Comparison

Exoplanet vs EarthViewer

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

Head to head
About

Exoplanet

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
Read full description

Exoplanets are planets orbiting stars beyond our own solar system. This app allows you to explore all discovered exoplanets, their measured physical properties, their location in the night sky, and their host stars. An interactive model shows you the entire observable universe, all the way from the surface of the Earth to the cosmic microwave background. This app has been developed by a professional astronomer. Main features: * Interactive visualizations and animations. * Physical properties of all detected exoplanets and their host stars, updated on a daily basis. * Stunning 3D model of our Milky Way showing the location of all known exoplanets. You can zoom into any planetary system, explore how the night sky and the constellations look from the surface of other planets, or zoom out and see other local galaxies and galaxy clusters as well as the cosmic microwave background. * Visualizations of exoplanet orbits and the habitable zone. * Choose between the Open Exoplanet Catalogue, the NASA Exoplanet Archive, and the Extrasolar Planet Encyclopedia (exoplanet.eu). * Push notifications are sent out whenever a new planet is discovered. * Augmented reality sky map: point the phone towards the sky to find an exoplanet! * Interactive multi-touch correlation plots. * Solar System planets, major moons, and asteroids are included. * Explore S-Stars orbiting the black hole at the Galactic Center of our Milky Way * Background information about exoplanets and detection methods. * Full support of planets in binary, triple, quadruple systems and orphan planets. * Real-time ray tracing on the GPU.

About

EarthViewer

Explore Earth's 4.5 billion-year history with this interactive time machine. See how continents, oceans, and climate have changed over eons, track landmarks and fossils, and visualize scientific data like temperature and biodiversity. Discover the dynamic evolution of our planet.

Highlights
  • Continental reconstructions over billions of years
  • Sea level and temperature maps
  • Track landmark and fossil movements
  • Visualize atmospheric composition and biodiversity
  • Explore geological eons, eras, and periods
  • Automated play modes and animations
Features
Read full description

What did Earth’s continents and oceans look like 250 million years ago, or even 1 billion years ago? What do we know about the climate back when our planet formed? How has sea level changed since the melting of the last ice age and what does the future hold? EarthViewer is like a time machine for exploring Earth’s deep history. Based on the latest scientific research, it lets you scroll through the last 4.5 billion years with your fingertips. Follow a favorite landmark, be it Greenland or New York City, as its position shifts through time, or watch a famous fossil like Tiktaalik make an incredible journey from its origin to its current location. Layer your view of shifting continents with data on atmospheric composition, temperature, biodiversity, day length, and solar luminosity, to get a more complete view of our dynamic planet. EarthViewer features include: • Continental reconstructions and accompanying data dating back billions of years • Sea level maps for the last 21,000 year and for 8,000 years into the future • Global temperature maps for the last 100+ years • Ability to manipulate the globe and zoom to any location • Locations of modern cities tracked back over 500 million years • In-depth features on major geological and biological events in Earth history • Clickable details on geologic eons, eras, and periods • Automated play modes • Animations between globe and flat map projections • Extensive reference list • Suggestions for classroom use The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is a non-profit medical research organization that ranks as one of the nation’s largest philanthropies. HHMI’s BioInteractive initiative opens a window on cutting-edge science through interactive web features, short films, virtual labs, and scientific animations. Since teachers play a pivotal role in launching the careers of future scientists and in helping the public understand the beauty and import of science, the BioInteractive team partners with the teaching community to create and distribute media that is engaging and relevant to the science curriculum.

