# Exoplanet vs SOS Explorer

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SOS Explorer at none against Exoplanet's 7. Exoplanet's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 11 months) and ratings volume (956 vs 20). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Exoplanet sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. SOS Explorer asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Exoplanet against 4.7 for SOS Explorer. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Exoplanet has 956 ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Exoplanet's written reviews are positive against 86% of SOS Explorer's.

Exoplanet ships an update every 2 weeks, SOS Explorer every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Exoplanet | SOS Explorer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (956 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exoplanet/id327702034/reviews) | [4.7 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sos-explorer/id1358724422/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **956** | 20 |
| Positive reviews | **91.0% of reviews** | 85.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 11 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 105 MB | 249 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hanno Rein](https://appshunter.io/developer/325840976) | [University of Colorado Boulder](https://appshunter.io/developer/972210292) |

## What reviewers say

### Exoplanet

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exoplanet/id327702034)

Explore a vast, interactive database of discovered exoplanets and their host stars. Visualize their physical properties, locations in the night sky, and orbital paths. Discover the observable universe from Earth to the cosmic microwave background with stunning 3D models and augmented reality features.

**Highlights:** Interactive visualizations and animations, Daily updated exoplanet and host star properties, 3D Milky Way model with exoplanet locations, Augmented reality sky map, Exoplanet orbit and habitable zone visualizations, Data from multiple exoplanet catalogs

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Galaxy Clusters and CMB | $0.99 | one-time |
| Asteroids | $0.99 | one-time |
| Gaia Stars | $0.99 | one-time |
| S-Stars | $0.99 | one-time |
| Catalogues | $0.99 | one-time |
| Developer Appreciation Coffee | $1.99 | one-time |
| Kepler Add-on | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app
- 👍 Insanely entertaining
- 👍 Amazing graphics and interactive diorama
- 👍 Detailed explanation of planets
- 👍 Awesome app for astronomy and physics lovers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Some exoplanets not showing up in search
- 🐛 Inconsistent behavior when switching between databases
- 🔒 Paid upgrades required to access more features
- 🐛 Upgrade purchase issues with Galaxy Clusters and CMB add-on
- 🐛 Exoplanets represented as generic white balls

**Reported bugs**

- Upgrade purchase issues with Galaxy Clusters and CMB add-on
- Kepler objects of interest disappearing when switching databases

**Requested features**

- Add more detailed textures and visuals for exoplanets
- Ability to view multiple databases simultaneously
- Option to see planet surfaces and atmospheres
- Inclusion of dwarf planets in our solar system
- Ability to zoom in on and explore other galaxies


### SOS Explorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sos-explorer/id1358724422)

Explore interactive animated datasets of Earth and space phenomena, from planetary rings to climate change models. This app brings complex environmental processes to life in an intuitive and captivating way, making learning accessible anywhere.

**Highlights:** Streaming high-resolution datasets, Educational videos, User-guided tours, Analysis tools, 100+ datasets, Global and flat map views

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Exoplanet free?

Exoplanet is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is SOS Explorer free?

SOS Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Exoplanet or SOS Explorer?

Exoplanet and SOS Explorer are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 956 and 20 ratings respectively.

### Do Exoplanet or SOS Explorer have ads?

Neither Exoplanet nor SOS Explorer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Exoplanet or SOS Explorer?

Exoplanet ships an update every 2 weeks, and SOS Explorer every 11 months. Most recently, Exoplanet was updated on September 21, 2026 and SOS Explorer on September 7, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*