Comparison

NASA vs SOS Remote

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

SOS Remote

Control a Science On a Sphere® system with your mobile device. Adjust sphere orientation, manage datasets, and enhance presentations with interactive features. Ideal for educational settings.

Highlights
  • Adjust sphere orientation
  • Control dataset playback
  • Load presentation playlists
  • Search and browse data catalog
  • View dataset descriptions
  • Create presentation playlists
  • Draw on and zoom datasets
  • Dynamically adjust dataset layers
Read full description

SOS Remote is a universal app for the iPhone*, iPod Touch*, and iPad that is used to control a Science On a Sphere® (SOS) system. SOS is a room sized, global display system that uses computers and video projectors to display planetary data onto a six-foot diameter sphere, analogous to an animated globe. SOS is used as an educational tool to help illustrate Earth System science to people of all ages in a way that is intuitive and captivating. The SOS Remote app affords greater interaction capabilities and ease of use compared to previous SOS controllers such as the Wii Remote. With this app, you can: • Adjust the orientation of the sphere in an intuitive way • Control playback of datasets • Load any presentation playlist stored on the SOS computer • Quickly search and browse the entire SOS Data Catalog and select datasets at random to load on the sphere • View a dataset's description and presenter notes while giving an SOS presentation • Quickly create a presentation playlist directly from the iPad • Draw on and zoom into a dataset loaded on the sphere • Dynamically turn on/off dataset layers and pips and adjust their transparency • Split the sphere into 2-4 vertical slices to replicate a portion of the dataset around the sphere • Perform full alignment of the sphere using an intuitive three step process * Note: The iPhone/iPod Touch support only a subset of the features described above. The iPad supports all features. Requirements: • In order to functionally use the SOS Remote app, you must have a Science On a Sphere® (SOS) installation • Wi-Fi or Bluetooth access to the SOS computer that is being controlled • SOS Software Version 5.5.0

Screenshots

NASA4 screens
SOS Remote2 screens

Verdict

The call

NASA and SOS Remote both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of SOS Remote's written reviews are positive against 70% of NASA's. NASA's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 8 months) and ratings volume (64K vs 2). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SOS Remote 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 2, 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 SOS Remote's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NASA ships an update every 2 weeks, SOS Remote every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and July 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
NASA versus SOS Remote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNASASOS Remote
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (64K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings64K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNASANOAA Science On a Sphere

Customer experience

NASA

All ratings63,707 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral1.7%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews509 reviews
Positive69.9%
Neutral6.7%
Negative23.4%

SOS Remote

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

SOS Remote

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

NASA

No in-app purchases

None

SOS Remote

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NASA free?
NASA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SOS Remote free?
SOS Remote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NASA or SOS Remote?
SOS Remote is rated higher. NASA averages 4.8 out of 5 from 64K ratings, while SOS Remote averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do NASA or SOS Remote have ads?
Neither NASA nor SOS Remote shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NASA or SOS Remote?
NASA ships an update every 2 weeks, and SOS Remote every 8 months. Most recently, NASA was updated on September 26, 2026 and SOS Remote on July 20, 2026.

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