeEQ to provide a visually elegant answer to the extraterrestrial question, using the intellectually elegant Drake Equation. We coupled this fun calculator with beautiful, 3D galaxies in motion! To help us celebrate 15 years since the first release in 2009, DrakeEQ 7.0.0 now features our Galaxene Galaxy Engine! Use this fun simulator to graphically quantify the number of advanced extraterrestrial civilizations in our Milky Way Galaxy. Travel the Universe and explore infinitely variable galaxies! Just pinch anywhere and tap the targeting indicator. Perform thought experiments with this unique visual tool; it’s both educational and entertaining. Learn about the famous Drake Equation through direct manipulation of its 7 parameters with DrakeEQ. The Drake Equation states that: N = the number of civilizations in our galaxy with which communication might be possible where: R* = the average rate of star formation in our galaxy fp = the fraction of those stars that have planets ne = the average number of planets that can potentially support life per star that has planets fℓ = the fraction of the above that actually go on to develop life at some point fi = the fraction of the above that actually go on to develop intelligent life fc = the fraction of civilizations that develop a technology that releases detectable signs of their existence into space L = the length of time such civilizations release detectable signals into space. Drake Equation. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

About

CatalogueMessier

Explore the Messier, NGC, and Caldwell astronomical catalogs. Log your observations with photos, filter celestial objects by type, and track your progress with detailed statistics. Export your data for further analysis.

Highlights
  • View Messier, NGC, and Caldwell catalogs
  • Add observation photos
  • Filter objects by category
  • Track observation progress
  • Export observation data
  • Multi-language support
Read full description

The application allows you to view the 110 objects in the Messier catalog, the 812 main objects in the New General Catalog (NGC), and the 109 objects in the Caldwell catalog. You can add photos taken during your observations for each object. You can filter objects by category (galaxies, nebulae, clusters) and view the observation order for the annual Messier Marathon. Statistics allow you to track the progress of your observations. Export your photos to a spreadsheet summarizing your observations. Statistics allow you to track the progress of your observations. 
Privacy: - No ads. - No data collection. - No registration (neither by email nor locally). - No tracking. - No location tracking. - No connection to a server to collect information. Languages: French, English, Italian, German, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch.

Screenshots

DrakeEQ4 screens
CatalogueMessier4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: DrakeEQ at 38% against CatalogueMessier's 0%. CatalogueMessier's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months). 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

DrakeEQ costs $0.99 and CatalogueMessier $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DrakeEQ ships an update every 5 months, CatalogueMessier every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
DrakeEQ versus CatalogueMessier: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrakeEQCatalogueMessier
Price$0.99$0.99
Rating2.7 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews37.5% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.517.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOnomaly LLCLaurent DURLIAT

Customer experience

DrakeEQ

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive37.5%
Neutral25.0%
Negative37.5%

CatalogueMessier

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

In-app purchases

None

DrakeEQ

No in-app purchases

None

CatalogueMessier

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DrakeEQ free?
DrakeEQ costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is CatalogueMessier free?
CatalogueMessier costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do DrakeEQ or CatalogueMessier have ads?
Neither DrakeEQ nor CatalogueMessier shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DrakeEQ or CatalogueMessier?
DrakeEQ ships an update every 5 months, and CatalogueMessier every 3 weeks. Most recently, DrakeEQ was updated on October 31, 2026 and CatalogueMessier on October 30, 2026.

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