Mars Globe vs Pocket Planets
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mars Globe
Explore the Red Planet with a detailed virtual globe. This app features high-resolution satellite maps, altimeter data, and advanced topographic lighting to showcase Mars' surface. Discover over 1500 annotated features and enjoy an introductory guided tour.
- High-resolution satellite map
- Laser altimeter data
- Advanced topographic lighting
- Annotated surface features
- Introduction and guided tour
- Free exploration
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Take a tour of the mysterious Red Planet. This virtual globe combines a high-resolution satellite map with laser altimeter data and advanced topographic lighting to present the planet Mars as it appears from above. An Introduction and Guided Tour present some of Mars' most intriguing features. You can leave the guided tour and explore Mars as you like; over 1500 surface features have been annotated with information and links. Mars Globe is a must-have app for anyone interested in our solar system.
Pocket Planets
Explore our solar system with detailed information on planets, moons, and astronauts. Track who is currently in space and receive notifications for new launches. Access NASA images and compare celestial body characteristics.
- Detailed planet and moon data
- Astronaut information and missions
- Real-time space occupancy
- Launch notifications
- NASA image gallery
- Celestial body comparisons
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Pocket Planets gives you all the information you need about our solar system and human activity in space. Learn more about all 565 astronauts who been to space. What was their mission? How long had they been up there? See who is in space now! Get notified when somebody goes into space. Get up to date information about every planet and moon in the solar system. Including: - Physical characteristics: mass, radius, density, gravity, escape velocity - Orbital characteristics: real-time distance from the Sun and Earth, orbital period, orbital speed, eccentricity, apsis, periapsis, visualise orbit - Atmosphere: pressure, atmospheric composition - Images from Nasa - Moons: compare their size and distance
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Mars Globe at none against Pocket Planets's shown. Mars Globe also leads on review sentiment (91% vs 67%) and ratings volume (337 vs 22). Pocket Planets's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Mars Globe against 4.6 for Pocket Planets. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mars Globe has 337 ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Mars Globe's written reviews are positive against 67% of Pocket Planets's.
Mars Globe ships an update every 3 months, Pocket Planets every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mars Globe | Pocket Planets |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (337 ratings) — better | 4.6 (22 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 90.7% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 337 — better | 22 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 7.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 66 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Midnight Martian | Ad Lunam Kereskedelmi es Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag |
Customer experience
Mars Globe
Pocket Planets
Bugs and requests
Mars Globe
Reported bugs
2 issues- Occasional crashes or freezes
- Compatibility issues on older devices
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for other planets and moons
- Integrate real-time data from active Mars missions
- Implement a search function to quickly find locations
- Add an option to view Mars from an Earth-based perspective
Pocket Planets
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Mars Globe
No in-app purchases
Pocket Planets
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Mars Globe free?
Is Pocket Planets free?
Which has better reviews, Mars Globe or Pocket Planets?
Do Mars Globe or Pocket Planets have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mars Globe or Pocket Planets?
Other comparisons
