Comparison

NASA vs ISS Track 2

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

Head to head
About

NASA

Explore the universe with access to live and on-demand NASA+ videos, a vast collection of stunning images, and the latest mission news. Discover interactive augmented reality experiences and track the International Space Station's path.

Highlights
  • NASA+ video streaming
  • 21,000+ NASA images
  • Latest NASA news
  • Mission updates
  • Podcasts
  • ISS tracking and Sky View
  • Augmented reality experiences
Features
Read full description

The redesigned NASA App unlocks access to the new NASA+ video streaming service, plus all the latest NASA images, news, mission information, podcasts, and interactive augmented reality experiences to explore -- putting the universe at your fingertips! With the NASA App, you'll be able to: • Explore with unlimited access to NASA+, featuring all of NASA's official live coverage and original on-demand video series. No subscription required. • Easily view over 21,000 of the latest NASA images • Rate images and explore all of the highest rated ones • Read all the latest NASA news and feature articles • Get the latest updates on Artemis, the James Webb Space Telescope, and other exciting NASA missions. • Listen to our podcasts featuring astronauts and experts who take you on a tour of the galaxy without ever leaving Earth. • Set an alert for when the International Space Station will fly over your location and use the Sky View feature to help you locate the station during the visible pass • Experience our rovers and rockets up close and personal with augmented reality. • And so much more! Download the updated NASA App now!

About

ISS Track 2

Track the International Space Station's live position on an interactive map or 3D globe. Discover when it will be visible from your location and watch live webcam streams from orbit.

Highlights
  • Live ISS position on interactive map/globe
  • Visibility predictions for naked-eye viewing
  • Live webcam stream from the ISS
  • Precise orbital data updated every 3 seconds
  • Multiple map/3D globe views
  • Customizable units and formats
Features
Read full description

ISS Track allows to see the position of the the International Space Station over an interactive map of the world or an interactive tridimensional representation of the globe. You will be able to know if the International Space station will be visible (naked eye) from your local position in the next hours and find it when over you. EASY TO USE Launching the app you can immediately see the position of the International Space Station over a map of the globe and see if it's near you inside the visible circle Knowing the position you can see it at naked eyes when it's over you at the right time of the day With a simple touch you can also see the live webcam stream coming from the International Space Station. You will watch the astronauts activities with video and audio, all live. FUN AND PRECISE ISS-Track is fun and precise at the same time. Calculation of the position of the station is very accurate, the app uses the latest NASA code optimized for iOS to calculate it. You don't get an approximated position, you get the EXACT position, speed and altitude of the Station updated any 3 second. The route path is visualized over the map to evaluate if the station is coming near your position in the next hours (when meteorological and light condition are adequate you can see it without any instruments, just observing the sky naked-eye). Time of day matters, you can't see it during the day but only when you have dark sky and the station still get the sun light, so usually after sunset for around 3 hours and before dawn (for a period of 3 hours) You have the possibility to see it many times in a month and many nights you have 2 valid passages in around 90 minutes(the time it spends for a world complete orbit at 27 000 Km/h - 17 000 MPH) After some time you will become expert to spot it in the sky as soon as it is on the horizon. FEATURES • Easy to use • Perfect results as using pro orbital software but in an easy to use app • Offers 6 different kind of map/3D globe • Customizable latitude/longitude format • Measure units in Km and Km/h or NM and MPH • Zoomable movable interactive Map and 3DGlobe showing also night/day areas • 'Keep Centered' function • Circle area of visibility moving with the station • Autodetect of your position and circle area of visibility around your position • Autoupdate of the NASA orbital parameters for an always perfect precise position calculation • macOS release available. Search on Mac App Store for 'International Space Station 2'

Screenshots

NASA4 screens
ISS Track 24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: NASA at 70% against ISS Track 2's 0%. NASA also leads on price (Free vs $4.99) and rating (4.8 vs 1.0). ISS Track 2's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). On ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

NASA is free to download; ISS Track 2 costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NASA holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NASA has 64K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of NASA's written reviews are positive against 0% of ISS Track 2's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NASA ships an update every 2 weeks, ISS Track 2 every 22 months. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
NASA versus ISS Track 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNASAISS Track 2
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.8 (64K ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews69.9% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings64K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 22 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNASARoberto Panetta

Customer experience

NASA

All ratings63,707 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral1.7%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews511 reviews
Positive69.9%
Neutral6.8%
Negative23.3%

ISS Track 2

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

NASA

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes on launch for some devices
  • Inability to close/exit image viewer
  • Notifications not working as expected
  • Incompatibility issues with newer iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add live streaming of NASA TV
  • Improve navigation and search
  • Implement dark mode option
  • Bring back old features (e.g. APOD widget, ISS sightings)
  • Enhance 3D models and AR capabilities

ISS Track 2

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

NASA

No in-app purchases

None

ISS Track 2

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NASA free?
NASA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ISS Track 2 free?
ISS Track 2 costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NASA or ISS Track 2?
NASA is rated higher. NASA averages 4.8 out of 5 from 64K ratings, while ISS Track 2 averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do NASA or ISS Track 2 have ads?
Neither NASA nor ISS Track 2 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NASA or ISS Track 2?
NASA ships an update every 2 weeks, and ISS Track 2 every 22 months. Most recently, NASA was updated on October 30, 2026 and ISS Track 2 on October 29, 2026.

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