Space Images vs ISS Explorer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Space Images
Explore breathtaking images from NASA missions, featuring planets, galaxies, and space technology. This app offers widgets for your home screen and StandBy mode, allowing you to view a slideshow while your device charges. You can also bookmark, search, and share your favorite celestial discoveries.
- Latest NASA space images
- Widgets for home screen
- StandBy mode slideshow
- Image notifications
- Search and browse categories
- Bookmark and share images
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Discover stunning new images of space, planets, Mars, asteroids, stars, galaxies, and cutting-edge space technology as they are released each week from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This new version of Space Images is fully redesigned and optimized for iOS 17, now supporting all widgets, including StandBy, which can display a slideshow while your device is charging. • iTunes Staff Favorite • Top Free App in the App Store Education category Features • From Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the icy moons of the outer solar system, get the latest science images of planets, stars, galaxies, robotic explorers, weather, and more. • Opt-in to get once-per-week notifications of the coolest images captured by JPL’s fleet of NASA space probes, including the Ingenuity Mars helicopter and rovers and the James Webb Space Telescope. • View the latest images from space on your home screen using our widgets. • Display a continuous rotating carousel of Space Images on your desk or side table using Standby (iOS 17). • “Like” and bookmark your favorite celestial images and share seamlessly on popular social media platforms. • Search by keyword or browse by these categories: Earth, Mars, Solar System, Stars and Galaxies, Exoplanets, Robotics, and Technology. • Save images to your photo library and share them with your friends.
ISS Explorer
Explore a detailed 3D model of the International Space Station. Rotate, zoom, and select individual components to learn about their function and systems. Organize your view by turning parts and labels on or off.
- Interactive 3D ISS model
- Rotate and zoom functionality
- Selectable parts with isolation
- Detailed information on components
- Hierarchical part organization
- Toggle parts and labels
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The ISS explorer is an interactive tool for exploring the parts and pieces of the International Space Station (ISS). The application allows the user to view a 3D model of the ISS, rotate it, zoom into it, and select different parts and pieces. When the application starts, you can see a view of the entire ISS with category labels. Tabs are available on the left hand side of the screen which allow you access to information, the hierarchy, settings and application information. From this point, you can zoom into the station, revealing more labels of visible parts. The station can also be rotated to view from different angles. If a part is selected, the part is isolated so that you can focus on the specific piece. The information tab shows information about the currently isolated part. Inside the hierarchy tab, you can turn parts on or off, turn labels for parts on or off, turn parts transparent, or select a part to focus on. The parts are organized in a hierarchy to allow for systems to be described and displayed. This includes things such as truss, modules, and external platforms. The Information tab shows information about the current isolated part, system, or the full ISS if the entire station is shown.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ISS Explorer at 100% against Space Images's 63%. ISS Explorer also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.6) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). Space Images's advantage is update cadence (every 4 months vs every 10 months). On price, ratings volume, 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.
ISS Explorer holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15 and 16 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Space Images's written reviews are positive against 100% of ISS Explorer's.
Space Images ships an update every 4 months, ISS Explorer every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Space Images | ISS Explorer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (15 ratings) | 4.9 (16 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 63.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 15 | 16 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 10 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 23 MB | 747 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jet Propulsion Laboratory | NASA |
Customer experience
Space Images
ISS Explorer
In-app purchases
Space Images
No in-app purchases
ISS Explorer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Space Images free?
Is ISS Explorer free?
Which has better reviews, Space Images or ISS Explorer?
Do Space Images or ISS Explorer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Space Images or ISS Explorer?
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