NASA vs CosmoCalc
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- NASA+ video streaming
- 21,000+ NASA images
- Latest NASA news
- Mission updates
- Podcasts
- ISS tracking and Sky View
- Augmented reality experiences
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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!
CosmoCalc
This app calculates astronomical distances and scales based on user-selected cosmological parameters. It offers a simple interface for astronomers, students, and enthusiasts to quickly determine various cosmic measurements.
- Select cosmological parameters (H0, Ωm, ΩΛ)
- Choose from common reference cosmologies
- Calculate luminosity distance
- Determine angular diameter distance
- Calculate lookback time
- Find age of the Universe
- Compute comoving volume and critical density
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CosmoCalc is a simple cosmological distance calculator. With a simple and intuitive interface you can quickly set a reference cosmology and redshift, and CosmoCalc will calculate a full suite of astronomical distances and scales. CosmoCalc is a useful and educational reference tool for astronomers, astronomy students, and anybody interested in calculating the distance to astronomical sources. CosmoCalc allows you to: * Select cosmological parameters H_0, Ω_m, and Ω_Λ with simple touch-screen controls * Easily choose from common reference cosmologies, including Planck 2013, WMAP9, Concordance, and Einstein-deSitter * Quickly determine the luminosity distance, angular diameter distance, lookback time, age of the Universe, comoving volume, and critical density * Easily switch between flat and non-flat cosmologies by clicking on the chain
Screenshots
Verdict
NASA and CosmoCalc both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of CosmoCalc's written reviews are positive against 70% of NASA's. CosmoCalc also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.6). NASA's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (64K vs 4). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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.
CosmoCalc holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NASA has 64K ratings behind it against 4, 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 100% of CosmoCalc's.
NASA ships an update every 2 weeks, CosmoCalc every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NASA | CosmoCalc |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (64K ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 69.9% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 64K — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 60 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | NASA | Eli Rykoff |
Customer experience
NASA
CosmoCalc
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
CosmoCalc
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
NASA
No in-app purchases
CosmoCalc
No in-app purchases
