# Exoplanet vs Earth

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Earth at none against Exoplanet's 7. Exoplanet's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (91% vs 74%). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Exoplanet against 4.6 for Earth. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Exoplanet has 956 ratings behind it against 42, 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 74% of Earth's.

Exoplanet ships an update every 2 weeks, Earth every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Exoplanet | Earth |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (956 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exoplanet/id327702034/reviews)** | [4.6 (42 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earth-now/id494633346/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **956** | 42 |
| Positive reviews | **91.0% of reviews** | 73.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 105 MB | 181 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hanno Rein](https://appshunter.io/developer/325840976) | [Jet Propulsion Laboratory](https://appshunter.io/developer/347075767) |

## 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


### Earth

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earth-now/id494633346)

Visualize global climate data from NASA satellites, including temperature, CO2, and sea level. Explore 3D Earth models with interactive controls and color-coded maps to understand environmental conditions.

**Highlights:** Global climate data visualization, Satellite data from Earth Science, Surface air temperature maps, CO2 and CO levels, Ozone and water vapor data, Gravity and sea level variations, Interactive 3D Earth model

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🌍 Real-time Earth data visualization
- 👍 User-friendly interface and easy navigation
- 🎨 Beautiful and mesmerizing graphics
- 📊 Comprehensive satellite data from NASA/JPL
- 🆓 Free access to scientific information

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes on older devices
- ⏳ Slow loading times on poor internet
- 🔍 Difficult to understand without scientific background
- 🗺️ Antarctica and polar regions blacked out/missing
- 📐 Zooming and scrolling too sensitive

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on startup or during use
- Endless 'Loading model' message
- Crashes on iPhone 4 and older devices
- Pixel doubler requirement on iPad
- No landscape orientation support

**Requested features**

- Celsius/Kelvin temperature unit options
- Satellite information (height, launch date)
- ISS tracking capability
- Ocean current visualization
- Ice sheet data layers


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Exoplanet free?

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

### Is Earth free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Exoplanet or Earth?

Exoplanet is rated higher. Exoplanet averages 4.7 out of 5 from 956 ratings, while Earth averages 4.6 from 42 ratings.

### Do Exoplanet or Earth have ads?

Neither Exoplanet nor Earth shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Exoplanet or Earth?

Exoplanet ships an update every 2 weeks, and Earth every 4 months. Most recently, Exoplanet was updated on September 26, 2026 and Earth on September 5, 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.*