Screenshots

Exoplanet4 screens
EarthViewer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: EarthViewer at none against Exoplanet's 7. EarthViewer also leads on iOS requirement (9.3 vs 13.0). Exoplanet's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, review sentiment, ads 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Exoplanet holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Exoplanet has 956 ratings behind it against 101, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Exoplanet's written reviews are positive against 83% of EarthViewer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Exoplanet ships an update every 2 weeks, EarthViewer every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and July 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Exoplanet versus EarthViewer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExoplanetEarthViewer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (956 ratings) — better4.4 (101 ratings)
Positive reviews91.0% of reviews — better83.1% of reviews
Number of ratings956 — better101
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.09.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size105 MB108 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHanno ReinHoward Hughes Medical Institute

Customer experience

Exoplanet

All ratings956 ratings
Positive93.0%
Neutral2.0%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews476 reviews
Positive91.0%
Neutral3.2%
Negative5.9%

EarthViewer

All ratings101 ratings
Positive86.1%
Neutral2.0%
Negative11.9%
Written reviews124 reviews
Positive83.1%
Neutral5.6%
Negative11.3%

User reviews

Exoplanet

From 956 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

EarthViewer

From 101 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌍 Comprehensive geological history visualization from 4.6 billion years ago to present
  • 📚 Excellent educational resource for teachers and students
  • 🎨 Beautiful and intuitive interface design
  • 🆓 Free app with extensive features and data
  • 🔄 Smooth continental drift animation and timeline controls

Room to improve

  • 🚫 Cannot exit app without force-closing or restarting device
  • 🐛 App freezes when switching between map projections
  • 📱 Not optimized for newer iOS versions
  • 🌏 Australia appears incorrectly in ancient Earth viewer
  • 🔲 Grid coordinates (lat/lon) not displaying properly

Bugs and requests

Exoplanet

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

9 requests
  • 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
Show 4 more
  • Addition of black holes, pulsars, and other celestial objects
  • Inclusion of satellite and spacecraft orbits
  • Narration or audio commentary for key discoveries
  • Ability to view the universe from the surface of planets

EarthViewer

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • App cannot be closed normally - requires force quit or device restart
  • App freezes when switching from flat map to globe view
  • Australia appears in incorrect locations in ancient Earth viewer
  • Grid coordinates (latitude/longitude) not displaying
  • Globe transparency and image distortion on iPad
Show 7 more
  • Geological Events toggle switch not functioning
  • Incompatible with iOS 13 and newer versions
  • Timeline scrolling limited when entire era not visible
  • App won't open or close on some devices
  • Hadean Epoch atmosphere incorrectly shown as blue
  • Antarctica appearance inconsistent between Paleo and Ice Age views
  • Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum information inaccurate

Requested features

16 requests
  • Add Pangea Proxima/Pangea Ultima supercontinent visualization
  • Add Kenorland supercontinent (2500 Mya)
  • Include future Earth continental drift predictions (0-250 million years)
  • Add Pleistocene ice age details with smaller time increments
  • Include ground-level view of Earth with animals and landscapes
Show 11 more
  • Add 2D map projection option (Plate Carree, Mollweide)
  • Add period/stage names to timeline
  • Implement location services to show current user location
  • Add search functionality for extinct species
  • Increase zoom capability for detailed regional analysis
  • Add plate tectonics layer with labeled plates and spreading zones
  • Include other planets and solar system formation
  • Add French language support
  • Add smooth video-like morphing between time periods
  • Fixed rotation axis option for Earth
  • Multiple globe views from different vantage points

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Exoplanet

One-time7
  • Galaxy Clusters and CMB$0.99
  • Asteroids$0.99
  • Gaia Stars$0.99
Show 4 more
  • S-Stars$0.99
  • Catalogues$0.99
  • Developer Appreciation Coffee$1.99
  • Kepler Add-on$2.99
None

EarthViewer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Exoplanet free?
Exoplanet is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is EarthViewer free?
EarthViewer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Exoplanet or EarthViewer?
Exoplanet is rated higher. Exoplanet averages 4.7 out of 5 from 956 ratings, while EarthViewer averages 4.4 from 101 ratings.
Do Exoplanet or EarthViewer have ads?
Neither Exoplanet nor EarthViewer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Exoplanet or EarthViewer?
Exoplanet ships an update every 2 weeks, and EarthViewer every 2 months. Most recently, Exoplanet was updated on September 29, 2026 and EarthViewer on July 10, 2026.

Other comparisons